CDC Surveillance Epidemiology Fellowship

Organization
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Reference Code
CDC-DFWED-2022-0028
How to Apply

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A complete application consists of:
  • An application
  • 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.

Description

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis, and this opportunity will remain open until filled.

CDC Office and LocationA research opportunity is available in the Enteric Diseases Laboratory Branch (EDLB) in the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases in the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) located 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.

EDEB works with state and local health departments and other federal agencies to conduct surveillance for illness caused by bacterial enteric (intestinal) pathogens in the United States. The branch leads CDC’s epidemiology work in preventing illness caused by these pathogens, by monitoring trends in illness and antimicrobial resistance, tracking and responding to outbreaks, and identifying risk factors for these infections. EDEB staff members track illnesses caused by Clostridium botulinum, Campylobacter, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia. EDEB staff routinely collect and analyze surveillance data, present and publish, and collaborate with partners to improve the branch’s nine surveillance systems. EDEB is organized into five Teams: Analytics, Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS), National Surveillance Team (NST), and the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS).

Research Project: The participant will train on the National Surveillance Team (NST). The team collects, analyzes, and disseminates national surveillance data on bacterial enteric illnesses to provide a national snapshot of the occurrence of infections transmitted commonly through food. The participant will communicate with reporting partners, learn to analyze data, participate in meetings within and outside CDC, and contribute to scientific reports. The participant will train closely with people in state health departments and on other teams in the Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch (EDEB).

Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant will be trained in the following activities:

  • Analyze and interpret surveillance data and communicate findings to a variety of audiences through annual summary reports, scientific papers, abstracts, posters, meetings, oral and written presentations to scientific and nonscientific audiences, and calls with state and federal partners.
  • Learn to manage a subset of national bacterial enteric disease surveillance data, which include data on illnesses caused by Clostridium botulinum (Botulism), Salmonella serotype Typhi and Paratyphi (Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fever), Vibrio, Listeria, non-typhoidal Salmonella, Shigella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, and Campylobacter.
  • Participate in outbreak investigations for select bacterial enteric diseases.
  • Train with NST team members to update data dictionaries, data collection forms, guidance documents, and training documents, as needed
  • Collaborate across teams within CDC and with state and federal partners
  • Participate in informatics activities to improve NST data systems (e.g., assist state partners with electronic transmission of data to NST data systems; perform user acceptance testing [UAT]; troubleshoot informatics issues with state, local, and federal partners; assist with data linkage between multiple surveillance systems; train with IT development teams to prioritize and refine data descriptions and criteria), and provide recommendations when needed
  • Use software tools to automate reporting and cleaning of data

Learning Objectives

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Renita Blake (eoi9@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: As soon as a qualified candidate is identified.  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: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience.

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.

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

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a master's degree in one of the relevant fields, or be currently pursuing the degree with completion by the end of December 2021. Degree must have been received within the past five years.

Preferred skills:
  • Excellent communication skills and a team player 
  • Familiarity with and have experience using R (or another analytic tool), Access, and Excel
  • Knowledge of best practices in database design and administration
  • Skills related to IT, informatics, or computer science
  • Experience working with state systems and personnel
Eligibility Requirements
  • Degree: Master's Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 12/31/2021 11:59:00 PM.
  • Discipline(s):
    • Life Health and Medical Sciences (5 )
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