CDC Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Fellowship

Overview

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: A research opportunity is available in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) located 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.

CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health (DRH) is the focal point for issues related to reproductive, maternal, and infant health. For >50 years, we have been dedicated to improving the lives of women, children, and families through research, public health surveillance and monitoring, technical assistance, translating science to practice, and partnerships. DRH also provides rapid response to emerging issues affecting maternal and child health (MCH) Within DRH sits the Field Support Branch, and within FSB sits the MCH Epidemiology Program (MCHEP) Team.

The mission of the MCHEP is to promote and improve the health and well-being of women, children, and families by building capacity at state, local, and tribal levels and to use and apply sound epidemiologic research and scientific information to maternal and child health programs and policies. Additional information about the team’s work can be found on our webpage: https://www.cdc.gov/mchep/php/about/index.html.

Research Project: Gain experience developing analytic plans and analyzing data, and use data from the risk Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and large administrative data sets to estimate breastfeeding and infant sleep in Appalachian counties.

Learning Objectives: With support from the mentor, the participant will receive training and support to achieve the following:

Learn to use US linked birth/infant death data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics to estimate the proportion of adverse birth outcomes (i.e., preterm deliveries, term low birth weight deliveries, and infant death) attributable to prenatal smoking
Learn to conduct literature searches and systematic reviews
Gain experience writing reports for publications
Collaborate with team members to support the MCHEP’s initiative to increase maternal and child health capacity in health and racial equity epidemiology in localities and states
Collaborate with team members provide technical assistance for the CDC and Harvard University Program Evaluation Practicum
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Elizabeth Conrey (epc5@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: August 26, 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.NCCDPHP@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields (e.g. public health or equivalent). Degree must have been received within the past five years, or anticipated to be received within 6 months.

Preferred skills:

Strong background in epidemiology, data analyses, and/or biostatistics
Experience with statistical analyses (e.e., SAS, Stata, R)
Proficiency in SAS preferred
Previous experience working in the field of maternal child health or applied epidemiology
Experience analyzing complex survey data
Training or experience in program evaluation preferred