CDC Vision Impairment and Disease Education and Training Fellowship

Organization
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Reference Code
CDC-NCCDPHP-2022-0145
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.

Application Deadline
5/30/2022 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: A research opportunity is available in the Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) within 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.

Research Project: The fellow will gain experience as part of the Vision Health Initiative (VHI) in DDT’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, Economics, and Statistics Branch to examine trends in the prevalence of vision impairment and major eye diseases, vision and eye health disparities, risk factors, and social determinants of vision and eye health. Vision loss and eye diseases (e.g., diabetic retinopathy) are disabling conditions that can lead to poor quality of life and premature death, and the burden of severe vision impairment is costly at the individual and societal level.

Learning Objectives: The fellow will have the opportunity to advance his or her skills to:

  • Analyze national and sub-national data to investigate the burden of vision loss and its relationship with other health conditions and social, demographic, and economic risk factors. It is of particular interest to explore innovative data sources and big data in ophthalmic research (e.g. electronic health records).
  • Develop and strengthen skills in writing scientific manuscripts for peer reviewed journals using data from the Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System to explore differences in demographic and behavioral factors in populations with vision loss or at risk of vision loss and to identify eye health disparities.  
  • Develop appropriate methods for tabulating, summarizing, interpreting, and presenting data from relational databases, complex surveys, and other data sets and data systems and assure timely access to and utilization of vision and eye health data. These data systems include large national survey data such as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS); administrative data systems; the Area Health Resource File; and linked data sets.
  • Develop papers and reports and receive training on conducting studies of risk factors and trends in vision and eye health and related complications using numerous data sets and data systems. 
  • Present scientific research findings and program policy information at national conferences and meetings.

Mentor(s)The mentor for this opportunity is Jinan Saaddine (zna2@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 LengthThe 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 ParticipationThe appointment is full-time.

Participant StipendThe participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience.

Citizenship RequirementsThis opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.

ORISE InformationThis 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 ORISE.CDC.NCCDPHP@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (e.g. Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Health Sciences, Behavioral Sciences). Degree must have been received within the past five years.

Strong scientific writing and analytical skills are preferred.

Eligibility Requirements
  • Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
  • Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 month(s).
  • Discipline(s):
    • Communications and Graphics Design (1 )
    • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (3 )
    • Earth and Geosciences (1 )
    • Life Health and Medical Sciences (3 )
    • Mathematics and Statistics (2 )
    • Other Non-Science & Engineering (2 )
    • Social and Behavioral Sciences (29 )
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