CDC Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Prevention Research Fellowship

Organization
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Reference Code
CDC-NCIPC-2022-0119
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
6/1/2022 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: A research opportunity is currently available with the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), Division of Violence Prevention (DVP), Research Evaluation Branch (REB) 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. For more than 20 years, CDC’s Injury Center has helped protect Americans from injury and violence. We work to understand how injury and violence impact all of us and what we can do to prevent it.

Research Project: Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are preventable, potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years) such as experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect; witnessing violence in the home or community; or having a family member attempt or die by suicide. ACEs also include aspects of the child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding such as growing up in a household with substance misuse, mental health problems, or instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison. (see:
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html). A robust body of scientific evidence ties ACEs to dozens of social, health, and behavioral consequences, including violence perpetration and victimization. However, significant gaps in our understanding of ACEs remain, including opportunities to expand our understanding of potentially traumatic childhood experiences that ought to be considered ACEs; to identify factors including positive childhood experiences (PCEs) that may interrupt, mitigate, or moderate the effects of ACEs on health outcomes; and to examine the connections between the social and structural determinants of health and ACEs.

Under the mentorship of REB scientific staff, the ORISE participant will receive training to:

  • Support CDC-funded research to expand understanding of types and characteristics of ACEs and PCEs (e.g., severity, frequency, timing, clustering).
  • Conduct etiological research to expand understanding of potentially traumatic childhood experiences that ought to be considered ACEs and examine mediators and moderators of the effects of ACEs on health outcomes
  • Leverage existing data sources to examine the social, economic, and structural factors that influence the likelihood and impact of ACEs.
  • Analyze, publish, and disseminate research on ACEs and PCEs

Learning Objectives

  • Increase understanding of health equity considerations in the context of ACEs prevention and research
  • Deepen knowledge about existing gaps and opportunities in the published literature and existing data sources on ACEs
  • Increase understanding of the nature and characteristics of ACEs and its impact on later health outcomes
  • Develop subject matter expertise and contribute to the evidence base

Mentor(s): The mentor(s) for this opportunity are May Chen (pua0@cdc.gov) and Joann Wu Shortt (pvc1@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 2022.  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 only.

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.NCIPC@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields, or be currently pursuing the degree with completion by the appointment start date. Degree must have been received within the past five years.

Preferred skills:

  • Experience with ACEs prevention research, child maltreatment, and/or public health policy research
  • Experience or knowledge regarding violence prevention, health equity, prevention of adverse childhood experiences, or other related research areas
  • Experience or knowledge of methods to conduct scientific literature reviews
  • Experience with quantitative data analysis and rigorous evaluation of prevention strategies and interventions, including methodological approaches for policy evaluation
  • Experience working with secondary data sources including complex survey data and administrative datasets
  • A track record of scientific productivity demonstrating strong skills in methodology and study design, and quantitative data analysis
  • Strong written and oral communications skills exemplified by scientific publications and presentations
  • Ability to collaborate with other scientific and professional staff on behavioral research
Eligibility Requirements
  • Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
  • Degree: Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.
  • Discipline(s):
    • Life Health and Medical Sciences (48 )
    • Mathematics and Statistics (11 )
    • Social and Behavioral Sciences (29 )
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