HHS Fellowship at the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research

Overview

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

HHS Office and Location: A research fellowship is available at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) located in Washington, DC.

The mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services. NIDILRR’s mission is to generate new knowledge and to promote its effective use to improve the abilities of individuals with disabilities to perform activities of their choice in the community, and to expand society’s capacity to provide full opportunities and accommodations for its citizens with disabilities.

NIDILRR achieves this mission by:

funding research, demonstration, training, technical assistance and related activities to maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities of all ages;
promoting the transfer of, use and adoption of rehabilitation technology for individuals with disabilities in a timely manner; and
ensuring the widespread distribution, in usable formats, of practical scientific and technological information.
NIDILRR addresses a wide range of disabilities and impairments across the lifespan.

NIDILRR’s Unique Role

Across NIDILRR’s agenda, the central focus is on the whole person with a disability, whose ability to function and quality of life are dependent on the complex interactions among personal, societal, and environmental factors.

NIDILRR plays a unique role in that its target population includes all disability types and all age groups. Whereas other federal research entities fund prevention, cure, and acute rehabilitation research, NIDILRR invests in rehabilitation research that is tied more closely to longer-term outcomes, such as independence, community participation, and employment.

Research Project:

Project 1: Perform and support a data collection and analysis initiative related to the new Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Public Access guidance. The Fellow’s analyses will further the efforts of NIDILRR to update and implement its Public Access Policy designed to increase access to the results of funded research.
Project 2: With the guidance of the Mentor, the Fellow will learn to define research program activities that guide the organization’s implementation of ongoing and new program tasks.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the training experience, the participant will be able to:

Apply analytical principles and methods to evaluate and assess inputs in the development of research sciences and administration policy.
Discuss and define critical gaps and areas for future development in disability and rehabilitation research and knowledge translation.
Define feasible methods and modes of communicating applied research findings to the disability stakeholder community.
Utilize principles of data collection and analysis, and external outreach and engagement to enhance the reach and uptake of disability and rehabilitation research findings to varied audiences.
During this training experience, the participant will:

Gain professional experience in a federal applied research enterprise.
Apply existing and gain new, practical disability and rehabilitation research knowledge and skills required to engage the disability stakeholder community.
Gain exposure to the breadth and depth of the Federal applied disability and rehabilitation research portfolio.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is La Vonnia Villanueva (lavonnia.villanueva@acl.hhs.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: December 16, 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 HHS 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 and receive a stipend for healthcare benefits.

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 HHS. Participants do not become employees of HHS, 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 HHSrpp@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should have received a master’s or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years.