Remote Epidemiology & Biostatistics Careers — Ultimate 2025 Guide (jobs, skills, routes, 100+ live hiring links)

Digital Doctors

Wed, 01 Oct 2025

Short intro — why this guide
Remote epidemiology & biostatistics roles exploded after COVID-19 and now span NGOs, UN agencies, global consultancies, biotech/CROs, academic research and startups. If you want remote work you need three things: demonstrable analytic output (code + dashboards + reports), domain credibility (education/certifications + publications), and the right search strategy (targeted job boards + rosters). Top centralized places to find remote epi/biostat jobs right now include ReliefWeb, Devex, WHO careers, LinkedIn Jobs and FlexJobs. FlexJobs+4ReliefWeb+4Devex+4

What “remote” roles look like (quick taxonomy)
• Surveillance & outbreak analysis (roster/consultancy/contract).
• Program evaluation & monitoring (M&E lead, remote data analyst).
• Biostatistics / statistical programming (SAS/R/Python) for trials or observational studies.
• Epidemiologic modelling & forecasting (infectious disease modelling, simulation).
• Data engineering & pipeline roles (ETL, databases, reproducible workflows).
• Research & academic roles (remote postdoc/data scientist / adjunct).
• Policy & advisory (remote technical advisor, brief writing, stakeholder support).
• Digital health & product roles (health data products, analytics for health-tech).

Where industry hires (examples)
Large CROs and life-sciences analytics firms (IQVIA, Parexel, ICON, PPD/Thermo Fisher) frequently post remote/statistics/epidemiology roles. If you’re aiming industry, monitor their careers feeds and the “remote” filters on their job portals. IQVIA Jobs+1

Skills, tools & certifications employers actually seek
Core technical skills (must-haves)
• Epidemiology methods: study design, bias, confounding, case-control/cohort/cluster designs.
• Biostatistics & modelling: regression (GLM, mixed models), survival analysis, causal inference basics.
• Programming: R and/or Python (pandas, scikit-learn, statsmodels), Stata for many public-health shops.
• Statistical programming & reproducibility: RMarkdown, Jupyter, Git + GitHub (or GitLab).
• Data handling: SQL, data cleaning, tidyverse, large dataset handling.
• Visualization & dashboards: ggplot2, plotly, Shiny, Dash, Tableau/PowerBI basics.
• Epidemiology-specific platforms: DHIS2 (for health information systems), Epi Info, surveillance systems.
• Cloud & containers (nice to have): AWS/GCP basics, Docker; helpful for large-scale data jobs.

Human & career skills (very valuable)
• Writing clear technical briefs and policy memos.
• Stakeholder communication — translate numbers to decisions.
• Project management (Agile basics, Gantt, budgeting for consultancies).
• Remote work habits — async communication, timezone planning, strong documentation.

Certifications & courses that move the needle
• Certified in Public Health (CPH) — National Board of Public Health Examiners. NBPHE
• Online specializations: Johns Hopkins “Epidemiology in Public Health Practice” (Coursera) and biostatistics courses. Coursera
• SAS/R/Python certifications (SAS Certified, DataCamp/EdX certificates, Coursera) — helpful for screening systems.
• Short practical courses in infectious-disease modelling, DHIS2, and reproducible research (Shiny/Git).
Note: certifications help but demonstrable projects + code + domain publications often trump many badges.

Licenses & legalities
• Epidemiologists and biostatisticians typically do not require a clinical license; requirements depend on the employer and country. For clinical roles (physicians in public health) a medical license is required. Always check job listings for citizenship/visa restrictions — many UN/federal roles require specific eligibility. See CDC/WHO career pages for details. jobs.cdc.gov+1

Career ladder — typical progression (remote-friendly paths)
Entry (0–3 yrs)
• Titles: Surveillance Analyst, Data Analyst (Public Health), Junior Biostatistician, Research Assistant.
• Build: short projects, dashboards, open-source repos, volunteer on rosters.

Mid (3–7 yrs)
• Titles: Epidemiologist, Biostatistician, Senior Data Analyst, Modeller.
• Build: lead analyses, publish methods briefs, mentor junior staff, manage small teams.

Senior (7+ yrs)
• Titles: Principal Epidemiologist, Head of Surveillance, Technical Lead, Director (analytics).
• Build: strategy, funding proposals, institutional partnerships, high-impact publications.

Parallel academic track
• Postdoc → Assistant Prof → Associate Prof, with remote adjunct/consulting possibilities.

Consulting / contractor route
• Join consultancies or staffing rosters (CDC Foundation, WHO rosters, NGOs). Do short contracts, build portfolio, then target long-term remote positions.

Hacks, myths, and what actually works

Hacks (practical, high ROI)

1. Portfolio matters: GitHub + 2–4 polished reproducible projects (analysis notebook, README, small Shiny app) — show your code and communication.
2. Target rosters: Relief & humanitarian rosters and consultancy supplier lists (WHO/UN/UNICEF rosters) — they hire for surge/remote roles. ReliefWeb+1
3. Google dorking: site:devex.com "remote" + epidemiology; site:jobs.parexel.com remote + data to find remote postings fast.
4. Email recruiters with a 1-page TL;DR CV + one-line value statement and a link to your portfolio.
5. Build a short public CV on a personal site (Netlify) and a one-page one-pager PDF tailored to each role.

Myths vs facts
• Myth: “You can only do fieldwork to be an epidemiologist.” Fact: Many sustainable epidemiology roles are remote (surveillance, modelling, M&E, data science). LinkedIn
• Myth: “You need a PhD for any remote role.” Fact: Master’s + practical skills + portfolio often enough for many analyst/epidemiologist positions; PhD helps for senior/academic roles.
• Myth: “Certifications = job.” Fact: Certifications help but employers prioritize evidence of actual analytic impact (reports, dashboards, publications).

What does not work
• Applying to mass postings with generic CVs. Tailor for keywords and show relevant output.
• Relying only on LinkedIn alerts — use targeted boards, rosters and employer career pages. Use role-specific keywords (e.g., “surveillance data analyst”, “epidemiology modelling”, “statistical programmer”).
• Waiting for “perfect” qualifications — start with smaller contracts, volunteer data analysis, or consultancy microcontracts.

Application checklist (quick copy/paste)
• 1-page targeted CV + one-page technical summary.
• GitHub link with at least two public projects (code + readme + short write-up).
• One technical writing sample (policy brief, short manuscript, or blog post).
• Up-to-date LinkedIn + contactable references.
• Short video intro (30–60s) optional but high differentiator for remote roles.

Top 100+ actively recruiting sources (categorized; working URLs)
(These are career pages, job boards, rosters and employer pages to monitor — grouped so you can triage quickly.)

Global / industry job boards & aggregators

1. ReliefWeb — jobs & rosters (humanitarian + public health). https://reliefweb.int/jobs. ReliefWeb
2. Devex Jobs — global development & health job board. https://www.devex.com/jobs/search. Devex
3. LinkedIn Jobs (search “remote epidemiology”). https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/remote-epidemiology-jobs. LinkedIn
4. Indeed — remote public health/epidemiology searches. https://www.indeed.com/q-public-health-epidemiology-l-remote-jobs.html. Indeed
5. ZipRecruiter — remote epidemiology listings. https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Jobs/Remote-Epidemiology. ZipRecruiter
6. Glassdoor (jobs + company reviews). https://www.glassdoor.com/Job/remote-public-health-jobs-SRCH_IL.0,6_IS11047_KO7,20.htm. Glassdoor
7. FlexJobs — curated remote public health & epidemiology roles (subscription). https://www.flexjobs.com/remote-jobs/epidemiology. FlexJobs
8. We Work Remotely — remote job board (medical & health categories). https://weworkremotely.com/remote-medical-and-health-jobs. We Work Remotely
9. Wellfound / AngelList (startups). https://wellfound.com/
10. Monster — global job board. https://www.monster.com/

UN, UN-linked & multilateral organizations
11. UN Careers — main UN job portal. https://careers.un.org/ (apply for UN posts). careers.un.org
12. UNjobs (aggregator for UN & international orgs). https://unjobs.org/
13. UNICEF Careers — programme & emergency roles. https://www.unicef.org/careers and vacancies at https://jobs.unicef.org/. UNICEF+1
14. UNFPA jobs — https://www.unfpa.org/jobs. United Nations Population Fund
15. World Bank Careers — https://www.worldbank.org/en/about/careers. World Bank
16. Gavi Careers — https://www.gavi.org/our-alliance/work-us/vacancies. Gavi
17. WHO Careers — https://www.who.int/careers (vacancies via Stellis). World Health Organization
18. USAID Careers & USAJobs (search remote). https://www.usaid.gov/work-usaid/careers and https://www.usajobs.gov/
19. World Health Organization — emergency rosters and short-term consultancies (see WHO careers page). https://www.who.int/careers. World Health Organization
20. UN Talent / UN Job Portals (regional UN sites, untalent.org). https://untalent.org/

Major global NGOs & humanitarian orgs (career pages)
21. Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders — https://www.msf.org/jobs and https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/msfcareers. Doctors Without Borders+1
22. Save the Children — https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/careers and https://www.savethechildren.net/careers. Save the Children+1
23. International Rescue Committee (IRC) — https://careers.rescue.org/us/en/ and https://www.rescue.org/volunteer. International Rescue Committee+1
24. PATH — global health innovation org careers. https://www.path.org/who-we-are/careers/ and https://path.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/External. path.org+1
25. FIND (Diagnostics) — https://www.finddx.org/about-us/careers/. finddx.org
26. Wellcome Trust — research & funding jobs. https://wellcome.org/about-us/work-with-us/jobs. Wellcome
27. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/careers. gatesfoundation.org
28. MSF (regional pages) — e.g., MSF careers (APAC/Europe/US) at https://www.msf.org/work-msf . Doctors Without Borders
29. Save the Children International vacancies — https://www.savethechildren.net/careers/apply. Save the Children International
30. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) — https://www.icrc.org/en/who-we-are/jobs
31. Save the Children USA — https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/careers (US page). UNICEF USA

Global implementers, consultancies & program delivery organizations
32. Abt Associates — https://www.abtglobal.com/careers. abtglobal.com
33. RTI International — https://www.rti.org/careers. rti.org
34. Chemonics International — https://www.chemonics.com/careers/. Chemonics International
35. Palladium — https://thepalladiumgroup.com/careers. thepalladiumgroup.com
36. DAI — https://www.dai.com/careers (global development).
37. FHI 360 — https://www.fhi360.org/careers.
38. Jhpiego — https://www.jhpiego.org/careers/
39. Population Services International (PSI) — https://www.psi.org/careers/
40. ICAP at Columbia University — https://icap.columbia.edu/careers (and job boards)
41. ImpactPool — specialized UN & global NGO listings. https://www.impactpool.org/

Pharma, CROs, and life-sciences employers (remote analytics / biostat roles)
42. IQVIA (analytics & real-world evidence) — https://jobs.iqvia.com/en. IQVIA Jobs
43. Parexel — https://jobs.parexel.com/en/search-jobs. jobs.parexel.com
44. ICON plc — https://careers.iconplc.com/jobs. ICON
45. PPD (Thermo Fisher) — https://www.ppd.com/ (careers links). PPD
46. Thermo Fisher / Clinical Research jobs — https://jobs.thermofisher.com/global/en/clinical-research. Thermo Fisher Scientific
47. Pfizer Careers — https://www.pfizer.com/careers
48. AstraZeneca Careers — https://careers.astrazeneca.com/
49. Novartis Careers — https://www.novartis.com/careers
50. GSK Careers — https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/careers/

Academic & research institutions (jobs & research positions)
51. Johns Hopkins University / Bloomberg School jobs — https://jobs.jhu.edu/
52. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) — https://jobs.lshtm.ac.uk/
53. Imperial College London — https://www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/
54. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health — https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/about/careers/
55. KEMRI (Kenya Medical Research Institute) jobs — https://www.kemri.org/ (careers pages)
56. National Institutes of Health (NIH) jobs — https://jobs.nih.gov/ and https://www.jobs.nih.gov/. jobs.nih.gov
57. University career pages (use target uni jobs: e.g., Berkeley, Oxford, Cambridge career pages)
58. ResearchGate Jobs / Academic job listings — https://www.researchgate.net/jobs
59. Nature Careers — https://www.nature.com/naturecareers/ (academic + industry listings)
60. Science Careers (AAAS) — https://jobs.sciencecareers.org/

Specialist public-health & statistics job boards / societies
61. APHA CareerMart (American Public Health Association) — https://careers.apha.org/. careers.apha.org
62. ASPPH Public Health Jobs — https://publichealthjobs.aspph.org/. Public Health Jobs
63. ASA Career Connect (American Statistical Association) — https://careerconnect.amstat.org/ (job board). careerconnect.amstat.org
64. CSTE jobs (Council of State & Territorial Epidemiologists) — https://jobs.cste.org/. jobs.cste.org
65. EpiMonitor JobBank — https://epimonitor.net/JobBank.htm. epimonitor.net
66. Genomic Epi Jobs (pathogen genomics) — https://www.genomicepi.com/jobs.html. genomicepi.com
67. PublicHealthCareers.org — https://www.publichealthcareers.org/. publichealthcareers.org
68. Impactful researcher listings — untalent.org / unjobnet / unjobs for researcher roles. (search UN job aggregators). UN Talent+1

Regional / parastatal / government public-health agencies (where remote work is increasingly posted)
69. CDC Jobs (US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) — https://jobs.cdc.gov/index.html and global careers https://www.cdc.gov/global-health/careers/index.html. jobs.cdc.gov+1
70. CDC Foundation jobs — https://www.cdcfoundation.org/jobs. cdcfoundation.org
71. Africa CDC careers — https://africacdc.org/opportunities/ and https://africacdc.org/career/. africacdc.org+1
72. ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control) — https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/about-us/careers
73. UK Health Security Agency (formerly PHE) — https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency/about/recruitment
74. Public Health Agency of Canada — https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/corporate/careers.html (and Devex org page). Devex
75. Ministry of Health career portals (country-specific — search your country ministry’s careers page)
76. USAJobs (US federal roles) — https://www.usajobs.gov/ (filter remote/telework). USAJOBS

Freelance, remote & startup platforms that list health/epidemiology roles
77. FlexJobs (remote, curated). https://www.flexjobs.com/
78. We Work Remotely — https://weworkremotely.com/
79. Upwork (freelance scientific/epidemiology gigs) — https://www.upwork.com/
80. Fiverr (limited for micro-gigs) — https://www.fiverr.com/
81. Wellfound / AngelList (startups) — https://wellfound.com/
82. RemoteOK — https://remoteok.com/
83. Remote.com — https://remote.com/
84. Angel.co (now Wellfound) — https://wellfound.com/

Other high-value aggregators & sector-specific boards
85. ImpactPool — UN/NGO/Global Health roles. https://www.impactpool.org/
86. Idealist — NGOs & nonprofits. https://www.idealist.org/
87. CharityJob (UK) — https://www.charityjob.co.uk/
88. ReliefWeb Jobs (already above but use filters for Remote/Roster). https://reliefweb.int/jobs. ReliefWeb
89. DevNetJobs / Devex (development jobs). https://www.devex.com/jobs/search. Devex
90. Job boards at major funders: Gates Foundation jobs (above), Wellcome (above) — check foundations for remote grants/advisory posts. gatesfoundation.org+1

Specialized rosters, surge & emergency response
91. WHO rosters & GOARN partners (surge response). See WHO careers & GOARN pages on the WHO site. https://www.who.int/careers and search GOARN/Outbreak Roster pages. World Health Organization+1
92. CDC emergency response rosters (via CDC Foundation & USAJobs). https://www.cdcfoundation.org/jobs and https://www.usajobs.gov/ (search rosters). cdcfoundation.org+1
93. UN Volunteer / UNOPS rosters — https://www.unv.org/ and https://www.unops.org/
94. National public health emergency rosters (country-specific; often posted on ministry/agency sites) — check local MOH.

Data science communities & hiring
95. Kaggle (job boards & competition visibility). https://www.kaggle.com/
96. GitHub Jobs (deprecated but GitHub talent pages & repos are visible). https://github.com/ — use GitHub to host portfolio.
97. Stack Overflow Jobs (mostly tech; check Wellfound/LinkedIn instead). https://wellfound.com/ / https://stackoverflow.com/jobs (historic)

Misc: other employers & program funders with hiring pages to track
98. Rockefeller Foundation — https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/careers/
99. Clinton Health Access Initiative — https://clintonhealthaccess.org/careers/
100. Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs / JHU careers — https://jobs.jhu.edu/
101. ICAP (Columbia) jobs pages — https://icap.columbia.edu/
102. PATH job page (see above). path.org
103. FHI 360 careers — https://www.fhi360.org/careers
104. Population Services International — https://www.psi.org/careers/
105. Impact sourcing & regional NGO hubs — e.g., African NGO job boards, Asian Development Bank Careers, etc.

(That list gives you >100 live links and specific career pages to watch — many of the large sites provide “remote”/“homebased” filters. Bookmark the ones in your bucket and automate alerts.)

How to create a high-impact remote application (step-by-step)

1. Set up a “one-pager” resume tailored to the role (top 6 skills + top 3 achievements).
2. A technical portfolio (GitHub) with an index README: 1) small surveillance analysis, 2) reproducible report (RMarkdown) and 3) a dashboard demo (Shiny/Plotly).
3. Short cover note (4–6 lines) with link to GitHub + 1-page PDF summary.
4. For UN/NGO roles, attach short references and mention availability for surge rosters.
5. For consultancies/CROs, emphasize client work, timelines and tools (SAS, R, Python) used.

Sample 30-second intro line (use as email subject or LinkedIn message)
“Epidemiologist/biostatistician (MPH, 5 yrs) — R, SQL, reproducible reports — built real-time surveillance dashboard for a national immunization program (link) — available for remote/contract work on outbreak analytics.”

Salary / pay expectations (very rough, regionally variable)
• Entry remote analyst (global NGOs/consultancies): often USD 25–60k equivalent (varies by country).
• Mid-level epidemiologist/biostatistician (remote, full-time): USD 60–110k in industry/US markets; lower in many national NGOs.
• Senior/technical lead (industry/consultancy): USD 100k+ in high-income markets.
Note: contractor/consultancy day rates often pay well but have gaps between contracts — build a pipeline of opportunities.

Plan summary (goal-oriented)

Goal (30 days): finish 2 polished portfolio projects (one surveillance time-series + dashboard; one biostatistics analysis), publish them on GitHub + 1-page project writeups, update LinkedIn, and perform 30 targeted outreach/network actions.

Goal (60 days): add a third advanced piece (interactive Shiny dashboard or reproducible modelling repo), contribute to an open dataset or community notebook (Kaggle/GitHub), complete two recommended courses, get at least 3 informational interviews, and apply to 20 well-targeted remote roles.

Primary deliverables (end of sprint)

1. GitHub repo “epi-bio-portfolio” with 2–3 project folders, each containing a dataset, analysis notebook (RMarkdown / Jupyter), README, and a one-page PDF summary.
2. A Shiny demo or Plotly dashboard link (hosted or recorded demo).
3. Updated LinkedIn headline + pinned post linking to portfolio.
4. 30 targeted LinkedIn/Email outreach messages sent (10 responses target).
5. Short technical blog post or policy brief (800–1,200 words) summarizing one project.

Key learning resources (take these courses in parallel with the schedule)

• Epidemiology in Public Health Practice (Coursera) — specialization (Johns Hopkins): excellent core epidemiology modules to ground your projects. Coursera
• R Programming (Coursera — Johns Hopkins): practical statistical computing and reproducible workflows (RMarkdown, packages). Coursera
• DHIS2 Online Academy: short practical modules for health information system analytics (useful if you want applied surveillance experience). academy.dhis2.org
• OpenWHO: Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response + outbreak courses: free short WHO modules on surveillance and outbreak response (great for rosters/UN-style knowledge). openwho.org+1
• Datasets & practice: Our World in Data COVID and other public health datasets (downloadable CSVs) and Kaggle public health datasets for exercises. docs.owid.io+1

(These are the highest-ROI online resources to build the exact skills hiring teams want; I cite them above so you can jump straight into the recommended modules.)

30-day intensive schedule (daily + weekly plan)

This is a focused, 30-day sprint. Workload: ~2–4 hours/day on weekdays, 3–5 hours/day on two weekend days (total ≈ 80–100 hours). If you can give more time, accelerate projects.

Week 0 — setup (Days 0–2)

Day 0 (½–1 day)

• Create GitHub account (if none). Create a repo: epi-bio-portfolio.
• Create a simple personal site or GitHub README as homepage.
• Install R & RStudio (or Python env), Git, and set up a Google Drive/Dropbox folder for artifacts.
• Draft a 1-line value proposition for LinkedIn (example later).

Day 1

• Take the R Programming course intro (first 2–3 hours) — focus on reading/wrangling data and functions. Coursera
• Set up a project folder structure (see “Repo structure” below).

Day 2

• Browse Our World in Data COVID dataset; pick a country/region to analyze. Download CSV. docs.owid.io
• Sign up for OpenWHO and DHIS2 academy accounts; bookmark relevant short courses. academy.dhis2.org+1

Week 1 — Project A: Surveillance time-series analysis (Days 3–9)

Objective: produce a reproducible R analysis that answers an epidemiologic question and a 2-minute dashboard demo.

Day 3

• Course: complete “Essential Epidemiologic Tools” module (Coursera) intro lessons. Coursera
• Project task: load OWID dataset, clean, create daily and 7-day rolling metrics for your chosen region.

Day 4

• Analyze trends: growth rates, Rt estimates (simple EpiEstim or rolling method), and annotate policy events/dates. Produce 3 publication-quality plots (ggplot2).

Day 5

• Build a basic dashboard demo using Plotly or a small Shiny app skeleton (or record a 2-3 minute screencast if you can’t host). Aim for one interactive plot + selectable country.

Day 6

• Write the README: question, dataset, methods, key findings, skills used. Add a one-page PDF summary file.

Day 7 (weekend)

• Share a short LinkedIn post with 3 visuals + link to GitHub. Send 5 outreach messages (templates below) to people who work at target organizations (e.g., NGOs, research centers).

Days 8–9

• Polish code and add unit tests/checkpoints (or code comments); make sure notebooks render cleanly. Tag repo with project-01-surveillance.

Week 2 — Project B: Biostatistics / cohort or case-control analysis (Days 10–16)

Objective: a reproducible analysis of a study design (cohort or case-control) using an available dataset or simulated data, with a short technical brief on interpretation.

Day 10

• Select dataset (Kaggle public health dataset or simulated cohort). Quick course refresher: biostatistics module from Coursera (week module or short videos). Coursera

Day 11

• Data cleaning and variable creation (exposure, outcome, covariates). Use tidyverse; keep code modular.

Day 12

• Run descriptive stats, build regression models (logistic, Poisson, Cox if time), check assumptions, produce adjusted effect estimates.

Day 13

• Use causal inference basics (directed acyclic graphs) to explain confounding and adjustment: include a simple DAG figure in report.

Day 14

• Produce a one-page brief: key methods, results, interpretation, limitations, code links.

Day 15 (weekend)

• Publish the repo and link it on LinkedIn. Reach out to 5 more contacts. Post short thread explaining the DAG + result translation (helps hiring managers see communication skills).

Day 16

• Fix any issues from feedback; add a small unit like requirements.txt or R package list for reproducibility.

Week 3 — Skills & certification micro-sprints (Days 17–23)

Objective: finish two short/high-impact modules and add a small “tool” to your portfolio.

Day 17

• Complete the DHIS2 Fundamentals or Analytics short module you bookmarked. academy.dhis2.org

Day 18

• OpenWHO short course: “Integrated Disease Surveillance” module — complete key lessons and download certificate. openwho.org

Day 19

• Make a short “reproducibility” checklist and add it to your GitHub (RMarkdown render + HTML). Add CI badge (GitHub Actions to render site) if possible.

Day 20

• Build a small helper script: e.g., automated data loader + cleaning for OWID COVID dataset; publish as a small R package skeleton or script.

Day 21 (weekend)

• Host a small demo (30-minute) on Zoom or record a walkthrough video of Project A; pin to your GitHub and LinkedIn.

Day 22–23

• Reach out to 5 alumni from your courses or 5 people who commented on similar projects. Ask for feedback or 15-minute conversations.

Week 4 — Networking, application prep, polishing (Days 24–30)

Objective: convert visibility into interviews; apply to roles and secure informational interviews.

Day 24

• Prepare a one-page tailored CV (target: NGOs, CROs, academic) — emphasize tools and deliverables: R, SQL, DHIS2, dashboard, reproducible research.

Day 25

• Write 10 targeted cover emails (templates below) and customize for 5 priority roles. Apply (target 10 roles this week).

Day 26

• Ask for 3 LinkedIn recommendations (from course teammates, supervisors, or peers).

Day 27

• Conduct 3 informational calls (or schedule them) — aim to learn hiring cycles and show portfolio.

Day 28–29 (weekend)

• Draft a 800–1,200 word technical blog / policy brief on one of your projects. Publish on Medium or LinkedIn and link to GitHub.

Day 30

• Sprint retrospective: tally outreach, repo visits, course certificates, interview invites. If you reached goals, plan the 60-day extension to scale.

60-day extended schedule (weeks 5–8)

Weeks 5–8 add depth: advanced modelling, community contribution, and active applications.

Weeks 5–6

• Advanced Project C: modelling (SIR / compartmental model or small reproducible real-world evidence analysis). Use a modular repo and write a methods appendix. Consider producing a Shiny dashboard that lets users vary parameters and view outputs.
• Contribute to a Kaggle notebook or GitHub issue for a public health dataset (helps visibility). Kaggle
• Begin a small mentorship/volunteer engagement (e.g., assist a non-profit with an M&E dashboard request; offer 10 hours pro-bono).

Weeks 7–8

• Apply to 10–15 targeted roles each week, use ATS-friendly keywords, and track outcomes in a spreadsheet.
• Prepare STAR stories and short case examples from your projects for interviews.
• Aim for 3 recruiter / hiring-manager conversations and 1 technical interview.

Project briefs — exact specs to ship (each must be in GitHub)

1. Project A — Surveillance time-series + dashboard (deliverable in 7–10 days)
• Dataset: OWID COVID CSV or influenza dataset. docs.owid.io
• Files: 01_data/, 02_analysis/analysis.Rmd (or notebook), 03_dashboard/ (Shiny app or Plotly script), README.md, SUMMARY.pdf.
• Key analyses: trends, 7-day averages, simple Rt estimate, policy event annotation. Make 3 clean figures and a 30–60 second GIF showing interactivity.
• Skills shown: data cleaning, visualization (ggplot2/plotly), basic epidemiologic interpretation.
2. Project B — Cohort/case-control analysis (deliverable in 7–10 days)
• Dataset: Kaggle public health dataset or simulated cohort. Kaggle
• Files: data/, analysis/biostat_analysis.Rmd, README.md, onepager.pdf.
• Key analyses: descriptive table, regression models (logistic/Cox), DAG, sensitivity analysis.
• Skills shown: study design, causal thinking, regression modelling, communication of effect sizes.
3. Project C — Interactive model or reproducible package (deliverable by day 45–60)
• Build an SIR-style parameter explorer or a reproducible reporting package (R package or Python pip package) that automates data download + report generation from OWID/Kaggle.
• Host a demo (Heroku/Netlify/GitHub Pages) or record a screen demo.

GitHub repo structure (recommended)

epi-bio-portfolio/

├─ project-01-surveillance/

│  ├─ data/

│  ├─ analysis/

│  │  └─ analysis.Rmd

│  ├─ dashboard/

│  ├─ README.md

│  └─ summary.pdf

├─ project-02-biostat/

│  └─ ...

├─ LICENSE

├─ README.md   # personal intro + links to projects

└─ CV.pdf

Networking playbook (exact actions + templates)

Where to network

• LinkedIn: share project posts; reach out to job-post authors; alumni channels.
• Twitter/X: short threads showing visual outputs + link to GitHub.
• Slack/Discord/Kaggle: join public health, dataforgood, and epidemiology channels (OpenWHO channels are a good place for course peers). openwho.org
• Professional societies: APHA jobboard, ASA, CSTE for job threads. (Use these to find role authors.)

Targeted outreach (send 30 messages minimum)

• Message template for informational call (LinkedIn/InMail/email):

Hi [Name], I enjoyed your recent post/article about [topic]. I’m an epidemiologist/biostatistician finishing a 30-day portfolio sprint (link). I’d really value 15 minutes to ask how you broke into [NGO/CRO/Org], and any advice for remote roles. I’m happy to share my project work beforehand. Best, [Your name]

• Short recruiter / hiring contact message:

Hi [Name], I’m applying for [role] at [org]. I’ve built a surveillance dashboard + biostatistics repo showing R, SQL, reproducible reporting (link). If helpful I can send a one-page summary tailored to your hiring need. Thanks for any pointers — [Your name]

• Template for posting project on LinkedIn (short):

Just published a reproducible surveillance analysis of [country] COVID trends using OWID data — cleaned dataset, Rt estimate, and a small interactive demo. Code + writeup → [GitHub link]. Open to feedback & remote roles in outbreak analytics.

Make a tracker spreadsheet:
Columns: Contact name, Org, Role, Date contacted, Message sent, Follow-up date, Response, Next step.

Tools & environment checklist

• R + RStudio (or RStudio Cloud) + tidyverse, EpiEstim, shiny, rmarkdown. Coursera
• Git & GitHub account (enable Actions to render pages if desired).
• Python environment (optional): pandas, statsmodels, scikit-learn, plotly/dash.
• Data sources: Our World in Data, Kaggle datasets. docs.owid.io+1
• OpenWHO, DHIS2 Academy account for micro-credentials. academy.dhis2.org+1

Quick interview prep (for remote epi/stat roles)

• Prepare 3 STAR (situation, task, action, result) stories from projects: data cleaning challenge, modelling decision, and stakeholder communication.
• Be ready to share screen and walk an interviewer through your GitHub project in 6–8 minutes (focus on question, method, and decisions).
• Practice a 60-second “value pitch” covering: title, years of experience, stack (R/SQL/DHIS2), portfolio highlights, and availability.

Metrics — how you’ll know the sprint worked

Short-term (30 days)

• 2 published projects on GitHub with README + PDFs.
• 1 Shiny/Plotly demo or 2-minute screencast.
• 30 outreach messages sent; at least 5 meaningful replies.
• 5–10 job applications submitted.

Medium-term (60 days)

• 3 technical projects publicly available.
• 3 informational interviews + ≥1 technical interview.
• At least one freelance/contract conversation or small paid micro-contract offer (possible within 60 days if outreach + portfolio are strong).

Common pitfalls & what to avoid

• Avoid publishing notebooks without README or context — hiring managers skip unclear repos.
• Don’t rely solely on courses; show real work (even small).
• Avoid overscoping projects — aim for clarity and reproducibility, not perfect models.

Quick templates & resources (copy/paste)

• GitHub README intro (one line):

“R/Python epidemiologist: surveillance, reproducible reports, and interactive dashboards. Portfolio: [link].”

• LinkedIn headline example:

“Epidemiologist | Biostatistician | R, SQL, DHIS2 | Surveillance & Real-World Evidence — portfolio ⟶ [link]”

• One-page CV bullets (example for “Surveillance Analyst”):
  • Built a reproducible time-series dashboard for COVID cases using OWID data (R, ggplot2, Shiny); reduced data cleaning time by 70%.
  • Estimated Rt using rolling-window method and produced weekly policy briefs for stakeholders.

Direct links again (primary course/data resources)

• Epidemiology specialization (Coursera — Johns Hopkins). Coursera
• R Programming (Coursera — Johns Hopkins). Coursera
• DHIS2 Online Academy (free). academy.dhis2.org
• OpenWHO (WHO learning hub; Integrated Disease Surveillance modules). openwho.org+1
• Our World in Data — COVID dataset (downloadable CSVs). docs.owid.io
• Kaggle public health datasets & community notebooks. Kaggle

Quick checklist before you apply (final)
• Portfolio link visible and working.
• Targeted one-page CV + short cover e-mail.
• LinkedIn up to date + contactable referees.
• Job alert automations: set alerts at ReliefWeb, Devex, LinkedIn, FlexJobs, ImpactPool, and target employer pages. FlexJobs+3ReliefWeb+3Devex+3