Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To provide specialized professional public heath subject matter expertise in infectious diseases, including immunization, investigation, prevention, and control of reportable diseases, outbreak management, and surveillance activities. To support Branch development of protocols and operational policies, guidelines and best practice documents, and ongoing consultative advice to the Ministry, Public Health Ontario (PHO), Public Health Units (PHUs) and other stakeholders across Ontario in support of the successful implementation of Panorama.

Duties / Responsibilities :

The Ontario Public Health Integrated Solution (OPHIS) Branch is required to implement the Panorama product in Ontario. When implemented, the Panorama system of e-health services will be used every day by public health professionals across the Province, including staff in Ontario's 36 PHUs, the Ministry's Public Health Division and the Ontario Government Ontario Government Pharmaceutical and Medical Supply Service, PHO and eventually members of the broader health care community. Panorama will provide Ontario with the technology and enhanced capacity to collect, share, and analyze public health information. In this context, the position:

1. Provides specialized professional public health subject matter expertise in the area of reportable diseases including immunization, investigation, prevention, and control of reportable diseases, outbreak management, and surveillance activities and applicable standards, guidelines, protocols. Provides advice on case management and related public health protection and prevention issues to support the successful implementation of Panorama in Ontario.

2. As the senior subject matter expert within the branch in the area of public health and infectious diseases, provides advisory services and authoritative advice to colleagues and branch management. Acts as a subject matter expert and link on Panorama for key stakeholders by developing and maintaining critical stakeholder relationships with Medical Officers of Health, PHUs, PHD, PHO, eHealth Ontario, Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, Canada Health InfoWay, other provinces/territories, the pan-Canadian project coordination office (PCO), and other partners as necessary. Participates in consultation processes, partnerships, and strategic linkages in support of consensus building. Provides expertise and authoritative advice and feedback for requests related to current systems (e.g., IRIS, iPHIS) as required by Panorama Project Team. Promotes information sharing and knowledge building to better integrate public health data to support public health practice. Represents Ontario and the Branch on working groups and national /Pan Canadian initiatives. Ensures cross- jurisdictional issues are identified to ensure effective cooperation.
3. Provides subject matter expertise on the public health business functions required for the implementation of Panorama in Ontario. Leads the development of operational policies, protocols, guidelines and best practice documents for use by PHUs and stakeholders across Ontario in the delivery of public health program services in the implementation and ongoing use of Panorama. Liaises and works collaboratively with stakeholders and other subject matter experts across the Branch, Division/Ministry, PHUs, and PHO in protocol and operational procedure development.

4. Participates in the development of communication, training, and education materials, including relevant technical and professional information, materials targeting Panorama users in PHD, PHUs, and PHO. Works with the Ministry's Communication Branch in the development of marketing materials to promote programs. Provides advice to Branch communications specialists on technical content of all materials.

5. Provides public health expertise in the areas of reportable diseases in response to inquiries and requests as well as advisory services in the interpretation and application of legislation, regulations, professional practice guidelines, public health standards, protocols, and operational procedures impacting public health protection and prevention.

6. Participates in inter-ministerial and inter-governmental committees /task forces and maintains ongoing liaison with branch colleagues, other branches within the ministry, other ministries, Public Health Ontario, professional associations, universities, federal and provincial counterparts to develop partnerships with key stakeholders and to work collaboratively on issues and projects.

7. Leads/contributes to issues management and the development and presentation of issue notes and briefing materials. Prepares briefing notes, presentation materials, letters, speeches, and position papers for senior management and in response to correspondence for the Minister's, Deputy Minister's, ADM's, CMOH's and senior officials' signatures.

Manager has the authority to assign additional duties.

Knowledge :

Position requires specialized knowledge and expertise in public health practice, methods and principles regarding reportable diseases including immunization, investigation, prevention, and control of reportable diseases, outbreak management, and surveillance; knowledge of the Ontario Public Health Standards and protocols, regulations and legislative authorities (e.g., Health Protection and Promotion Act) to provide specialized subject matter expertise on a range of public health protection and prevention issues in support of the successful implementation of Panorama. Position requires knowledge of government/ministry directions and priorities, and project/branch mandate and legislative authorities in order to ensure subject matter expertise and advice are consistent with Ministry and government directions for the Panorama project.
Position requires oral and written communication skills to provide specialized advisory services, prepare and present complex technical/scientific reports, analyses and summaries, conduct training and presentations, prepare correspondence and educational materials. Position requires presentation skills to provide accurate explanations on complex public health subject specific issues and strategies to branch management, PHO and PH Branch as they relate to the Panorama project. Research, analytical and evaluative skills are required to analyze and interpret appropriate responses to inquiries and requests including interpretation and application of legislation, regulations, public health standards, protocols, operational procedures impacting public health protection and prevention. Relationship management and stakeholder relationship skills are required to manage and support relationships with a wide range and level of contacts and to participate as a member of committees and task forces. Customer service skills are required to address underlying customer needs by knowing the customer's issues and/or seeking information about the real underlying needs of the customer beyond those expressed initially. Continuous learning skills are required to learn from experience, seeking additional information and feedback for performance enhancement. Position requires teamwork skills to collaborate with others by actively pursuing and considering the perspective of other groups. Results orientation to strive to deliver on challenging objectives, and strategic thinking skills to link current action or daily tasks to strategies or a long-term perspective and to anticipate all possible responses to different initiatives. Position requires skill in the use of technology software including spreadsheets, word-processing, and databases in order to prepare reports and recommendations, analyses, and related materials.

Judgement :

Works under the direction of the Manager, Panorama Business Lead, and within public health and relevant legislation, regulations, directives, Ministry policies and procedures, Ministry mandatory program standards and priorities and government policy directions. As a subject matter expert, the position is relied upon to provide specialized public health expertise on reportable diseases including immunization, investigation, prevention, and control of reportable diseases, outbreak management, and surveillance, the analysis and response to issues to support the continuous assessment and management of public health risks to Ontarians and the provision of specialized consultative advice to inform decision making in such areas as public health service delivery and risk monitoring as it relates to the successful implementation of Panorama. Judgement is exercised in providing advice in area of specialty in response to inquiries and requests as well as advisory services in the interpretation and application of legislation, regulations, public health standards, protocols, operational procedures impacting public health protection and prevention. Judgement is exercised in maintaining critical relationships with colleagues and stakeholders in the public health system.

Accountability - Programs :

Position is accountable for providing specialized professional public heath subject matter expertise on a range of public health protection and prevention issues with reportable diseases including immunization, investigation, prevention, and control of reportable diseases, outbreak management, and surveillance, and to support Branch development of protocols and operational policies, guidelines and best practice documents, and ongoing consultative advice to the Ministry, Public Health Ontario, Public Health Units and other stakeholders across Ontario in support of the successful implementation of Panorama.

Accountability - Impact of Errors :

The provision of inadequate public health subject matter expertise would result in the inability of the Branch, PHD, PHUs, PHO, to make informed decisions to drive the successful implementation of Panorama and would ultimately result in a failure of Panorama to meet the needs of Ontario's public health sector.

Contact - Internal :

Frequent contact with unit, division and branch management and colleagues to provide public health expertise and advice with regards to reportable diseases including immunization, investigation, prevention, and control of reportable diseases, outbreak management, and surveillance to support the implementation of Panorama; with branch colleagues to collaborate on efforts/issues of mutual concern related to operational policies, Ontario Public Health Standards protocols, guidelines and best practice documents. Regular contact with colleagues in other ministries to develop partnerships with key stakeholders and to work collaboratively on issues and projects. Participates as a member of committees and task forces.

Contact - External :

Frequent contact with public health sector, federal/provincial/territorial partners, agencies, and other stakeholders related to planning and implementation of Panorama. Frequent contact with Medical Officers of Health, PHUs, PHO, eHealth Ontario, Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, Canada Health InfoWay, other provinces/territories, and other partners as necessary to build and maintain critical project collaborations, to identify, negotiate, and resolve sensitive and contentious issues and ensure effective adoption of Panorama by Ontario's public health system.