HHS Health Policy Fellowship

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.

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

Two research opportunities are currently available with the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) located in Washington, DC.

Under the guidance of a mentor, participants will learn best practices in the dynamic, fast-paced field of public health, to enable individuals and communities to make informed health decisions, and help organizations and communities replicate best practices in their own settings. This fellowship program provides leadership and management training in health policy and interconnected fields of public health, disease prevention, and health promotion. Participants will participate in meetings with senior HHS Officials and have an opportunity to interact with leading experts including those focused on: disease prevention, public health, and health statistics from across HHS. Participants will receive inter-professional training at the national level, gain first-hand knowledge of how policy is formulated, and personally contribute to initiatives of national importance.

The Community Strategies Division (CSD) in ODPHP leads the development and implementation of the Healthy People initiative. For four decades, Healthy People has provided a comprehensive set of science-based, 10-year national disease prevention and health promotion objectives for improving the Nation’s health. These objectives serve as a catalyst mobilizing action in public health policy, research, programs, and communication across the country and globally. CSD coordinates activities related to Healthy People including, but not limited to, the development of objectives, monitoring progress towards achieving the objectives, promoting awareness of and implementing strategies to achieve the objectives, and fostering collaboration among organizations and individuals, both within and outside of the federal government. At this point in the decade, ODPHP is developing and preparing for the launch of the next decade’s nation health objectives—Healthy People 2030. Also occurring is the closeout of the current objectives—Healthy People 2020.  This is an exciting time that affords unique opportunities to explore new and innovative ways to improve the Nation’s health through disease prevention and health promotion.

ODPHP seeks a participant with a background in public health and health policy to be involved in the Healthy People initiative. The participant will be trained in all aspects of Healthy People, including management and implementation of the current decade’s objectives (Healthy People 2020) and the development and launch of the next decade’s objectives (Healthy People 2030). Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant will be involved in the following activities:

• Supporting activities to develop, launch and implement Healthy People 2030, including designing implementation efforts, stakeholder outreach, communication strategy development, and formative research activities (e.g., in-depth interviews, survey design, and focus group facilitation)
• Contribute to planning, implementing, and evaluating promotional and outreach activities for Healthy People 2020 and the launch and implementation of Healthy People 2030
• Participate in the development and release of the Healthy People 2030 Leading Health Indicators and Foundation Health Measures
• Production of the Healthy People 2020 Final Review, a comprehensive assessment of the Healthy People 2020 objectives
• Reviewing, analyzing, and interpreting national disease prevention and health promotion data to support health policy recommendations
• Collaborating with CSD in developing strategies for implementing the Healthy People 2020 objectives at the federal, state and local levels
• Supporting activities to manage the Healthy People Federal Interagency Workgroup
• Collaborating with the CSD to provide strategic vision in the management and ongoing enhancement of the Healthy People website, including Web content
• Participating in HHS-wide interagency workgroups
• Participating in briefings with senior HHS officials, including contributing to drafting and producing briefing materials
• Responding to inquiries and correspondence from the members of the public and stakeholders regarding Healthy People issues
• Conducting issue-specific analyses and writing time-sensitive briefs at the request of senior HHS staff
• Creating slides and talking points for Healthy People 2020 and Healthy People 2030 outreach and implementation efforts

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: December 2019

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 Washington, DC, area. Participants do not become employees of HHS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.

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

Preferred skills:

• Demonstrable training, analytical skills, and experience in health promotion, disease prevention, health statistics, outreach, and health communication
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and organizational skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and computer and Internet skills
• Ability to conceptualize a complex process and identify possible approaches
• Ability to conduct research independently as well as collaboratively

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Master's Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.
• Discipline(s):
  • Communications and Graphics Design (1 )
  • Environmental and Marine Sciences (1 )
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (45 )
  • Other Non-Science & Engineering (2 )
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (27 )