Established in 1805, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (the NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the country. Our mission is to protect and improve the health of all New Yorkers, in service of a vision of a city in which all New Yorkers can realize their full health potential, regardless of who they are, how old they are, where they are from, or where they live.

As a world-renowned public health agency with a history of building transformative public health programming and infrastructure, innovating in science and scholarship to advance public health knowledge, and responding to urgent public health crises from New York City’s yellow fever outbreak in 1822, to the COVID-19 pandemic we are a hub for public health innovation, expertise, and programs, and services. We serve as the population health strategist, and policy, and planning authority for the City of New York, while also having a vast impact on national and international public policy, including programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and racial and social justice work, among others.

Our Agency’s five strategic priorities, building off a recently-completed strategic planning process emerging from the COVID-19 emergency, are:
1) To re-envision how the Health Department prepares for and responds to health emergencies, with a focus on building a “response-ready” organization, with faster decision-making, transparent public communications, and stronger surveillance and bridges to healthcare systems 2) Address and prevent chronic and diet-related disease, including addressing rising rates of childhood obesity and the impact of diabetes, and transforming our food systems to improve nutrition and enhance access to healthy foods
3) Address the second pandemic of mental illness including: reducing overdose deaths, strengthening our youth mental health systems, and supporting people with serious mental illness
4) Reduce black maternal mortality and make New York a model city for women’s health
5) Mobilize against and combat the health impacts of climate change

Our 7,000-plus team members bring extraordinary diversity to the work of public health. True to our value of equity as a foundational element of all of our work, and a critical foundation to achieving population health impact in New York City, the NYC Health Department has been a leader in recognizing and dismantling racism’s impacts on the health of New Yorkers and beyond. In 2021, the NYC Board of Health declared racism as a public health crisis. With commitment to advance anti-racist public health practices that dismantle systems that perpetuate inequitable power, opportunity and access, the NYC Health Department continues to work in and with communities and community organizations to increase their access to health services and decrease avoidable health outcomes.

PROGRAM AND JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention (BCDP) strives to reduce the burden of chronic disease, including heart disease, obesity, and cancer, among New Yorkers. We work to address the impact of structural racism and other injustices that are a root cause of the inequitable prevalence, treatment and outcomes of chronic diseases in communities of color and among other marginalized communities. BCDP focuses on nutrition, tobacco use, the built environment, screening for cancer, and reducing the incidence and impact of hypertension. BCDP works with partners in government and the community to employ evidence-based policies, programs, communications and research aimed at shifting environments, changing systems and promoting health equity as well as spearheads and evaluates innovative projects in order to develop new approaches to addressing chronic disease. BCDP is working to improve its application of a social justice and racial equity lens to its work to ensure the most equitable public health outcomes possible. The Bureau sits within the Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness.

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:

Under the supervision of the Director of the Clinical & Scientific Affairs Unit of the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention, the Medical Advisor will be responsible for the following job duties:
- Conduct thorough reviews of scientific literature and provide recommendations to unit, bureau and division leadership for decisions on specialized issues such as cancer screening guidelines, race-conscious approaches to inequities, and programmatic approaches to reducing the impact of chronic disease.
- Develop summaries and synthesis of evidence, best practices, legal and regulatory information, payment systems, and health systems structure that impact health inequities related to cancer, heart disease or other issues within the Unit and Bureau, including taking an anti-racist focus.
- Use data and evidence to recommend approaches for program planning, initiative development, policy recommendations, and guidance for clinicians and the public.
- Serve as clinical and scientific advisor on other topics as needed, including reviewing and synthesizing evidence to support recommendations to clinicians and the public.
- Develop, implement, and refine provider engagement strategies to support the work of the Clinical and Scientific Affairs unit.
- Partner with team members to develop, implement, and improve upon evaluation and research projects specific to the Unit’s plans and bridging public health and health care priories.
- Stay up to date on clinical guidance and literature relevant to unit focus.
- Draft internal and external-facing communications, including emails, reports, presentations, white-papers, manuscripts, and social media messaging.
- Review slide decks, manuscripts, IRB proposals, and other internal and external materials for accuracy and clarity.
- Conduct staff trainings on clinical topics and related public health approaches.
- Manage tracking system and coordinate reviews by internal and/or external stakeholders.
- Manage system/process for collaboration with outside partners and clinical experts.
- Support fundraising efforts for the Unit and, as relevant, for the Bureau, including writing grant proposals and supporting grant application submissions.

Possession of a valid license to practice medicine in the State of New York; and either:
a) Valid Board Certification issued by the appropriate American Specialty Board in any specialty area required by the agency; or
b) Current approved application on file for admission to the certifying examination given by the appropriate American Specialty Board in any specialty area required by the agency.
To be assigned to Assignment Level II, individuals must have, in addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements for Assignment Level I described above, one year of satisfactory experience practicing in the specialty area.
To be assigned to Assignment Level III, individuals must possess:
a) A valid license to practice medicine in the State of New York; and
b) A Master's degree in Public Health, or equivalent Master's degree, including or supplemented by graduate credits in epidemiology and biostatistics. Completion of Epidemic Intelligence Service program of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to substitute for this Master's degree; and
c) At least two years of satisfactory experience after receipt of the Master's degree, or equivalent, in the practice of epidemiology. Specialty Board Certification or eligibility may be substituted for one year of this experience.
To be assigned to Assignment Level IV, individuals must possess:
a) A valid license to practice medicine in the State of New York; and
b) Completion of an approved residency program in an accredited hospital, including three years of experience, in either internal medicine, or family practice, or pediatrics, or another related specialty area required by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; and
c) Valid board certification or board eligibility issued by the appropriate American Subspecialty Board in Infectious Disease, Pulmonary Medicine, or a related subspecialty; and
d) Completion of an approved fellowship program in an accredited hospital, including two years of experience, in either infectious diseases, or pulmonary medicine, or another related subspecialty required by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

- A master’s degree in public health or a related field strongly preferred - At least two years’ work experience in clinical work, research, evaluation, policy development, project management, strategic planning, or a related area of public health or health care - Experience working with health care systems and/or clinical providers - Familiarity with and ability to apply Public Health Critical Race Praxis approach or willingness to learn, and willingness to work toward anti-racist practice and policy. - Experience communicating complex technical and data information to both technical and non-technical stakeholders - Experience developing, implementing, and evaluating strategic plans - Experience with data collection, analysis and interpretation - Experience supporting teams and stakeholders - Ability to understand the concepts of institutional and structural racism and bias and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities, along with a demonstrated commitment to supporting communities who have experienced systemic oppression and bias and an understanding of intersectionality. - Have a demonstrated commitment to supporting communities who have experienced systemic oppression and bias - Desire to grow professionally, develop new skills and willingness to work outside of comfort zone. - Ability to prioritize and work in fast-paced environment with hard deadlines. - Fluency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

New York Residency is not required for this title.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.