HHS Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Fellowship

Organization
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Reference Code
HHS-HRSA-2020-0244
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.

If you have questions, send an email to HHSrpp@orau.org. Please include the reference code for this opportunity in your email.

Application Deadline
11/23/2020 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

A research opportunity is currently available with the Office of Epidemiology and Research (OER), in the Division of Epidemiology (DE), of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) located in Rockville, Maryland

The mission of OER is to: 1) Build data capacity at the national, State and local levels; 2) Strengthen the present and future workforce in maternal and child health (MCH) epidemiology and research; 3) Support applied research to ensure that MCH initiatives are evidence-based and reflect the state-of-the-science; and 4) Disseminate information and strengthen the evidence base in MCH.

OER plays a central role in MCHB through its support for performance measurement, data analysis, research, and evaluation activities across the bureau. Specifically, DE provides technical assistance and scientific consultation to all of MCHB’s divisions and offices across the life course of program development, implementation, management, and performance assessment. In order to optimize this work, DE assigns a senior level epidemiologist or health services researcher to each MCHB division and office in order to customize the technical assistance provided to them.  Throughout the course of this fellowship, the participant will observe, learn from, and apply new analytic and methodological approaches within the parameters of “real life” programmatic and policy decision making processes. 

Additionally, OER DE funds and directs the National Survey of Children’s Health. The National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) is an annual, cross-sectional, address-based survey that collects information on the health and well-being of children ages 0-17 years, and related health care, family, and community-level factors that can influence health.  The NSCH is funded and managed by OER and is fielded by the U.S. Census Bureau using both web-based and paper and pencil methodologies.  Data from the NSCH reflect information collected from parents/caregivers and are the only source of both national- and state-level estimates on key measures of child health. 

Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant will support MCHB and OER activities by providing technical assistance in three areas:

  1. Provide research and analytic support, as appropriate, to selected programs and initiatives (e.g., Healthy Start, Title V and related maternal health and special health care needs investments) to improve the development, implementation and/or monitoring of selected MCHB investments.  Assigned activities may be requested by OER leadership and senior staff, by the MCHB Office of the Associate Administrator, and other MCHB Offices and Divisions.
  2. Assist in the analysis of the annual National Survey of Children's Health, including data checks and analyses, communications with experts, and review and comment on content and design decisions.
  3. Collaborate with MCHB scientists and MCH experts on data analyses and presentations of the data to support HRSA’s and MCHB’s vision and mission.  Analyses utilizing MCHB-supported data will be prioritized and may result in manuscripts, factsheets, and other materials of publishable quality.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: November 2020

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and HHS. The initial appointment can be up to one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of HHS contingent on the availability of funds. The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. The appointment is full-time at HHS in the Rockville, Maryland, area. Participants do not become employees of HHS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within five years of the appointment start date.

Preferred skills/experience:

  • Experience with and/or training in maternal and child health
  • Experience with and/or training in epidemiological research.
  • Experience with and/or training in policy analysis and assessment and/or program development and management as related to the health of maternal and child populations
  • Experience with and/or training in data analyses using statistical processing software packages, such as STATA or SAS
  • Experience with critically searching and synthesizing scientific literature
  • Strong written and oral communication skills
  • Experience participating in and/or facilitating diverse working groups towards the successful completion of complex tasks
Eligibility Requirements
  • Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
  • Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.
  • Discipline(s):
    • Life Health and Medical Sciences (2 )
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