Family Interviewer - CA Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review

The Public Health Institute (PHI) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health, well-being, and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. As one of the largest and most comprehensive public health organizations in the nation, we are at the forefront of research and innovations to improve the efficacy of public health statewide, nationally, and internationally.

PHI was distinguished as one of the top 50 "Best Non-Profit Organizations to Work For" by the Non-Profit Times in a national search.

SUMMARY

Project Background

The CA-Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review is an enhanced surveillance project started in 2006 to identify possible contributions to the rise in maternal mortality, racial/ethnic disparities, and to develop evidence-based clinical, policy and programmatic interventions. In-depth medical record and coroner report review is conducted to identify contributing factors and quality improvement opportunities to ultimately decrease maternal mortality in California. Interviews with families will enhance this review by adding contextual information about the patient's lived experience during and after pregnancy.

Position Summary

The Public Health Institute (PHI) is seeking an experienced interviewer to conduct interviews with family members of women who died during pregnancy or within one year post pregnancy. These interviews will supplement medical records and surveillance data by providing contextual, social, cultural, and experiential information that cannot be captured through clinical documentation alone. The Family Interviewer is responsible for safeguarding the sensitive personal and health information gathered and for maintaining strict confidentiality throughout data collection. It requires an individual with a background in health services (e.g., medicine, nursing, midwifery, clinical psychology, social work, applied epidemiology) and extensive experience and training in conducting structured interviews with people who have potentially experienced trauma.

This is a regular, part-time position with a schedule of approximately 20 hours per week (50% FTE). The starting FTE and work schedule will be determined upon hire. PHI employees who are in regular positions with a schedule of 20 or more hours per week are eligible to enroll in a suite of PHI-sponsored benefits including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans. Refer to the PHI website for more information.

This position may be fully remote. Applicants within 75 miles of the project office (Capitola, California) are strongly preferred.

The Interviewer must own a password-protected computer (PC or Mac, not Chromebook) and must be available evenings and weekends to provide flexible times for participants to conduct interviews. Some travel may be required to CDC meetings in Atlanta, and to the project office in Capitola or Oakland, CA.

The typical hiring range for this position is from $93,932 (minimum) to $117,151 (midpoint), based on 100% FTE. Full salary range for this position is $93,932 to $140,370 per year. The starting salary is determined using a variety of factors, such as the candidate's knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as internal equity consideration and budget availability.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

1. Training

   1. Complete training with PHI and CDC Staff on interviewing protocols and processes, maintaining confidentiality, exploring bias and perception, administrative tracking and billing, and addressing vicarious trauma with self-care techniques.

   2. Complete PHI's human subjects research training requirements.

2. Interview preparation

   1. Assist in outreach to locate the appropriate interview participant.

   2. Review case materials, including medical records, case summaries, and abstraction notes, to understand the circumstances surrounding the death.

   3. Coordinate with medical record abstractors and program staff to identify information gaps that may be addressed through family interviews.

3. Family outreach and engagement

   a. Contact family members using approved scripts and trauma-informed communication practices.

   b. Explain the purpose of the interview, the voluntary nature of participation, and confidentiality protections.

   c. Schedule interview per participant availability.

4. Conduct semi-structured interviews

   a. Obtain informed consent.

   b. Facilitate a discussion either by phone or video (Zoom) using an interview guide with questions exploring the decedent's health history, pregnancy and delivery experience and other social determinants of health. Interviews are expected to last between 30-90 minutes.

5. Summarize the interview into a written narrative. Coordinate with medical record abstractors to incorporate interview findings into overall case summary.

6. Attend monthly committee meetings and be available to answer any questions regarding the family input.

7. Maintain ongoing communication with PHI staff and inform them of any obstacles encountered during data collection.

8. Perform other essential duties as assigned.

NON-ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

• Store all project-related data with personally identifiable information in a locked file cabinet and maintain confidentiality.

• Attend relevant topical workshops and trainings that focus on current issues in maternal health to keep their professional knowledge up to date.

• Perform other non-essential duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8 years of experience in social work, interviewing, trauma-informed communications, public health, healthcare, or other related field. Master's degree in a related field may substitute for 2 years of relevant experience.

• 4 years of documented experience within the past 4 years as a Social Worker (MSW, LCSW, MFT, LMFT, LPC, LPCC or similar degree), Qualitative Researcher or Applied Epidemiologist (MPH or PhD), or equivalent.

• Bachelor's degree in counseling, social work, psychology or related field; or substitute with four additional years of relevant experience.

Other Qualifications

• Bilingual - Fluent in English and Spanish (speaking/listening/reading).

• Trauma-informed interviewing skills.

• Possess a personal laptop computer with internet capability.

• Familiarity with maternal health, perinatal care, normal/abnormal processes of pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum and the wide spectrum of factors that can influence maternal outcomes.

• Understanding of social determinants contributing to maternal mortality and the impact of inequities and racism on maternal health outcomes.

• Knowledge of HIPAA and confidentiality laws.

• Computer skills - proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PDF programs and cloud-based sharing programs such as SharePoint.

• Strong professional communication skills (phone, video, e-mail, written).

• Ability to work independently with limited supervision as well as collaboratively.

• Experience conducting interviews, qualitative data collection, or working with bereaved families or vulnerable populations.
• Strong interpersonal communication and cultural humility.
• Ability to manage sensitive conversations with empathy.
• Excellent documentation and qualitative data synthesis skills.
• High attention to detail and adherence to confidentiality protocols.

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA) STATUS

This position is classified as exempt based on the job duties. However, based on the FTE, salary level of the employee, or federal/state/local laws, the employee may be classified as nonexempt.

The Public Health Institute is committed to a policy that provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and to make all employment decisions so as to further this principle of equal employment opportunity. To this end, the PHI will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, medical condition including genetic characteristics, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identification and expression, sexual orientation, and we offer employment opportunities (and throughout employment treat our employees) fairly and equitably without regard to these characteristics.

Additional information about PHI's benefits and compensation offerings can be found here.

The Public Health Institute is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Recruitment Team at least 48 hours in advance at Recruitment@phi.org.