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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: An opportunity to support the poliovirus containment policy team is currently available in the U.S. National Authority for Containment of Poliovirus (U.S. NAC) within the Office of Readiness and Response (ORR) 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: As the world prepares for poliovirus eradication and life without polio, U.S. NAC oversees activities in the U.S. to secure poliovirus and prevent breaches of containment, surveys the U.S. to identify facilities possessing poliovirus infectious and potentially infectious materials, and certifies poliovirus-essential facilities (PEFs) to stringent biosafety and biosecurity standards. U.S. NAC engages external partners at country, regional, and global levels, such as Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and World Health Organization (WHO), to inform and improve containment activities that safeguard the global polio eradication initiative. In addition to policy work, U.S. NAC provides technical assistance, audits laboratories, conducts research and evaluation, and supports studies to improve laboratory safety and science for polioviruses. U.S. NAC staff expertise includes, but is not limited to, microbiology, public health and policy, emergency management, and program management.  Further information about CDC’s poliovirus containment work is available at: https://www.cdc.gov/orr/polioviruscontainment/index.htm

U.S. NAC is seeking a qualified and motivated training fellow for a Policy Training Fellowship focused on developing skills and experience in data-driven policy research, development, publication, and analysis. The fellow will participate under the mentorship of U.S. NAC staff to develop skills and experience in 1) researching national and international biosafety and containment standards, 2) writing and editing poliovirus containment policies for PEFs, 3) analyzing and cleaning audit data, 4) publishing final policies on the U.S. NAC Poliovirus Containment Policy Website, and 5) developing presentations, reports, and manuscripts to disseminate results for poliovirus containment implementation. Anticipated projects include updating U.S. NAC PEF containment policies with new biosafety data and WHO Global Action Plan IV (GAPIV) containment requirements, overseeing workgroups of subject matter experts, analyzing U.S. NAC audit data to identify gaps in PEF compliance and areas for policy improvement, and developing poliovirus containment regulations.

Learning Objectives: 

• Gain knowledge of the complementary roles of the federal, state, tribal, local, and territorial agencies involved in public health emergency preparedness and response.
• Learn how to apply data management and analysis skills to inform public health emergency preparedness with sensitivity to issues related to data privacy and dissemination.
• Enhance skills in coordinating with other public health researchers to maximize efficiency in contributing to critical public health emergency preparedness knowledge and minimize duplication of efforts.
• Gain familiarity with the publication and knowledge dissemination process at a federal public health agency, including scientific clearance.
• The participant will develop skills in data management, analysis, and synthesis that will well position the participant for a variety of potential future opportunities.
• There may be possibilities to train on other science projects related to jurisdictional readiness and response support.

Mentor(s): The mentors for this opportunity are Kawi Mailutha (gqu3@cdc.gov) and Dr. Bryan Shelby (gvr1@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 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.ORR@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a bachelor's or master's in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years or anticipated to be received by 6/3/2024.

Preferred skills:

• Interest in the following areas:
  • global poliovirus eradication, biocontainment and biosecurity
  • microbiological or biomedical laboratories
  • conducting data collection and management
  • statistical data analysis
  • conducting Eligibility requirements
• Ability to collaborate with diverse internal and external partners
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Bachelor's Degree or Master's Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 6/3/2024 12:00:00 AM.
• Discipline(s):
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (51 )
  • Mathematics and Statistics (11 )
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (30 )

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.)