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A complete application consists of:

• An application
• Transcripts – Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts
• A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
• One educational or professional recommendation. Your application will be considered incomplete, and will not be reviewed until one recommendation is submitted.

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.

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*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: A research opportunity is currently available with the Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division (CORVD), National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the major operation components of the Department of Health and Human Services. CDC protects America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same. CDC increases the health security of our nation. As the nation’s health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats. To accomplish its mission, CDC conducts important science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these arise.

Research Project: The Respiratory Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network (RESP-NET) Team, within the Surveillance, Epidemiology and Prevention Branch of CORVD, is seeking a motivated master’s-level graduate fellow with a background in surveillance, epidemiology, biostatistics, informatics, data science, or a related field. RESP-NET is a population-based surveillance platform that monitors laboratory-confirmed hospitalizations associated with influenza, COVID-19, and RSV among children and adults in the United States. RESP-NET data are used to characterize hospitalization trends, identify populations at increased risk for severe respiratory illness, estimate disease burden, and inform public health planning and decision-making.

As part of this research opportunity, you will gain hands-on experience training on the operation and project management of a large, multisite hospitalization surveillance platform spanning 15 sites across the United States. You will learn to coordinate surveillance activities across participating sites, support data collection and data quality efforts, develop and maintain surveillance tools and guidance, and facilitate communication and collaboration across the network. You will also participate in the analysis and interpretation of respiratory virus hospitalization surveillance data, including applying epidemiologic and statistical methods, developing reproducible analytic workflows, integrating data from multiple sources, creating data visualizations, and contributing to scientific reports, presentations, and manuscripts.

This fellowship will provide a unique opportunity to train with a multidisciplinary team focused on innovative approaches to collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and disseminating public health surveillance information. CORVD provides scientific and programmatic leadership for the surveillance, diagnosis, prevention, and control of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), SARS-CoV-2, and other respiratory viruses in the United States and internationally.

Under the guidance of experienced CDC scientists, you will receive training in:

• Advanced statistical and computational methods for public health surveillance.
• Integration and harmonization of multiple surveillance and administrative data sources.
• Development of reproducible analytical workflows using programming languages such as R and Python.
• Application of machine learning and predictive modeling techniques to identify patterns, trends, and emerging public health concerns. Design and evaluation of interactive data visualizations and dashboards to communicate scientific findings.
• Best practices in data management, data quality assessment, reproducible research, and scientific computing.
• Scientific writing, manuscript preparation, presentation development, and communication of research findings to technical and non-technical audiences.

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, you will:

• Develop skills in epidemiologic and statistical analysis through mentored application of appropriate methods to respiratory virus surveillance data, with opportunities to characterize trends, risk factors, and health outcomes.
• Gain practical experience in managing and integrating complex public health data, including assessing data quality, harmonizing multiple data sources, and developing reproducible analytical workflows using tools such as R or Python.
• Develop hands-on skills in the project management and operation of a large, multisite surveillance network by learning to organize and track surveillance activities, timelines, deliverables, and follow-up items across RESP-NET and its participating sites.
• Gain experience working within a large network of public health partners, including opportunities to interface with surveillance sites and other stakeholders and learn approaches for supporting data collection, data quality, interpretation, and dissemination of RESP-NET findings.
• Gain experience developing and refining surveillance data collection tools, protocols, guidance, and other instructional materials, with an emphasis on learning approaches that support standardized and high-quality data collection across RESP-NET sites. Strengthen skills in interpreting and communicating scientific findings by developing data visualizations, reports, presentations, manuscripts, and other products tailored to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Gain experience collaborating within a multidisciplinary public health team and develop skills in translating epidemiologic findings into information that supports respiratory virus surveillance, prevention, and public health decision-making.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Monica Patton (gnh9@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: Fall 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of CDC and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.

Participant Stipend: Stipend rates may vary based on numerous factors, including opportunity, location, education, and experience. If you are interviewed, you can inquire about the exact stipend rate at that time and if selected, your appointment offer will include the monthly stipend rate.

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.

ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and CDC. Participants do not become employees of CDC, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility, including but not limited to, COVID-19 requirements (e.g. facial covering, physical distancing, testing, vaccination).

Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email CDCrpp@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a master's degree in the one of the relevant fields (e.g. Public Health, Epidemiology, or Biology). Degree must have been received within the past five years, or anticipated to be received by 12/31/26.

• Degree: Master's Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 12/31/2026 12:00:00 AM.
• Minimum Overall GPA: 3.50
• Discipline(s):
  • Communications and Graphics Design (1 )
  • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (8 )
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (9 )
  • Mathematics and Statistics (7 )

I certify that I have not previously been employed by CDC or by a contractor working directly for CDC.  I understand that CDC does not permit individuals with a prior employment relationship with CDC or its contractors to participate as trainees in the ORISE program. (Exceptions may be granted for individuals who, since the previous CDC employment, have obtained a new STEM degree which necessitates training in a new field.)