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Postgraduate Research Opportunity in Medical/Veterinary Informatics

*Applications are reviewed on a rolling-basis and this posting could close before the deadline.

APHIS Office/Lab and LocationA research training opportunity in medical or veterinary informatics is currently available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) located in Ames, Iowa.

The National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) supports U.S. animal agriculture by providing a national network of veterinary diagnostic laboratories that can support early detection, rapid response, and appropriate recovery from high consequence animal diseases, thus protecting animal health, public health, and the nation's food supply. Laboratories within the NAHLN can diagnose serious livestock pathogens in animals such as foot-and-mouth disease and are likely to be the first-line laboratories to identify an intentionally or accidentally introduced agent in animals.

Research Project: This opportunity provides informatics support for electronic messaging of animal disease test results within NAHLN. Data is received by approximately 60 laboratories with membership in the NAHLN, using the human laboratory 7 (HL7) standard format.

The selected individual will participate in database management associated with electronic messaging, such as evaluating raw data received into the centralized NAHLN database and providing feedback to submitting laboratories on the quality of that data based on established standards. After evaluation of the raw data and determination of any specific problems, interaction with the submitting laboratory may be necessary to address the issues before approval is given to submit data into the NAHLN databases.

Learning ObjectivesThe participant will learn the Health Level 7 (HL7) XML specification as it has been adapted to veterinary medicine, and how it can be used to provide consistent data entry across multiple submitting laboratories that have different laboratory information management systems (LIMS). Assessing the current processes and developing streamlined approaches for database quality management is another goal of the participant’s activities. The participant will have the opportunity to collaborate with individuals representing information technology (IT) within Veterinary Services and in many of the NAHLN laboratories and be exposed to many business applications for managing databases and reporting.

Mentor(s): The mentors for this opportunity are Beth Harris (beth.n.harris@usda.gov) and Cindy Chard-Bergstrom (cindy.j.bergstrom@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: May 2021.  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 APHIS and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full-time.

Participant Stipend: The participant(s) will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The annual stipend rate will be determined upon selection and will range between $65,000 and $85,000. Relocation expenses are not available. A travel allowance of $2,500 will be available to go to relevant trainings and conferences to present research findings.

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 APHIS. Participants do not become employees of USDA, APHIS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Candidates will be eligible to receive a health insurance allowance. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

Adjudication of a Special Agency Check (SAC) is required before the selected candidate can start. Paperwork for this clearance will be sent to the selected candidate after acceptance of the official offer from ORAU.

Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email USDA-APHIS@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.