Public Health Specialist - PHFI (Apply by: 15 April 2014)

Position Vacant : Public Health Specialist

Position Code : PHFI/2014/80

Place of Posting : PHFI, Delhi

Organization Name : Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)

Company Profile:

Public Health Foundation of India, a public private initiative to build large scale human resource capacity in public health through its three pronged integrated charter of (a) establishing a network of world class, India-relevant schools of public health & strengthening some of the existing schools (b) establishing standards for public health education through the formation of an accreditation agency and (c) strengthening research and policy in areas related to public health.

Project Brief:

India Research Initiative on Peri-Urban Human-Animal-Environment Interface

The selected candidate will join the upcoming project of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) who have partnered on a four year India Research Initiative on Peri-Urban Human-Animal-Environment Interface for research and coordination for local healthy food production, healthy livestock and enhanced public health. With a focus on small holder dairy farms, the goal of this Initiative is to contribute to stronger, evidence-based, cross-sector policy and local capacity for integrating public health and livestock health, urban planning, local food production and social development in peri-urban settings of India.
The selected candidate will be part of a multidisciplinary team of researchers who work on emerging infections and other communicable diseases. The team coordinates the activities of the Roadmap to Combat Zoonoses in India (RCZI) Initiative and is a leading player in the global One Health movement.

As a part of its mandate, the group is working on a range of studies including community-based research projects in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Assam as well as infectious diseases policy research, One Health capacity in South Asia, and developing an active knowledge management program in One Health resources. (more information available at http://zoonoses.phfi.org)

Job Description / Responsibilities:

• As a full time infectious diseases epidemiologist, the candidate is expected to provide epidemiological inputs to surveillance of infectious disease and health effects from exposure to hazards in peri-urban area. The candidate will assist in studies that will inquire into the burden of zoonotic disease, the evidence for effective interventions and their relative cost -effectiveness. The candidate is also expected to assist in risk assessments, and identify critical points and opportunities for risk management. The candidate will support collection and analysis of epidemiological data in various study sites and provide field epidemiological services for environmental risk assessment.
• The candidate will be required to support the team in designing Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) strategy, and developing communication tools for peri-urban areas with a focus on healthy food production, healthy livestock and enhanced public health. In doing so, the candidate will support the team in advocacy, developing and implementing capacity building intervention packages across multiple sites in India
• The candidate will also be expected to actively contribute to other studies such as Japanese Encephalitis micro-ecosystems, Antimicrobial use in veterinary sectors, and evaluation of disease control programs.
• In addition to the research duties, the recruited candidate is also expected to contribute to resource mobilization at the zoonoses team, capacity building and advocacy initiatives of RCZI. This profile is ideally suited for candidates who have a recent doctoral / post-graduate qualification in infectious diseases epidemiology and are looking for developing a career in policy relevant epidemiological research in South Asia.

Qualifications / Experience required

• PhD or Master’s degree in epidemiology, biostatistics or public health
• Two to three years of experience of field epidemiology and public health, capacity building and infectious disease epidemiology research.
• Prior work exposure or training in emerging infections, zoonoses, One Health.
• Experience of working closely with national government agencies, national program management or national public health surveillance system is desirable.
• Demonstrated analytical skills using standard statistical software packages (SAS, STATA, and SPSS) and quantitative risk assessment and exposure to infectious disease modelling
• Prior exposure to working in developing countries, especially in South Asia and fluency in Indian languages is an added advantage.
• Proven skills in effective communication and coordination with different actors to ensure a collaborative approach to working and willingness to travel to field locations in various parts of India

Compensation: Salary ranges between Rs. 80,000/- to Rs. 125,000/-, based on the qualification, experience and the competency of the incumbent selected.

Applications, along with detailed CV, may be sent to: hr.phfi@gmail.com by highlighting the Position Code (PHFI/2014/80) in the subject line. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the interview.

Last Date of Receipt of Applications: 15 April 2014