CDC Diagnostic Excellence Fellowship

Organization
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Reference Code
CDC-CSELS-2021-0243
How to Apply

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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.

If you have questions, send an email to ORISE.CDC.CSELS@orau.org. Please include the reference code for this opportunity in your email.

Application Deadline
10/1/2021 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

A research opportunity is available with the Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS) in the Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (CSELS) 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 works to protect 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.

Clinical diagnostic error leads to significant morbidity and mortality in the US making this a significant public health concern. Clinical laboratory testing is associated with most diagnoses made. This suggests an opportunity to leverage clinical laboratory capabilities and expertise to reduce diagnostic errors and improve diagnoses in patient care settings. Leveraging clinical laboratory expertise to improve diagnoses is specified as an objective within the strategic framework of the Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS). The Diagnostic Excellence Team (DET) within the DLS Quality and Safety Systems Branch was established to address this challenge.

The pandemic highlighted challenges in making accurate and timely diagnoses not associated with COVID19. The pandemic also revealed health inequities in the US not otherwise appreciated. Lessons learned from these findings are expected to inform DET initiatives.

Recent work by the DET highlighted the successes and challenges to engaging laboratory capabilities and expertise in strategies to improve diagnoses (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33554526/). The selected participant will have the opportunity to engage in a project with the DET, under the guidance and mentorship of CDC scientists, to study and contribute to data-driven laboratory-involved strategies to improve diagnoses. The specific scope of project will be developed in consideration of the interests and talents of the participant.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: As soon as possible; start date is flexible

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and CDC. The initial appointment can be up to one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of CDC contingent on the availability of funds. The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. The appointment is full-time at CDC in the Atlanta, Georgia, area. Participants do not become employees of CDC, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a doctoral degree in a relevant scientific or medical discipline (e.g., laboratory medicine, clinical laboratory science, epidemiology, public health, health systems research, health informatics), or be currently pursuing the degree with completion by August 2021. Degree must have been received within the past five years.

Preferred skills (any combination of group 1 and 2 skillsets):

  • Clinical laboratory testing/quality assurance - Group 1
  • Healthcare research and/or management - Group 1
  • Epidemiology - Group 1
  • Statistics (preferably including R and SAS programming) - Group 2
  • Data abstraction and analysis of large datasets- Group 2
  • Systematic evidence reviews - Group 2
  • Health informatics - Group 2

Candidates should have excellent oral and written communication skills. Candidates should have familiarity with Microsoft Office Products to expedite development of oral and written presentations and email.    

Eligibility Requirements
  • Degree: Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 8/31/2021 11:59:00 PM.
  • Discipline(s):
    • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (2 )
    • Life Health and Medical Sciences (3 )
    • Mathematics and Statistics (1 )
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