Surveillance Fellowship in CDC's Division of Overdose Prevention

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: A fellowship opportunity is currently available in the Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch (ESB), Division of Overdose Prevention (DOP) of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 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.

Research Project: The selected fellow will be part of the Overdose Morbidity Team and will receive training in public health surveillance activities. The fellow will train under CDC staff  on the current Overdose Data to Action in States (OD2A-S) program, which has surveillance activities for funded health departments beginning in September 2023. The OD2A program has sought to increase the timeliness of reporting nonfatal and fatal drug overdoses across the US, and the new activities will continue these efforts and expand into other areas including analysis of laboratory data, data linkages, drug product testing, and surveillance of linkage to care for substance use disorder. The team is seeking a dynamic, detail-oriented individual to assist with these projects within the Overdose Morbidity Team.

Under the guidance of a collaborative team, the fellow will have the opportunity to support one or more of the following activities:

• Assisting with the developing protocols and technical guidance for OD2A recipients to use when sharing surveillance data with CDC.
• Providing scientific technical assistance to health departments related to collection and sharing of surveillance data.
• Supporting and evaluating pilot testing of data submission processes.
• Coordinating with Data Management Team to develop processes for data ingestion and data quality checking.
• Assisting with idea generation and development of visualizations for public facing data dashboards.
• Conducting quantitative analyses of public health data, and preparing reports and manuscripts for dissemination of scientific findings.
• Planning and participating in meetings with OD2A recipients and other partners.

Learning Objectives: As a result of this training, the fellow will:

• Gain knowledge related to public health surveillance of fatal and nonfatal overdoses
• Gain experience developing protocols and technical guidance for overdose surveillance activities
• Gain experience conducting quantitative analyses and preparing reports and manuscripts
• Gain experience collaborating with local and state health department staff
• Improve communication skills by presenting at meetings

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Charla Jackson (ckj5@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 24, 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 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.NCIPC@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

Candidates should be currently pursuing or have received a master's or doctorate degree in public health, epidemiology, or biostatistics. Candidates should demonstrate interest and experience in public health, epidemiology, and surveillance; skills in data management, analysis, interpretation, and visualization are preferred. Degree must have been received within the past five years or is currently pursuing.

Preferred skills:

• Experience or knowledge related to public health, epidemiology, and surveillance;
• Experience or knowledge related to data management, analysis, interpretation, and visualization;
• Experience using statistical analysis software such as SAS, Stata, or R;
• Experience or knowledge performing statistical and epidemiological analysis of complex datasets and disseminating results via reports or scientific journal articles.
• Strong attention to detail and eagerness to learn.
• Ability to collaborate with other scientific and professional staff.

Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.
• Academic Level(s): Graduate Students, Post-Bachelor's, Postdoctoral, or Post-Master's.