**Title**: IPAC Epidemiologist

**Department**: Infection Control

**Position Number**: 50070633

**Hours of Work**:Full-Time Position; Day Shifts

**Salary**: Class 7 - $89,490-$107,389 per annum

**Union**: Non-Union

**Location**: Kingston General Hospital Site

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The Infection Prevention and Control Coordinator/Epidemiologist (IPAC Epi) develops and maintains surveillance databases, performs analysis and provides interpretation and reports for healthcare-associated infections and significant organisms including but not limited to antimicrobial resistance and surgical site infections. They provide Regional leadership in the design, analysis, reporting and publishing of research, quality improvement and administrative surveillance projects related to infection prevention and control. The role also supports clinical teams, provides advice and education on all aspects of IPAC to physicians, staff, learners, volunteers and affiliates to protect and enhance patient care and safety.

**RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES INCLUDE**:
Surveillance:

- Using a variety of advanced statistical and data management software systems, designs and maintains databases, performs analysis, interpretation, and reports for key stakeholders on healthcare-associated infections and epidemiologically significant organisms, including antibiotic resistant organisms.
- The epidemiologist takes a leadership role to ensuring infection prevention and control data is accurately collected, interpreted and translated into meaningful information that can be used by the team to support quality improvement projects and change management initiatives.
- Prepares and has accountability for regular/special reports for the IPAC program for presentation outside the portfolio.
- Identifies trends using statistical analysis and literature reviews to recommend practice or policy changes, risk assessments and quality improvement initiatives.
- They must respond quickly to emerging issues, clusters or outbreaks and be able to analyze trends and identify critical issues; make critical decisions regarding control of outbreaks; must work with a broad array of internal and external contacts; must convince contacts to take appropriate action to control infection, often in a situation of conflict.
- Assigns duties to Infection Prevention and Control Practitioners within the program in relation to surveillance to ensure timely and accountable reporting.
- Develops innovative solutions to advance surveillance systems implementation, maintenance and integration with healthcare system partners
- Applies current and consistent case definitions for mandatory internal and external reporting to government agencies.
- In collaboration with the IPAC Medical Director and Director, supports the development and alignment of the IPAC strategic plan with the Corporate plan.

Research:

- Initiates, facilitates and participates in surveillance-related research by:

- Developing and evaluating innovative approaches to surveillance
- Developing mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of IPC interventions
- Developing and evaluating new efficiencies in patient care practices designed to prevent and control the transmission of infections within the healthcare environment
- Collaborates in planning, designing and implementing epidemiologic studies in IPAC.
- Identifies opportunities and partnerships in IPAC research
- Communicates and works effectively with clinicians and other members of a multi-disciplinary research team:

- Eliciting problems and issues
- Framing problems in scientific terms
- Advising on appropriate research methods
- Advising on data collection and analysis
- Interpreting research finding
- Communicating results to stakeholders
- Contributes to IPAC body of knowledge by dissemination via IPAC Chapter in Eastern Ontario, IPAC Canada, conferences, and publications that include peer-reviewed journals.
- Lifelong competency building as they must keep up to date with emerging IPAC related trends and address gaps in their own knowledge.

Quality Improvement:

- Provides leadership in creating and fostering a culture of continuous quality improvement and system performance aimed at improving health outcomes through a comprehensive surveillance system.
- The epidemiologist collaborates in the development of a quality management system and develops methods and data collection procedures to ensure monitoring of program, system, and IPAC outcomes. This includes the identification and communication of key performance indicators that measure progress towards achieving strategic and operational outcomes. Involves spearheading change management and education as needed.
- They will collaborate with the IPAC team in the development and evaluation of quality and patient safety initiatives, including epidemiological surveillance to support meeting applicable accreditation, legislative and policy based requirements
- They engage with leaders and front-line staff to empower change