CDC Office and Location: A research opportunity is currently available with the Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders in the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) 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 Birth Defects Monitoring and Research Branch conducts surveillance and research into the possible causes (genetic and non-genetic) and long-term outcomes of birth defects and rare conditions, intervention and prevention activities. The purpose of this training fellowship program is to provide an educational experience to individuals interested in the fields of public health, epidemiology, genetics, and birth defects. Opportunities are aimed at furthering the epidemiological and analytical knowledge of participants and learning to communicate findings to other researchers and the public. Participants are assigned to train on various projects and can expect to gain valuable experiences in the development, implementation, and evaluation of surveillance and research activities such as study management, database cleaning, data analyses, interpretation of the results, writing manuscripts and developing poster and oral presentations.

Learning Objectives: Participant training involves some or all of the following:

• Literature searches
• Participation in research projects and surveillance
• Data management and data cleaning
• Analyses of data and summarization of findings by using statistical software (SAS, R, and/or similar programs)
• Analyses of healthcare claims, electronic health record data, or large-scale genetic datasets
• Coordination and participation in meetings
• Verbal and written presentations of epidemiologic studies or surveillance activities at scientific conferences
• Preparation of scientific manuscripts, posters, presentations, and fact sheets, and other information

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Lynn Almli (imv0 [at] cdc [dot] gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: Jan 2, 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 for one year at a time up to five years upon recommendation of CDC and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Stipend rate varies and may refer to the OPM chart for CDC locations based on grade level.

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 [dot] CDC [dot] NCBDDD [at] orau [dot] org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a master’s degree in the one of the relevant fields (e.g. Life, Health, and Medical Sciences discipline; or Mathematics and Statistics discipline.). Degree must have been received within the past five years or to be completed by January 31, 2024.

Preferred Skills:

• Strong writing, verbal, and interpersonal skills
• Experience in quantitative analysis using SAS, R, or other statistical software, and performing analyses on large datasets (genetic and non-genetic)
• Experience conducting literature reviews and using reference management software (i.e., EndNote)
• Experience in developing PowerPoint presentations and other communications materials
• Background and/or interest in epidemiology, maternal and child health, and genetics

• Degree: Master’s Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 1/31/2024 11:00:00 PM.
• Discipline(s):
  • Communications and Graphics Design (6 )
  • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (2 )
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (51 )
  • Mathematics and Statistics (11 )
• Veteran Status: Veterans Preference, degree received within the last 120 month(s).