Deputy Director for Surveillance, Data, and Analytics, Population Health Division

Job Description

The Population Health Division (PHD) provides expert core public health services for people that live, work, study and play in the City and County of San Francisco.  These services include epidemiology and surveillance, community health protection, health promotion, disease and injury prevention, disaster preparedness and response, cutting edge applied research, as well as policy development and implementation. PHD operates three leading public health clinics and the city’s only Public Health Laboratory. PHD also leads public health accreditation for the Department. Providing the foundation for all this work are PHD teams who ensure we have a strong operational infrastructure and culture of continuous improvement, and who provide professional support and development opportunities for our staff.

PHD consists of several Branches and their diverse teams who cross collaborate within the Division, as well as with other DPH teams, and with city and community partners. PHD’s vision is to make San Francisco the healthiest place on earth by drawing upon community wisdom and science to support, develop, and implement evidence-based policies, practices, and partnerships that protect and promote health, prevent disease and injury, and create sustainable environments and resilient communities.

Under the direction of the Division Director, the Deputy Director for Surveillance, Data and Analytics will direct core public health data functions, including epidemiology and surveillance, statistical modeling and demographics, public health informatics, research and evaluation, and performance management and quality improvement to enhance the use of science and evidence-based decision making to provide actionable insights that improve health in San Francisco with a health equity focus.  The Deputy Director for Surveillance, Data and Analytics will report to the San Francisco Health Officer and Director of the Population Health Division (PHD) within the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH).

This position will provide executive leadership in incorporating a health equity lens throughout areas of responsibility in the Division and the Department. The position will  provide direction and subject matter expertise for the development of research questions and priorities to guide in-depth investigations, advanced statistical modeling, identification and selection of methodological approaches from multiple scientific disciplines, synthesis of the scientific evidence base on key topics, development of analytic and evaluation plans, procedures for assessing data validity, reliability and completeness, development and improvement of surveillance systems and procedures, review and interpretation of data analyses, and translation of complex findings into policy, program design and planning and communications. They will maintain and develop partnerships with academic and industry partners to improve access to and translation of data into policy, strategy, and operational improvements.

 Another critical role will be to maintain external partnerships to enhance knowledge generation and to improve access to and translation of data into policy, strategy, and operational improvements support workforce development to achieve a robust, diverse pipeline of future leaders in public health data science in PHD and DPH.

The position will provide direction and subject matter expertise to optimize communicable and non-communicable disease surveillance, by developing or revising procedures for assessing data validity, reliability, and completeness, and by leading and directing division-wide data modernization efforts, including the implementation of innovations in informatics and new public health surveillance systems. They will assure that data are used to inform policy, strategy, and public health practice by developing and prioritizing research questions, utilizing advanced statistical modeling, and engaging with methodological approaches from multiple scientific disciplines. They will support continuous quality improvement and evaluation through the development of analytic and evaluation plans and interpretation of data analyses, and will help translate complex findings into policy, program design and planning and communications. Lastly, they will maintain and develop partnerships with academic and industry partners to improve access to and translation of data into policy, strategy, and operational improvements.

As this is an executive leadership position, they will lead and participate in strategic planning within the Department and Division and will ensure continuous identification, adoption, and improvement of scientific, informatics and technological advances across the core areas. The position will be responsible for the executive administration department in rations oversight of the two Branches: Applied Research, Community Health Epidemiology and Surveillance (ARCHES) and Center for Data Science (CDS), which together provide public health surveillance, data and analytics services to other Population Health Division branches and other areas of the Department in the absence of the Health Officer and Population Health Division Director, may serve as the designated acting PHD Director.

Under general administrative direction of the San Francisco Health Officer and Population Health Division Director and/or Designee, the Deputy Director for Surveillance, Data, and Analytics plans, organizes, directs and is responsible for the executive administrative and operations oversight of the Division’s Branches as follows: Applied Research Community Health Epidemiology and Surveillance (ARCHES) and Center for Data Science (CDS). In the absence of the San Francisco Health Officer, the position may serve as the designated acting Health Officer. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

Sets vision, strategic direction, goals, objectives, and priorities to enhance the use of data science and evidence to inform DPH efforts to prevent and control disease. 

Collaborates to create and support an overall scientific agenda and use of scientific knowledge and evidence in decision-making.

Leads, guides, and enhances core functions that support evidence-based decision making in public health including public health surveillance, epidemiology, vital statistics, health economics, demography, public health informatics, research, evaluation, statistical modeling, predictive analytics and performance management and quality improvement.

Creates and maintains partnerships with other health agencies (including state and federal), academia, and external partners to enhance generation of knowledge, access to data and utilization of and translation of data and evidence into policy, strategies, operations, and communications.

Establishes and maintains a structure for information governance in the population health division.

Directs and oversees maintenance of ethical, privacy, and security issues related to health data.

Provides leadership to prioritize health equity within areas of responsibility.

Identifies resource development opportunities and leverages funds for science in support of Department and Division priorities.  Promotes and facilitates long-term investment in infrastructure including new and emerging methods and systems to support scientific excellence.

Uses data to promote performance management and continuous quality improvement throughout areas of responsibility and the department.

Leads and supports program evaluation to optimize programs and services by utilizing trans-disciplinary and innovative methods.

Develops processes for evaluating and prioritizing data requests in alignment with department and division wide goals, mission, and vision.

Works and collaborates with Departmental and Division leadership colleagues to successfully promote the development of research questions and priorities to guide in-depth investigations, advanced statistical modeling, identification and selection of methodological approaches from multiple scientific disciplines, synthesis of the scientific evidence base on key topics, development of analytic and evaluation plans, procedures for assessing data validity, reliability and completeness, development and improvement of surveillance systems and procedures, review and interpretation of data analyses, and translation of complex findings into policy, program design and planning and communications.

Oversees and advocates for the development, promotion, implementation and use of information systems and electronic disease reporting.  Collaborates and partners with the Department’s Information Technology and Health Informatics leadership and Data SF to innovate the Division’s public health informatics system.

Directs and manages selection, hiring, training, development and evaluation of Branch Directors, Supervisors, Managers and/or Staff.  Supervises assigned Branch Directors, Supervisors, Managers and/or Staff within the Branches.

Directly provides mentorship and supports team leaders in workforce development of staff and trainees in the areas of data science and analytics with an equity focus.

Participates in, directs and/or facilitates budget development by developing budget narratives, providing detailed feedback and review prior to sending to the Director. 

Translates scientific information and innovation into public health practice, including ensuring continuous training and development of public health analytics and informatics workforce.

Serves as representative on local, state and national committees and/or task forces.

Prepares and makes presentations to boards, commissions, community-based partners and/or external groups, including the SF Board of Supervisors and Health Commission, and responds as needed to assist in drafting press releases and responding to data-related media requests.

May serve as the designated acting Population Health Director when the Division Director is not available.

Serves in assigned leadership role(s) in the Departmental Operations Center (DOC), Incident Management Team (IMT) or other public health emergency response when needed.

Performs related and other duties as required.

---