CDC Public Health Internship Program – Health & Workforce Equity Research

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: Multiple fellowship opportunities are available with the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. This opportunity is full-time, requires coming into the office at least once a week, and the selected candidate must reside within 50 miles of the CDC Atlanta office. 

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.

CDC is committed to bringing together partners from various sectors to gain collective expertise and perspectives, inform next steps, and create a shared commitment to reduce health inequities. CDC centers are collaborating with multi-sectoral partners through the CORE Health Equity Science Intervention Strategy to incorporate health equity as a foundational component in all our work.

The mission of the NCIRD is the prevention of disease, disability, and death through immunization and by control of respiratory and related diseases. 

Research Project: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a need for a robust immunization program to mitigate adverse health outcomes and advance health equities in all CDC public health initiatives. As a result, NCIRD has increased efforts to prevent adverse health outcomes by understanding the systemic inequities in vaccination coverage and the disproportionate burden of vaccine-preventable diseases. Although NCIRD, in collaboration with CDC's Office of Health Equity, has completed recent work to better understand the inequities associated with vaccine-preventable diseases, there is a strong need to develop an overarching programmatic health equity strategic plan that outlines the populations of focus, data gaps, and appropriate evidence-based strategies to support interventions across the division.

NCIRD is seeking several qualified and motivated candidates to support the development of a division strategic plan for health equity. The fellows will collaborate closely with a mentor(s) and other CDC professionals to evaluate current health equity strategies, research projects, and activities to determine results that will be used to inform decisions and implement effective strategies and interventions that reduce inequities and improve health equity efforts within NCIRD divisions.

Learning Objectives: The activities listed below represent the minimum training opportunities that the fellow will complete: 

• Conduct a landscape analysis of current health equity work.
• Develop and administer a quantitative survey of staff and analyze the results.
• Learn by providing technical help to staff in health-equity-related activities.
• Develop reports on current health equity activities, survey findings, priority areas as communicated by staff, and recommendations for a path forward to advance health equity efforts
• Design, conduct, and interpret an analysis of public health data.
• Attend regular scientific meetings on emerging health equity issues.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Abdoulie Senesie (yxv2@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: 2024/2025. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for six months to 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, 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.NCIRD@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

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

Eligibility Requirements

• Degree: Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.