CDC Health Communication Specialist Fellowship

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A complete application consists of:

• An application
• Transcripts – Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts
• A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
• One educational or professional recommendation. Your application will be considered incomplete, and will not be reviewed until one recommendation is submitted.

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: A health communications training opportunity is currently available with the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice (DEHSP) within the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), located in Atlanta, Georgia. 

The 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 CDC communication network, Environmental Health (EH) Nexus, was created to help CDC actively communicate about environmental public health with interested members of the public and public health colleagues whose work involves environmental health concerns. It promotes the communication work of the branches within the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice (DEHSP) in CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health but also collaborates with internal and external partners. Our network can be divided into four pillars: webinars and conferences, newsletters, communication partners, and expanded outreach activities.

• EH Nexus webinars provide applicable content for professionals and the public about important environmental health topics and are designed to explain specific environmental health concerns, events, and resources
• EH Nexus conferences. These events provide a more interactive knowledge-sharing environment through break-out sessions, open discussions, and presentations.
• EH Nexus newsletters include the topic-of-the-month, helpful tools, and guidance such as disaster preparedness, announcements of upcoming EH Nexus and partner webinars, and public health events across the globe
• EH Nexus partnerships are a collection of partner organizations committed to sharing environmental health information with audiences with an interest in environmental public health issues.

Learning Objectives: 

• 1: The ORISE Fellow will attend all EH Nexus meetings in order to be trained on activity planning as well as the EH Nexus communication network
  • Trained on collaboration with other CDC programs and CDC staff and providing weekly and monthly or as needed recaps of meeting topics.
  • Trained on coordinating support for EH Nexus communication activities as well as internal and external reporting.
• 2: The ORISE Fellow will be trained on how to develop EH partnerships.
  • Trained on establishing conferences and webinar needs for partners and academia
• 3: The ORISE fellow will be trained on how to track EH Nexus progress and generate reports.
  • Trained on data collection during EH Nexus webinars and conferences.
  • Trained on types of public environmental health data / information submitted to EH Nexus for communication outreach  

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Anna Khan (vgj4@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: August 12, 2022.  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: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience.

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.NCEH@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

The qualified candidate should have received a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (e.g. Health Communications, Public Health). Degree must have been received within five years of the appointment start date.

Preferred skills:

• Writer/editor skills
• Background in Environmental Public Health

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 month(s).
• Discipline(s):
  • Communications and Graphics Design (6 )
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (17 )
  • Other Non-Science & Engineering (2 )
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (5 )

I certify that I have not previously been employed by CDC or by a contractor working directly for CDC.  I understand that CDC does not permit individuals with a prior employment relationship with CDC or its contractors to participate as trainees in the ORISE program. (Exceptions may be granted for individuals who, since the previous CDC employment, have obtained a new STEM degree which necessitates training in a new field.)