Urban Health Policy Fellow, City of Philadelphia

Posted by City of Philadelphia on February 18, 2020

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH), with some 900 staff and a budget of $350 million, promotes and protects the health of all Philadelphians and provides a safety net for the most vulnerable. The agency leads programs to prevent communicable diseases; prevent chronic diseases and promote healthy behaviors; prevent environmental health risks; investigate outbreaks of disease; respond to public health emergencies; and promote the health of women, children, and families. In addition, the department operates eight primary care clinics. PDPH has been on the vanguard of public health, proposing policy solutions to problems like smoking and obesity, and intends to continue that tradition with creative solutions to both long-standing urban health problems and new crises.

Job Description

This is a two-year paid fellowship in Urban Health Policy. Urban Health Policy Fellows will work on priority health issues that the City is facing. Examples include opioid addiction and overdose, smoking, obesity, HIV, lead poisoning, childhood asthma, and innovative use of electronic health record data. Fellows will work on teams addressing issues such as these, and will be assigned specific projects that help the agency understand the problem, engage with stakeholders, develop policy solutions, recruit support for interventions, and/or implement policies.

To ensure that the experience is broad, Fellows will rotate among different Divisions in the health department over the two-year program. In addition, Fellows will learn about the entire agency by attending management meetings and participating in small-group sessions with internal and external public health experts. The Fellows will also benefit from the mentorship of Urban Health Policy Fellows who are in their second year of fellowship.

Essential Functions

Urban Health Policy Fellows will work directly with senior leaders of one of the nations most innovative health departments on high priority projects, while receiving on-the-job training in public health policy development.

Qualifications

Completion of a bachelors degree program at an accredited college or university in Public Health, Global Health, or Community Health within the last two years (or before July 1, 2020).

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Demonstrate interest in public health topics.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to contribute and coordinate work in a team
• Ability to learn quickly and take initiative on individual projects
• Strong attention to detail
• Proficiency in data analysis, including basic concepts in epidemiology and statistics
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office software (Word, PowerPoint, Excel); previous use of analytical software like SAS a plus

Additional Information

https://www.smartrecruiters.com/CityofPhiladelphia/743999704064963-urban-health-policy-fellow