MCH Epidemiology Workforce

The Community Health Administration (CHA) within the District of Columbia’s Department of Health (DC Health) continues to drive program, policy, and technical initiatives using the CHA Strategic Framework. A data rich blueprint, the framework sets benchmarks, standards, and KPIs to coordinate unity among teams, programs, and efforts within the administration. Dr. Thomas Farley, MD, MPH, who formerly served as the Senior Deputy Director as of FY23 led the development, and implementation of the framework. Now serving as the Interim Senior Deputy Director, Robin Diggs Perdue, MPH continues to facilitate the framework’s application among CHA efforts using her epidemiological expertise.

Robin Diggs Perdue, MPH also serves as the Title V State Director and CHA’s Deputy Director of Strategy, Programs and Policy. As mentioned above, she carries a background in epidemiology which fuels her capacity to lead data quality and data driven efforts. She currently works with Dr. Kafui Doe, Family Health Bureau Chief, to identify the next incumbents to serve as the Perinatal and Infant Health Division (PIHD) Chief and Title V Program Manager. Both roles provide programmatic and strategic oversight over the DC Title V program. The core Title V team consists of a public health analyst and two data analysts. Public Health Analyst, Lawryn Fowler, MPH and Full Time Employee (FTE) contributes a graduate-level education in Public Health with a concentration in maternal and child health. Data Analyst Simileoluwa Ekundayo, MPH FTE also contributes a graduate-level Public Health background with training in Epidemiology and Statistical Analysis. Data Analyst Chrycka Harper, MSW FTE contributes skills in statistical software including SQL and Tableau and received training in the MCH Epidemiology through the CityMatch training course program. CityMatch’s training program received over 400 applications from MCH/Public Health professionals located throughout the United States and its territories. 40 were selected to spend a week in New Orleans, Louisiana learning basic skills to MCH-focused Epidemiology including needs assessment topic prioritization, analytic methods, social determinants of health, and Perinatal Periods of Risk (PPOR). This team embraces a diverse skillset, knowledge capacity, and expertise to provide innovative and efficient facilitation of Title V programmatic oversight, grantee monitoring, and policy development, and data management.

In addition to the CHA leadership, PIHD leadership, and the Title V team, Title V funds 37 staff positions across the agency to ensure that the entire DC Health community is being utilized to support data-informed change across the District’s MCH population. Title V funds 6 program specialists FTE, 6 Public Health Analyst FTE, 4 Public Health Advisors FTE, 4 Program Managers FTE, and 3 Data Analyst FTE that oversee data systems, quality improvement, and/or evaluation. Staff such as, Lori Garibay, MPH, MA now serves as the Children and Adolescent School Health Division Chief who provides leadership over the  School-based Health Center Program and four Title V-funded grantees. Additionally, Goodwill Apiyo oversees data analytics, data visualization, and data processing for CHA’s Early Childhood Health Division which includes programs such as Help Me Grow and MIECHV.

CHA collaborates with DC Health’s Center for Policy, Planning, and Evaluation (CPPE) to understand health issues, risks and outcomes through data collection, surveillance, analysis, research, and evaluation; and provides insight to into the design of strategies, interventions and policies to prevent or reduce disease, injury and disability in the District of Columbia. Pamela Oandasan, MPH serves as CPPE’s MCH Epidemiologist/PRAMS Coordinator and works closely with Title V to ensure that PRAMS data is included in Title V decision-making processes, and Title V’s input is included in crafting new questions in the survey as a method to assess emerging MCH issues and needs. Data Analyst Chrycka Harper, MSW currently serves as the CHA liaison to PRAMS to help advocate for Title V and CHA’s interest in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the PRAMS survey. Moreover, the Title V team works with Saumya Rajamohan in CPPE to collect MCH-focused data including infant birth and death rates, maternal morbidity and mortality, and health insurance coverage.

Health Statistician Larissa Pardo, MSPH, who now serves as CHA’s lead Data Analyst, coordinated with CHA’s Perinatal/Infant Health Division to develop a Newborn Screening Dashboard utilizing Vital Records Data so internal staff can grow in effective and reliable data monitoring. Ms. Pardo continues to use her epidemiological background to support the MCH-related efforts including Title V programming. In addition to her work, Healthy Start Analyst Abieyuwa Omokaro, MPH, enhances the monitoring and analysis of newborn data by using statistical software and analytic methods. Finally, Family Health Bureau Data Analyst Contractor Matthew Nebiyou will work with the Title V team to coordinate KPIs/AWMs and streamline data collection efforts to ensure that the team is making progress toward annual goals.