Substance Use Epidemiologist

Substance Use Epidemiologist Salary Depends on Qualifications

Location: Houston, TX Job Type: Grant-funded Job Number: 16375 Department: Public Health Services Division: Office of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Emerging Diseases Opening Date: March 3, 2026 Closing Date: May 3, 2026 11:59 PM Central

Job Description

Benefits Questions

If you're looking to be a part of a collaborative environment where your skills can make an impact, explore our current opportunities in creating a better future for public health.

About Harris County Public Health

Harris County Public Health (HCPH) includes a network of more than 1,100 public health professionals working together to improve health outcomes for the third most populous county in the United States. HCPH provides a multitude of services such as medical and dental services, community programming, and health education for the approximately 2.3 million people in unincorporated Harris County. Through its core values of innovation, engagement, and health equity, HCPH strives to bring meaningful solutions to public health issues while keeping Harris County healthy and vibrant.

Substance Use Epidemiologist Overview

The Substance Use Epidemiologist position applies principles of Epidemiology to surveillance activities and service issues related to substance use within the jurisdiction of Harris County Public Health (HCPH), supported by a new HCPH initiative focusing on substance use prevention. The Epidemiologist will perform environmental scans on datasets from hospitals, Emergency Medical Services, non-profits, community-based organizations, local and state agencies to identify substance use trends, patterns, and gaps for surveillance and prevention activities. The epidemiologist will also have a role in outreach and communication with internal and external partners including the CDC OD2A representatives.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Data Analysis and Reporting:
• Obtains and analyzes data related to fatal and non-fatal overdoses and drug chemistry due to criminal arrests and seizures.
• Monitors datasets to determine trends, outbreaks and gaps in substance use activities, issues, or service areas.
• Produces special reports and statistical analysis of epidemiological investigations and surveillance for activities related to substance use.
• Surveillance:
• Provides early warning system for new and potentially more lethal drugs entering the community.
• Conducts surveillance of EMS data, seizure data, and toxicology data.
• Creates a community-wide surveillance profile of the location of substance use treatment facilities.
• Links data with other substance use related datasets, such as, mortality data, public health service utilization data, data obtained from utilizing the Patient Care Intervention Center, internal clinical data, and others where geography and/or identifiers exist.
• Outreach:
• Participates in Drug Use Prevention Task force meetings and activities.
• Attend meetings with community partners that target substance use.
• Assist with trainings for substance use at schools in HCPH jurisdiction.

Requirements

• Education: Masters degree in a public health discipline such as public health, statistics, epidemiology, community health, or health policy.
• Experience: At least one (1) year experience working in the substance use field.
• Licensure: Valid Texas Driver's License
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
• Proficient in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Outlook)
• Proficient in statistical analysis software (SPSS, STATA, SAS, R, or Epi Info).
• Public speaking.
• Understands the organizational mission.
• Works well in a Team environment.
• Ability to adapt to change and uses sound judgment.
• Organizes and maintains work environment to allow for maximum productivity.
• Effective communication skills (verbal & written).

Core Competencies

• Organizational Leadership: Understands the organizational mission. Understands ethics and public good; is concerned with public trust. Demonstrates respect for the opinions and beliefs of others.
• Collaboration: Contributes to an inclusive workplace where equity, diversity, inclusion, and individual differences are valued and leveraged to achieve the vision and mission. Demonstrates a sense of responsibility for the success of the group. Collaborates with others to improve quality and address needs.
• Innovation: Ability to adapt to change
• Interpersonal Abilities/Personal: Treats others with courtesy, sensitivity, and respect. Behaves in an honest, fair, and ethical manner. Assesses and recognizes own strengths and weaknesses. Uses sound judgment. Self-motivated. Organizes and maintains work environment to allow for maximum productivity.
• Communication: Communicates clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing.

General Information

• Position Type, and Typical Hours of Work: This is a full-time | grant-funded position. Days and hours of work are typically Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm. Other days and hours as necessary.
• Work Environment: This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.
• Work Location: Harris County Public Health: Office of Epidemiology, Surveillance & Emerging Diseases - 1111 Fannin St. Houston, Texas. 77002.
• Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards. Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.

Benefits

Harris County offers a highly competitive benefits program, featuring a comprehensive group health plan and defined benefit retirement plan. The following benefits are offered only to Harris County employees in regular (full-time) positions:

• Health & Wellness Benefits
• Medical Coverage
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Wellness Plan
• Life Insurance
• Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Ten (10) days of vacation leave per year (accrual rate increases after 5 years of service)
• Eleven (11) County-observed holidays
• One (1) floating holiday per year
• Paid Parental Leave
• Sick Leave
• Retirement Savings Benefit
• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

Employer Information

• Employer: Harris County
• Address: 1111 Fannin St Ste. 600 Houston, Texas, 77002
• Phone: 713-274-5445
• Website: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/harriscountytx