Medical Officer - Tuberculosis
Public Health- Seattle & King County’s Prevention Division is seeking diverse applicants for the Tuberculosis (TB) Program Medical Officer position. This position is responsible for providing leadership to the TB Program in close collaboration with the section’s Health Services Administrator and Program Leadership group. Duties include providing direction and oversight of the TB Program’s clinical and non-clinical activities, including clinical protocols, policies and procedures, strategy, prioritization, data collection, and evaluation, and assuring equitable access in alignment with state law, national guidance, and best practices.
The TB Medical Officer represents the program at national, state, and local forums and provides relevant and medically and scientifically accurate information to the local medical community, governmental public health partners, the media, and the public. In coordination with Department Communications personnel and the Health Officer, the position will be available to serve as a spokesperson, prepare responses to media inquiries, and conduct media interviews on behalf of the Department. The Medical Officer will actively collaborate with and work to build and sustain relationships with King County health professionals and organizations, national, state, and local public health partners and other community groups that play a role in treating and preventing Tuberculosis.
The TB Medical Officer is also responsible for managing a limited caseload, providing consultation to community healthcare providers, leading research, and supervising and mentoring clinical staff. An ideal candidate will be an experienced leader in the field of TB with a strong commitment to health equity, collaboration, and high-quality, data-informed, patient-centered care.
The program has a biennial budget of about $18M and a staff of over 35 talented employees. The program provides TB clinical services, TB surveillance, disease control measures such as case/contact investigations, working with the community to prevent the spread of TB, coordinating care with refugee services, and research projects. The program is required by law to evaluate and treat individuals with infectious tuberculosis, directly manages over 100 TB cases per year, and is committed to providing high-quality, patient-centered service. For more information about the TB Program, see here: kingcounty.gov/TB
About the Prevention Division
The TB program is a unit of the Prevention Division of Public Health – Seattle & King County. The Prevention Division provides core, foundational public health services and is responsible for protecting the health of the public by controlling the spread of communicable diseases and identifying premature causes of death. The TB Program is one of 6 sections in the Prevention division; the other sections are Communicable Disease, Epidemiology and Immunizations, HIV/STI/HCV Program, Vital Records, the Public Health Laboratory and the Medical Examiner’s Office. The division has over 275 employees and a biennial budget of over $140M.
The Region
Located on the Puget Sound in Washington State, King County is home to more than two million people, making it the 12th most populous county in the nation. Stretching from the Cascade Range to the Salish Sea, King County covers more than 2,100 square miles of territory, encompassing urban cities, suburban areas, rural farmland, and undeveloped natural lands including mountains, forests, and waterways.
King County and Seattle are diverse and culturally vibrant and offer an excellent array of dining, arts and entertainment venues, and home to several sports teams, universities, and more. The surrounding region is known for its many outdoor pursuits such as skiing, hiking, white water rafting, diving, boating and so much more.
King County Government
King County is led by an elected County Executive and nine (9) elected members of the King County Council who represent nine (9) districts.
King County government is unique nationally in the range of services it provides. It is both a regional government, providing services throughout the county and a local government, providing services in unincorporated area (outside of cities). Regional services include public health, transit, wastewater treatment, housing, behavioral health programs, elections, property assessment, solid waste transfer and disposal, regional parks and trails, and the prosecution, defense, and adjudication of felonies.
Together, with leadership and our employee's, King County is changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State’s best employers.
At King County, our work is guided by our True North: making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles:
- We are one team
- We solve problems
- We focus on the customer
- We drive for results
- We are racially just
- We respect all people
- We lead the way
- We are responsible stewards
Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.
The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.
We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.
To learn more, please visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx
Requirements
- Serve as the primary clinical resource for TB clinic physicians, providing oversight, support, and consultation during business hours and ‘on-call’ after hours.
- Endorse and update TB clinic protocols in coordination with the clinical team.
- Review intake and reporting of possible TB cases and suspects to determine whether the TB clinic will provide services (e.g. diagnostic services, case management services).
- Provide expert clinical consultation and guidance on all aspects of TB for community providers and other local health jurisdictions in Washington state, including participating in TB ECHO.
- Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams, including clinical, epidemiology, community prevention, administration, and research teams to align efforts with program goals and ensure best practices in TB case management and prevention.
- Address operational challenges in TB care by balancing resources, making clinical decisions to optimize capacity, and clearly communicating limitations to external partners in collaboration with TB program manager.
- Collaborate with TB program units and epidemiologists, and the department’s Health Officer to track, control and prevent the spread of TB through control measures such as direct care, isolation, quarantine, and other mitigation measures in accordance with state RCWs and WACs and other regulations and reporting requirements.
- Collaborate with the nurse manager to oversee and support case management team, and public health interventions.
- Issue public health advisories on TB control to community physicians, medical providers, community-based partners, and other providers to enhance detection, prevention, or control in community and congregate settings (homeless service sites, schools, etc.).
- Issue health orders for non-adherent patients in accordance with state law.
- Direct clinic and program leaders in continuous quality improvement activities, including leading weekly case reviews, assessing and evaluating program activities in light of best practices and standards, and making necessary adjustments.
- Support and advocate for efforts to increase community-based screening and treatment of latent TB infection including developing strategies, tools, and relationships to advance efforts to eliminate TB in King County.
- Serve as a media spokesperson in the event of outbreaks and as part of on-going education about TB, contribute to blogs, presentations, and other communications.
- Provide leadership in seeking for applying for, and implementing research grants, serving as the primary investigator as appropriate.
- Build and maintain collaborations and relationships with academic partners at the University of Washington and other institutions, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Advocate locally and nationally for adequate resources related to priority program activities, supporting a patient-centered approach, promoting adherence to TB care, and addressing the disparities among communities impacted by racism and other forms of oppression.
- Lead the development of TB program priorities in collaboration with the Health Services Administrator, Program and Division Leadership and the department’s Health Officer.
- Supervise and mentor medical and research staff, students, and trainees. Serve as a preceptor for UW family medicine and Swedish family medicine residents & arrange opportunities for pulmonary, infectious disease and family medicine fellows to practice in the TB clinic.
- Stay up-to-date on emerging TB protocols and public health policies, ensuring program alignment with best practices and providing clear guidance on implementation.
Qualifications
- Washington State Medical License OR ability to obtain upon hire.
- Board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonology, Infectious Disease or related specialty
- Five (5) years’ clinical practice experience in internal medicine, pulmonology, infectious disease, or related specialty with training and/or significant experience with tuberculosis treatment and prevention.
- Five (5) years’ experience with demonstrable increasing responsibility in local/state/federal governmental public health, tuberculosis prevention/treatment/control, or comparable experience.
- Expertise and experience in TB clinical care, epidemiology, and public health control measures
- Experience using public health principles and epidemiology concepts to investigate and control TB in congregate settings
- Experience supervising, mentoring, developing and constructively and fairly evaluating medical staff
- Experience adapting established scientific guidance to local public health situations, using clinical/epidemiological training and sound judgment.
- Experience interpreting and applying policies, laws, and regulations including relevant sections of the Washington Administrative Code and Revised Code of Washington.
- Record or scholarly work and experience facilitating and leading academic partnerships and publications in peer-reviewed literature.
- Skilled at using an electronic health record, EPIC preferred.
- Established a record of successfully working with and across a broad network of stakeholders and partners
- Demonstrated skill in directing the work of a multidisciplinary staff and building effective teams while ensuring/promoting staff well-being at work.
- Skilled communicator with an ability to adapt communication style and content to meet the needs of patients and public audiences.
- Demonstrated ability to incorporate principles of equity and social justice into program activities to identify and recommend actions to address health disparities.
- Excellent writing and oral communication skills for a variety of audiences including health care partners, the public, and the media, with a strong understanding of risk communication principles and experience in tailoring messages to meet diverse community needs.
- Inspirational and able to motivate change, a demonstrated future-thinking champion of innovation
- Commitment to being a leader in dismantling systemic racism, ensuring the program identifies, reports on, and develops strategies to address health disparities associated with tuberculosis.
- A creative problem solver, able to advocate for and implement improvements in a resource-constrained environment
- Empathy, humility and effective communication skills that support strong relationships with staff and partners
- Healthy conflict engagement skills and the ability to challenge status quo, while bringing people together, without alienating or minimizing varied perspectives
- Political savvy that facilitates decision-making and strategic success
- Skill in building collaborative cross-team relationships and engaged with program staff at all levels.
- Champion and advocate for research
Desirable Qualifications
- Experience in external fundraising including writing and overseeing grants.
- Research experience related to TB, particularly related to the clinical care or TB and public health measures to control TB
- Experience with strategy development, program, and policy planning & evaluation, with a focus on quality improvement related to administering TB public health program activities.
- Demonstrated ability to develop community engagement plan, accountability to advisory groups, and partnerships with community-based groups.
Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.
Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.
To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.
Application ProcessThe following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:
- NeoGov Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
- Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
- Cover letter - Describe how you meet the qualifications:
- Five (5) years’ experience in with demonstrable increasing responsibility in governmental public health, tuberculosis prevention/treatment/control, or comparable experience.
- Five (5) years’ clinical practice experience in internal medicine, pulmonology, infectious disease, or related specialty with training and/or experience in tuberculosis.
- CV or Resume
In person interviews are tentatively held for the week of 5/12-5/16.
Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in the application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.
Necessary Special Requirements
- The selection process may include evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, interviewing, and testing. You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
- Documentation of current BLS CPR certification with AED training required at start of employment. CPR/AED Heart saver courses do not meet this requirement.
- The selected candidate must be able to pass a thorough background investigation, but findings may not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment.
- Pre-employment Physical.
- For more information on our selection process, please refer to www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/jobs/hiring. For tips on interviewing, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/audience/employees/learning-and-development/Interview_Tips.ashx?la=en.
- Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
- Public Health relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
- Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
- Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health positions.
- When Public Health responds to an emergency, and in accordance with relevant CBA language and/or KC policy and procedures, we may assign duties outside your regular job description. This may involve responding at any time, including nights and weekends, with possible deployment to locations other than the department.
- If you need a disability accommodation in the application or testing process, please call the contact number listed on the job announcement.
Work Schedule
This position is Monday through Friday 8:00-5:00 pm, plus additional hours when needed including on weekends. This position is FLSA exempt and not eligible for overtime.
Work Location
Most of the work will be performed on site at the TB Clinic at Harborview, located at 325 9th Ave, Seattle WA, 98104.
Union Membership
This position is not represented by a Labor Union.
Contact
For questions about this posting, please contact Sarah Dunkinson (PH: 206-848-0260) sdunkinson@kingcounty.gov.
Connect with Local, State, and Territorial Health Departments
To find local governmental public health jurisdictions, see - www.naccho.org