The City of Pasadena is seeking a limited term Health Officer to provide medical direction and guidance for the Public Health Department. The current Public Health Director/Health Officer has accepted a fellowship and will take a leave of absence starting August 22, 2022 for one year. This limited term position will report to the Interim Director of Public Health and is responsible for enforcing state and local health orders, ordinances and regulations.

As required by state health code, the Health Officer must be a licensed physician in the state of California. The ideal candidate will have a Master's degree in Public Health and 4 years of experience working as a public health physician. 

This recruitment is open continuously until filled and the first review of applications will happen on July 21, 2022. Please attach a resume or CV and apply as soon as possible!

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
For over 125 years, the Pasadena Public Health Department has been responsible for helping protect, maintain, and improve the health of the Pasadena community. The City of Pasadena is one of only three cities in the State of California that maintains its own independent local health jurisdiction with responsibility for a wide variety of services that support the three core functions of assessment, policy development, and assurance.  

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The essential functions of the Health Officer include but are not limited to the following:

Provides direction to a variety of public health and environmental health programs of the City in conformance with provisions of the Health and Safety Code of the State of California, the City’s health and sanitation code and other related laws, standards and regulations.
 
Advises and otherwise assists the Department Director, City Manager and City Council in understanding and developing policies governing City responses to community, environmental and public health needs.
 
Maintains high community visibility on public health issues and provides communication and health promotion messaging to the community to achieve positive health outcomes; represents the Department and the City or delegates such authority, in relations with the community, advisory committees, other local, state, and federal agencies, and professional organizations.
 
Provides advice, guidance, consultation, and policy direction to physicians, laboratories, hospitals, health care providers, and the public in matters relating to the diagnosis, investigation, control and prevention of communicable diseases. Coordinates with other City, County, State and Federal officials regarding communicable disease matters.
 
Oversees operations and quality of clinical programs; reviews and approves standardized protocols for each clinical program; ensures the proper maintenance of medical records; directs the preparation of medical reports, medical correspondence, prescriptions and other medical orders; and provides consultation and leadership to Public Health Department clinic managers and contract clinicians, as needed. May perform on-site clinical work in area of expertise.
 
Fulfills functions of Communicable Disease Controller and Tuberculosis Controller for the Pasadena health jurisdiction, including overseeing the communicable disease investigation teams, epidemiology team, outbreak investigations, and healthcare-associated infections activities.
 
Provides public health consultation and guidance for the City in the event of a disaster and declares a public health emergency in the event of such emergency. Participates in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) disaster planning and activation. Functions as incident commander for public health emergencies.
 
Provides public health consultation and leadership for City events, such as Rose Bowl events. Provides information and medical consultation to the news media (print and broadcast) regarding public health issues, including communicable diseases.
 
Consults with City Attorney to issue necessary health orders, such as for the COVID-19 pandemic, for communicable disease control, and for addressing public health threats.
 
Supports programmatic activities in all divisions, including but not limited to maternal and child health, substance/tobacco use prevention, violence prevention, immunizations, oral health, health equity, environmental health, climate change, veterinary public health, mental health promotion, and services for individuals experiencing homelessness.    
 
Supports reaccreditation, strategic planning, Community Health Improvement Planning, and collective impact initiatives like All Children Thrive/Growing Together Pasadena.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Minimum qualifications
Graduation from a medical school with an M.D. degree
Board certification in a medical specialty recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties 

Minimum qualifications
Graduation from a medical school with an M.D. degree
Current Physician and Surgeon’s Certificate issued by the Board of Medical Quality Assurance of the State of California 

Desirable qualifications
Master’s Degree in Public Health
Four years of responsible experience as a public health physician and/or health officer
Expertise in epidemiology
Board certification in a medical specialty recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties

SELECTION PROCESS
The selection process will consist of a training and experience evaluation and interviews.

VACANCY INFORMATION
There is one full-time, limited term vacancy in the Public Health Department effective August 22, 2022. The estimated duration of the position is one year.

Candidates selected for this position are considered at-will and belong to the Non Represented Management group, Level 1.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Current Physician and Surgeon’s Certificate issued by the Board of Medical Quality Assurance of the State of California is required.

A valid California Driver’s License is required.