Over the past three years, the two FHSD epidemiologist positions remain vacant. These two division-level epidemiologists provided critical guidance and support specifically to the Title V and SSDI grants, PRAMS program, as well as overall technical assistance to FHSD programs with data presentations, research, and publications.

Former Epi staff: In December 2018, Don Hayes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention MCH Epidemiology assignee, resigned after accepting a job offer at CDC Atlanta. Later in August 2019, Tiana Garrett-Cherry, FHSD’s Division Epidemiologist II, resigned to relocate to Virginia. FHSD has aggressively worked to fill both positions to no avail.

MCH CDC Assignee: FHSD continues to seek another CDC MCH Epidemiology assignee and has submitted applications annually after Dr. Hayes’ departure. FHSD has interviewed two prospective assignees over the past three years, but none have accepted the position.

Epi II Position: Initially, FHSD actively recruited for the Epi II position. In 2020, the position was under a statewide hiring freeze due to the pandemic. FHSD resumed recruitment for the position in July 2021 when the freeze was lifted. The posting is currently listed with over 25 other epidemiology positions under recruitment for Hawaii’s Department of Health. The SSDI program officer and MCH Bureau staff have assisted with circulating/posting the job announcement.

Research Statisticians: FHSD does have three FTE research statistician positions located at the division and CSHN and MCH branches that provide data analysis support. The Division Statistician is state funded and the branch statisticians are both Title V funded.

Carlotta Fok, Ph.D., has served as the Division Research Statistician since 2016. She received her Ph.D. in 2006 from McGill University, Canada, in quantitative psychology and was a postdoctoral fellow and then a research scientist at the Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR), focusing on health disparities research, cross-cultural measurement development, theory testing, and analysis of intervention effects. Her expertise is in longitudinal and functional data analysis, measurement development, small sample methodology, and developing quantitative methodology for program evaluation. She provides statistical assistance and data analysis for the Title V and PRAMS programs. Dr. Fok works with the DOH vital statistics office to draw the PRAMS monthly sampling and annual birth files. In 2022, Dr. Fok assisted the Department’s Disease Investigation Branch program with data reporting for COVID cases counts.

Title V funding: Title V funds currently support the Epi II and a CDC MCH Epi Assignee. Title V also funds the two branch research statisticians. The Division Statistician is state funded.