CDC Toxicosurveillance and Environmental Health Fellowship

Overview

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: A research opportunity is currently available with the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice (DEHSP) of the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) 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 Disaster Epidemiology & Response Unit within CDC’s Emerging Environmental Hazards and Health Effects Branch conducts national toxicosurveillance and disaster epidemiology activities to identify, characterize, and respond to emerging public health threats. The Disaster Epidemiology & Response Unit manages CDC’s partnership with America’s Poison Centers and conducts surveillance using data from the National Poison Data System (NPDS) to identify toxic exposures, emerging hazards, environmental incidents, and other incidents of public health significance. They also provide technical help, conduct epidemiologic investigations, collaborate with federal, state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) partners, and support preparedness and response activities related to toxic exposures, environmental hazards, and disasters.

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor and collaborative team of epidemiologists and medical toxicologists, you will be involved in the following training opportunities:

Gain experience on the activities within the Poison Center Collaboration and Public Health Community of Practice (PCPHCoP)
Learn how CDC collaborates with poison centers and public health partners to improve toxicosurveillance and public health response by attending PCPHCoP webinars and other engagement activities, including gaining experience with speaker logistics and communications.
Gain experience developing communication items for community members, including newsletters, announcements, and other related content.
Explore available collaboration platforms to gain experience with information sharing among poison centers and public health partners.
Gain experience in national toxicosurveillance activities using the National Poison Data System (NPDS)
Learn how poison center data are used for public health surveillance and identification of emerging toxicological threats
Learn from staff on routine NPDS surveillance activities, including drafting state notifications of incidents of public health significance
Gain experience reviewing and analyzing poison center data to identify unusual exposure patterns, clusters, and incidents of potential public health significance.
Improve data analysis and epidemiologic skills by training with toxicosurveillance projects, investigations, and applied research activities.
Learn how CDC supports responses to toxic exposures, environmental contamination incidents, and other environmental health threats.
Learn about public health surveillance systems and disaster epidemiology activities
Gain exposure to surveillance approaches used to monitor toxic exposures, environmental hazards, disasters, and other incidents of public health significance.
Learn about disaster epidemiology activities such as toxicosurveillance, disaster-related surveillance, and rapid needs assessments.
Learn about data analysis, literature reviews, surveillance summaries, situation reports, and other activities that support situational awareness and public health action.
Learn how surveillance findings from multiple data sources are integrated and translated into actionable information for public health practitioners and decision-makers during preparedness, response, and recovery activities.
Learn about the development of scientific products and improve presentation and communication skills
Learn about data analysis, literature reviews, manuscript development, and other activities related to scientific publications and applied research projects as opportunities arise.
Gain experience in scientific writing, data interpretation, and dissemination of public health findings
Develop oral and written communication skills through participation in team meetings, trainings, and collaborative projects.
Gain experience by presenting fellowship activities, project updates, or lessons learned at Section, Branch, or other internal meetings at least once per year.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Amy Helene Schnall (GHU5@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: September 7, 2026. 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 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 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 CDCrpp@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should have received a master’s degree in one of the relevant fields (public health, epidemiology, environmental health, toxicology, environmental sciences, emergency preparedness, or a related field). Degree must have been received within the past five years.

Applicants with demonstrated interest or experience in public health surveillance, toxicology, environmental health, disaster epidemiology, or emergency preparedness and response are encouraged to apply.

Preferred skills:

Training, experience, or interest in epidemiology, public health surveillance, toxicology, environmental health, disaster epidemiology, emergency preparedness, or related public health fields.
Familiarity and/or interest in learning about the toxicological and radiological sciences/fields
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical information to diverse audiences.
Ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams, including epidemiologists, toxicologists, clinicians, data scientists, and federal, STLT public health partners.
Experience with data management and analysis of epidemiologic, surveillance, or public health data.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple assignments and be on complex projects.
Point of Contact
Rachel
Eligibility Requirements
Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
Degree: Master’s Degree received within the last 60 month(s).