Senior Advisor, Maternal Mental Health and Epidemiologist, Office of Chief Medical Officer

The Center for Health Equity & Community Wellness (CHECW) seeks to eliminate racial and other inequities resulting in premature mortality. With an unwavering grounding in history and structural analysis, CHECW works to increase visibility of the harm perpetuated by centuries of racist, socially unjust policy while pushing towards redress for the most impacted NYC communities. CHECW addresses inequity across community and healthcare systems in partnership with community, faith-based, and health care organizations. CHECW's work focuses on social determinants of health, including environmental and commercial determinants, and addresses both upstream and downstream factors to improve health and well-being of New Yorkers. CHECW is comprised of the Bureau of Bronx Neighborhood Health, the Bureau of Brooklyn Neighborhood Health, the Bureau of Harlem Neighborhood Health, the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention, the Bureau of Health Equity Capacity Building, the Bureau of Equitable Health Systems and the Bureau of Finance, Administration and Services. The division's Deputy Commissioner also serves as the Agency's Chief Equity Officer and oversees Race to Justice, the Agency's internal reform effort to help our staff learn what they can do to better address racial health gaps and improve health outcomes for all New Yorkers. CHECW sits under the Agency's Chief Medical Officer.

The Office of the Chief Medical Officer, which sits in the CHECW division, seeks to hire a Senior Advisor, Maternal Mental Health and Epidemiologist, Office of Chief Medical Officer. Reporting to the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, the Senior Advisor, Maternal Mental Health and Epidemiologist will work to serve as the Health Department's lead strategist for maternal behavioral health. The Senior Advisor, Maternal Mental Health and Epidemiologist will work to identify needs related to maternal behavioral health and work collaboratively across the department and with external partners to develop, implement, and evaluate strategies and initiatives to address outstanding concerns and ensure a holistic focus to maternal health.

• Serve as the Health Department lead strategist and coordinator for maternal behavioral health.
• Elevate the need to address maternal behavioral health needs as critical for achieving Healthy NYC goals.
• Collaborate with Division leads and program directors to map current need and reach for existing programming.
• Facilitate inter-divisional communication and collaboration, leveraging existing workgroups including the PMADS/SUD group (including the divisions of Family Child Health, Mental Hygiene, CHECW, and the Center for Population Health and Data Science) and CMO Birth Equity sub-group.
• Build relationships and foster collaboration with subject matter experts within the Division of Mental Hygiene.

Work with programs to regularly review behavioral health and programming data. Use data to identify and target opportunities for alignment, such as referral pathways.

• Lead implementation of behavioral health activities to carry out NYC Maternal Mortality Review Community recommendations including: Collaboration with academic institutions on workforce development goals; Provider communication and education on behavioral health and maternal health, including education on opioid agonist therapy and pain management; Distribution of naloxone through birthing facilities; Development of harm reduction materials for pregnant and parenting New Yorkers.
• Liaise with external partners actively working in maternal behavioral health, including New York City Health and Hospitals, the NYC Administration for Children's Services, the NYC Department of Homeless Services, and academic partners.
• Liaise with internal partners including the Office of External Affairs and the Center for Population Health and Data Science.

Preferred Skills

• Master's degree public health, public policy, social work, or a related field desirable;
• Certification in maternal child health;
• Expertise in maternal health and behavioral health;
• Expertise in coalition and partnership building, program development and implementation;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Demonstrated track record of critical thinking and analytical and creative problem solving;
• Good knowledge of various evaluation methods;
• Experience building and maintaining relationships with a wide variety of colleagues and organizations, including internal and external partners.
• Knowledge of and demonstrated commitment in public health anti-racism, social justice, and equity.

Why You Should Work For Us

• Loan Forgiveness: As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal/state loan forgiveness and repayment assistance programs that lessen your payments or even fully forgive your full balance. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's website )
• Benefits: City employees are entitled to unmatched benefits such as:
• a premium-free health insurance plan that saves employees over $10K annually, per a 2024 assessment.
• additional health, fitness, and financial benefits may be available based on the position's associated union/benefit fund.
• a public sector defined benefit pension plan with steady monthly payments in retirement.
• a tax-deferred savings program and
• a robust Worksite Wellness Program that offers resources and opportunities to keep you healthy while serving New Yorkers.
• Work From Home Policy: Depending on your position, you may be able to work up to two days during the week from home.
• Job Security - you could enjoy more job security compared to private sector employment and be able to contribute to making NYC a healthy place to live and work.

Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the U.S., dedicated to protecting and improving the health of NYC. Our mission is to safeguard the health of every resident and cultivate a city where everyone, regardless of age, background, or location, can achieve their optimal health. We provide a wide array of programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and social justice initiatives. As the primary population health strategist and policy authority for NYC, with a rich history of public health initiatives and scientific advancements, from addressing the 1822 yellow fever outbreak to the COVID-19 pandemic, we serve as a global leader in public health innovation and expertise.

Come join us and help to continue our efforts in making a difference in the lives of all New Yorkers

The NYC Health Department is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation to all individuals. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, contact Sye-Eun Ahn, Director of the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, at or

STRATEGIC INITIATIVE SPECIALIS

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's website at

Residency Requirement

Except as otherwise provided herein, a person serving in a mayoral agency in any of the following civil service or office titles shall be a resident of the City on the date that he or she assumes such title or shall establish city residence within ninety days after such date and shall thereafter maintain city residency for as long as he or she serves in such title: agency heads, including but not limited to Commissioner, Director and Executive Director, First Deputy Commissioner, Executive Deputy Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, General Counsel, Borough Commissioner, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Associate Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, and other senior level staff titles, identified on a list established pursuant to section 2(b) of this Order. Minimum Qualification Requirements: A master's degree in social work, psychology, public health or related field, from an accredited graduate school and five (5) years of satisfactory, full-time paid experience in social work, psychology, public health or related field one (1) year of the experience shall have been in a responsible administrative or consultative capacity directly concerned with mental health or 2. A satisfactory equivalent. However, all candidates must have the one (1) year specialized experience as described above.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.