CDC Influenza Division Epidemiology and Prevention Branch Fellow

Organization
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Reference Code
CDC-NCIRD-ID-2024-0035
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
4/19/2024 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: Several fellowship opportunities are available within the Influenza Division (ID) Epidemiology and Prevention Branch of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) 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. ID provides the scientific and programmatic foundation and leadership for the diagnosis, prevention, and control of influenza domestically and internationally.

Research Project: The Applied Research and Modeling (ARM) Team, Influenza Prevention and Control (IPAC) Team, and Influenza Epidemiology and Treatment Team (ICE-T), Epidemiology and Prevention Branch, Influenza Division, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are seeking motivated masters or doctoral level graduates with a background in epidemiology, biostatistics, project management, data management, or data science. 

Activities across the teams may include:

  • Exploring the potential utility of new or under-used data sources, including large electronic health records-based platforms (e.g., Premier, Truveta, Health Verity, Marketscan, Epic Cosmos, CMS) that could allow for better or timelier understanding of the epidemiology and burden of influenza
  • Assisting in the coordination, visualization, and evaluation of seasonal influenza forecasts through the CDC-sponsored FluSight forecasting network
  • Assisting in data management, data analysis and visualization related to household transmission dynamics through CDC-sponsored household transmission studies
  • Helping coordinate mathematical modeling studies in support of the public health response to influenza
  • Collaborating with epidemiologists in the development of analytic strategies for assessing the effectiveness of influenza vaccines and antiviral medications, including but not limited to:
    • developing, testing, and managing data collection and specification requirements and data collection processes
    • reviewing and summarizing scientific and clinical literature related to analytic strategies or project implementation
  • Tracking, receipt, validation, and merging of large datasets, including data from multiple sites and epidemiologic, laboratory, and electronic medical data. This includes monitoring data quality and completeness and providing feedback to project sites, designing and maintaining large databases to house data, creating and maintaining database documentation, and generating datasets for epidemiologic analysis
  • Assisting with preparation of materials required for review of projects by CDC and other institutional review boards (IRBs) for protection of human research subjects
  • Performing statistical analysis for vaccine and antiviral medication effectiveness estimates
  • Summarizing research findings in written reports and presentations (at CDC or local and national conferences); performing primary or secondary technical review of documents; preparing sections of scientific manuscripts for internal and academic audiences; responding to inquiries from partner agencies
  • Coordinating project-related communication with collaborating research institutions including meetings, workshops, and conference calls
  • Problem-solving to optimize data collection (e.g., refining methods for collection of information on influenza vaccination status), data management, and data presentation
  • Possible travel to study sites as needed to support the above activities

Learning Objectives: This opportunity will offer a unique opportunity to train with a multi-disciplinary team focusing on innovative ways to gather, analyze, and disseminate public health information. 

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Pamela Pagano (fzu7@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 1, 2024. 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: Stipend rates may vary based on numerous factors, including opportunity, location, education, and experience. If you are interviewed, you can inquire about the exact stipend rate at that time and if selected, your appointment offer will include the monthly stipend rate.

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) 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.NCIRD@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a master's or doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields (e.g. epidemiology, biostatistics, or a related scientific field). Degree must have been received within the past five years or anticipated to be received by 5/31/2024.

Preferred skills:

  • Effective oral and written communication skills
  • For candidates applying for data management and analysis opportunities, experience with importation, manipulation, and analysis of data from a variety of sources 
  • Additional experience visualizing analyzed and raw data using various software 
  • Experience with the Microsoft Suite and SAS or R 
  • Experience with vaccines and infectious diseases 
Eligibility Requirements
  • Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
  • Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 5/31/2024 12:00:00 AM.
  • Discipline(s):
    • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (1 )
    • Life Health and Medical Sciences (2 )
    • Mathematics and Statistics (2 )
Affirmation

I certify that I have not previously been employed by CDC or by a contractor working directly for CDC.  I understand that CDC does not permit individuals with a prior employment relationship with CDC or its contractors to participate as trainees in the ORISE program. (Exceptions may be granted for individuals who, since the previous CDC employment, have obtained a new STEM degree which necessitates training in a new field.)

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