Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) epidemiologists are primarily housed within the Bureau of Infectious Disease Prevention (BIDP) and the Bureau of Epidemiology and Population Health (BEPH). Each Bureau includes three Divisions. Within BIDP are Immunization, HIV & STI Programs, and Communicable Diseases. Within BEPH are Vital Records and Health Statistics, Environmental Health, and Lifecourse Epidemiology and Genomics.

For the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the MCH Epi workforce was pulled away from regular duties to assist with the state’s COVID-19 response. Most staff have since returned to normal job duties and have learned new skills due to the pandemic response (e.g., testing coordination with providers, contact tracing, and the use of ArcGIS to determine testing sites and vaccination clinics) which have strengthened the MCH Epi workforce and can be used in the future.

Most of the MCH Epidemiology workforce capacity for MDHHS is housed within the Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology (MCH Epi) Section which is housed within the Lifecourse Epidemiology and Genomics Division. The roles and responsibilities for epidemiologist positions within the MCH Epi Section are summarized below.

Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Section Manager (1.0 FTE)

Chris Fussman, MS, became the MCH Epi Section Manager in November 2016. Chris received his Master of Science in Epidemiology from Michigan State University in 2004. As the MCH Epi Section Manager, Chris provides scientific, administrative, and program direction and leadership to MCH Epi Section staff. He meets with Title V leadership and program staff to assist with Title V needs assessment processes, including establishing projections for Title V performance measures and evaluating Michigan’s progress on national and state performance measures. Chris also works with the MCH Epi team to expand data analyses associated with the Minimum/Core indicators and has routine discussions with internal partners regarding data linkages to improve Michigan’s Title V program efforts. Chris and the MCH Epi team also remain focused on the expansion of data collection efforts associated with MCH emerging issues, including neonatal abstinence syndrome, maternal mortality, and COVID-19 mortality. This position is funded by a combination of State Systems Development Initiative (SSDI) funding and other state infant mortality funding.

Child, Adolescent, and School Health (CASH) Epidemiologist (1.0 FTE)

Lindsay Townes, MPH, started as the CASH Epidemiologist in August 2018. Lindsay received her MPH from the University of Michigan in 2011. As the CASH Epidemiologist, Lindsay is responsible for providing epidemiological analysis and support to Michigan’s Child and Adolescent School Health Program, which includes teen pregnancy prevention, school based/linked health centers, school nursing, comprehensive health education, and coordinated school health programs. Lindsay also provides epidemiological and statistical support to the Title V program, providing data analysis and support for needs assessments, annual reports/applications, performance measure reporting, and funding allocations for local maternal and child health programs. This position is funded by Title V and other federal funding sources.

Infant Health Epidemiologist (1.0 FTE)

The Infant Health Epidemiologist position is currently being filled. This position is responsible for analyzing infant health statistics for Michigan, including infant mortality, preterm birth, low birthweight, feto-infant mortality, stillbirths, and neonatal abstinence syndrome rates. These indicators have been incorporated into the Mother Infant Health and Equity Improvement Plan and are regularly integrated into Title V workplans and performance measures. This position is funded entirely by state-level infant mortality funding.

Newborn Screening Epidemiologist (1.0 FTE)

Isabel Hurden, MPH, started as the Newborn Screening (NBS) Epidemiologist in August 2017. Isabel received her Master’s in Public Health from Grand Valley State University in 2016. As the NBS Epidemiologist, Isabel is responsible for linking NBS records to birth certificate records, generating quarterly reports for birthing hospitals, creating yearly NBS annual reports, pulling specimens for BioTrust research projects, assisting the University of Michigan with the sickle cell registry, and all other data analysis related to NBS records. This position is funded by state newborn screening funds and by a CDC sickle cell grant.

Home Visiting and ECHO Epidemiologist (1.0 FTE)

Carlotta Allievi, MPH, started as the Home Visiting/ECHO Epidemiologist in August 2018. Carlotta received her Master’s in Public Health from Grand Valley State University in 2018. Carlotta is responsible for analyzing Home Visiting program data for annual reports such as the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) report and Michigan’s Public Act 291 Home Visiting Legislative Report, as well as updating the county-level Needs Assessment for the MIECHV Initiative. Data from these reports are also used to inform related MCH activities. This position is funded through HRSA and NIH grants.

Pediatric Genomics and Early Hearing Epidemiologist (1.0 FTE)

Evan Withrow, MS, started as the Pediatric Genomics and Early Hearing Epidemiologist in November 2017. Evan received his Master of Science in Epidemiology from Michigan State University in May 2017. As the Pediatric Genomics and Early Hearing Epidemiologist, Evan is responsible for surveillance of pulse oximetry screening practices throughout the state, conducting research regarding pulse oximetry screening for critical congenital heart diseases, providing analyses for EHDI populations to illustrate the public health impact of hearing loss, and to assist with surveys and studies that evaluate and monitor the health status of EHDI populations. This position is funded through state newborn screening funds and two federal grants that support Michigan’s EHDI activities.

Birth Defects and Family Planning Epidemiologist (1.0 FTE)

Amy Rakowski, MS, started as the Birth Defects and Family Planning Epidemiologist in October 2019. Amy received her master’s degree from The University of Iowa in 2018. As the Birth Defects and Family Planning Epidemiologist, Amy is responsible for the analysis of birth defects trends and the investigation of potential birth defects clusters that occur in Michigan. This position is also responsible for the annual analysis of Family Planning Annual Report (FPAR) data and supports this program in its transition to encounter-level data collection. This position is funded by the CDC and the Office for Population Affairs.

PRAMS Project Coordinator (0.75 FTE)

Peterson Haak, BS, (MS and PhD pending) started as the PRAMS Project Coordinator in January 2015. Pete received his bachelor’s degree from Grand Valley State University in 2002 and has completed all coursework in support of an MS and PhD in epidemiology from Michigan State University. As the PRAMS project coordinator, Pete oversees the collection and analysis of data for the PRAMS survey. PRAMS provides data on Title V performance measures for infant safe sleep and numerous state-level measures for breastfeeding and perinatal substance use. This position is funded by the CDC PRAMS cooperative agreement and through other state and federal funding sources.

Adverse Childhood Experiences Epidemiologist (0.3 FTE)

Kim Hekman, MPH, started as the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Epidemiologist in January 2021. Kim received her MPH in epidemiology from the University of Michigan in 2010. As the ACEs Epidemiologist, Kim is responsible for building capacity for the surveillance, statistics and reporting of ACEs at the state and local levels. Many ACE indicators that are generated through this work may be included in future Title V work plans for the Child and Adolescent Health Domains. This position is funded entirely by the CDC through a cooperative agreement led by the Michigan Public Health Institute.

Preventable Mortality Epidemiologist (1.0 FTE)

Heidi Neumayer, MPH, started as the Preventable Mortality Epidemiologist in March 2019. Heidi received her Master of Public Health degree from Grand Valley State University in 2016. As the Preventable Mortality Epidemiologist, Heidi is responsible for monitoring and analyzing severe maternal morbidity, maternal mortality, and sleep-related infant deaths. Infants safely sleeping and healthy girls, women and mothers are two of the primary priorities of the Mother Infant Health and Equity Improvement Plan. Statistics related to these priorities are regularly utilized within Title V work plans. This position is funded by Title V and other federal funding sources.

The remaining positions within the MCH Epi Section focus on PRAMS operations, maternal mortality surveillance, and most recently COVID-19 mortality review. Both PRAMS operations and maternal mortality surveillance are partially supported through Title V. Title V funding is used within PRAMS to help support web, mail, and phone data collection activities for this critical public health surveillance system. For maternal mortality surveillance, Title V also supports the maternal mortality project coordinator and case abstractor positions that are responsible for requesting/collecting the necessary case records, abstracting information from case records, developing summaries of cases for review, and guiding cases through the review committee process. Although not funded by Title V or SSDI, the COVID-19 mortality review team (one project coordinator and two case abstractors) conduct a similar committee review process for a sample of COVID-19 deaths that have occurred in Michigan.

In addition to positions within the MCH Epi Section, epidemiology positions within other MDHHS Divisions also play a critical role in advancing the state’s MCH epi data capacity. Roles and responsibilities for these positions are summarized below.

Vaccine Preventable Disease (VPD) Epidemiologist (1.0 FTE)

Cristi Bramer, MPH, started as the VPD Epidemiologist in January 2009. Cristi received her MPH from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 2007. As the VPD Epidemiologist, Cristi is responsible for analyzing, interpreting, and disseminating data from the Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR) to identify pockets of need; immunizations levels by antigen; and other analyses or produce reports as requested. Child and adolescent vaccination coverage have been incorporated into the Mother Infant Health and Equity Improvement Plan and are integrated into Title V performance measures. This position is funded by a CDC Core Component grant.

Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR) Epidemiologist (1.0 FTE)

Hannah Forsythe, PhD, started as the MCIR Epidemiologist in December 2020. Hannah received her PhD from Michigan State University in 2018. As a MCIR Epidemiologist, Hannah is responsible for analyzing, interpreting, and disseminating data from the MCIR to identify pockets of need, immunizations levels by antigen, and other analyses or reports as requested. Child and adolescent vaccination coverage have been incorporated into the Mother Infant Health and Equity Improvement Plan and are regularly integrated into Title V work plans. This position is funded under a CDC Core Component grant.

Oral Health Epidemiologist (0.5 FTE)

Prudence Kunyangna, MS, started as the Oral Health Epidemiologist in May 2020. Prudence received her Master of Science in Epidemiology from Michigan State University in 2019. As the Oral Health Epidemiologist, Prudence is responsible for analyzing oral health statistics for Michigan, including school-based dental sealants, community water fluoridation rates, oral health utilization of pregnant women and adults, Medicaid dental claims and HIV dental utilization. These indicators have been incorporated into Oral Health Program activities and are regularly integrated into Title V oral health work plans. This position is funded by Title V and other private funding sources.

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) Epidemiologist (1.0 FTE) 

RoseAnn Miller, MS, started as a CLPPP Epidemiologist in October 2016. RoseAnn received her MS from Michigan State University in 2004. As the CLPPP Epidemiologist, RoseAnn is responsible for analyzing various child health statistics, including blood lead surveillance metrics, blood lead levels in Michigan residents, and risk factors associated with elevated blood lead levels in children. These indicators have been incorporated into the MDHHS Lead Strategy and are integrated into the Title V work plans and performance measure. This position is funded by state-level Flint Supplemental funding and the CDC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention grant.

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) Epidemiologist (1.0 FTE) 

Elizabeth Vickers, MPH, started as a CLPPP Epidemiologist in April 2018. Elizabeth received her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Michigan in 2014. As the CLPPP Epidemiologist, Liz is responsible for analyzing child health statistics, including information about childhood blood lead testing, confirmatory testing, and elevated blood lead levels. These indicators have been incorporated into the MDHHS Lead Strategy and are regularly integrated into the Title V work plan. This position is funded by state-level Flint Supplemental funding.

WIC Epidemiologist (1.0 FTE)

As of March 2021, the WIC Epidemiologist position is vacant, but interviews are being conducted to fill this vacancy. This position is responsible for providing epidemiological knowledge and guidance to the WIC Division for the MCH population it serves. The position creates, manages, and links multiple large datasets related to Pediatrics and Pregnancy Surveillance Systems (PNSS & PedNSS) and USDA Participant Characteristics. Data calculated by the WIC Epidemiologist are integrated into many WIC-related activities that intersect with other MCH programs (e.g., breastfeeding). This position is fully funded by WIC.

Ongoing MCH Epidemiology Workforce Activities

Continuing to identify and develop new data sources, improve data quality, effectively measure health outcomes, and develop stronger MCH performance metrics remain important components of Michigan’s MCH work. Equally important is the need to communicate findings in a participatory manner to MCH programs and partner organizations. A coordinated data-to-action approach provides the foundation for systems and outcomes evaluation, data-based information to educate policy makers, and support for the state’s goal of improving the health and wellness of people across the life course. Capacity within Michigan’s MCH epi workforce and coordination with MCH programs must continuously be strengthened to maximize the ability to provide meaningful data analysis, interpretation, and communication.