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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.

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: A research opportunity is currently available within the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC) of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) 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.

Research Project: Throughout the course of this research project, the participant will receive training in the CDC Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Office of Associate Director for Science, focusing on activities related to the division's congressionally mandated program to address breast cancer in young women (early onset breast cancer). These activities include: applied public research or evaluation of public health programs related to breast cancer in young women; science writing of relevant public health reports or journal articles related to CDC's portfolio on breast cancer in young women; oral presentations for internal and external stakeholders research in the subject area; and  behavioral science technical support to offices and programs researching breast cancer in young women (e.g., Bring Your Brave Campaign, HCP medical education, etc.). Beyond the aforementioned training, the fellows' portfolio will include research on the impacts of storytelling-based health education/communication strategies on individual storytellers (young breast cancer survivors, previvors, and health care providers.

Relevant activities completed by the fellow may include: 

• Initial focus on literature reviews and hypothesis generation.
• Designing and developing qualitative and/or quantitative research and evaluation protocols and data collection instruments (e.g., using mixed methods research designs, etc.)
• Conducting qualitative data analysis (e.g., thematic analysis etc.).
• Developing presentations and writing manuscripts to present findings to internal and external stakeholders.
• Learning about cancer prevention and control issues through attending advisory committee meetings, relevant conferences, presentations, and staff meetings
• Participating in activities to educate and inform audiences about cancer prevention and control within the scope of the division's mission.

Training opportunities in the course of the year will be commiserate with the candidate's need and interests as related to the proposed project. 

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, learning objectives will include:

• Learn about cancer prevention and control issues through attending advisory committee meetings, relevant conferences, presentations, and staff meetings
• Develop and conduct  research to better understand the  impacts of storytelling-based strategies for education and awareness on individual storytellers, hearers, and health care provides. Assess the impact of said strategies on public health campaign outcomes. 
• Participate in relevant activities in the breast cancer in young women's portfolio to support the mission of the division of cancer prevention and control.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Temeika Fairley (tff9@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: September 18, 2023.  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 up to five years total 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.

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.

The qualified candidate should have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (e.g. Health Behavior, Behavioral Psychology, Public Health, Health Communication, Communication Science, Anthropology). Degree must have been received within the past five years.

Preferred Skills/Experience:

• Experience in (health) behavioral science, applied public health research, communication science research and/or health equity research is preferred. Additionally, it is preferred that candidates also have advanced training or coursework - in mixed methodologies, behavioral science and health promotion, and qualitative analysis.
• Candidate should be proficient in developing data collection instruments for qualitative studies and be skilled in conducting interviews ad/nor focus groups.  
• Experience in health behavior research, behavioral science, communication science, science/technical writing, and/or public health evaluation is preferred. Ideal candidates will also have experience using relevant analytical software such as NVivo, Atlas, MaxQDA, SPSS, etc. 

• Degree: Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 month(s).
• Discipline(s):
  • Communications and Graphics Design (2 )
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (1 )
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (5 )