CDC Office and Location: A research opportunity is currently available in the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED) within the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.

Research Project: CDC's Outbreak Response and Prevention Branch (ORPB) collaborates with epidemiologists, laboratorians, and other public health officials who investigate clusters of foodborne, waterborne, zoonotic, and other enteric (gastrointestinal) illnesses in the United States. ORPB works to ensure rapid and coordinated surveillance, detection, and response to multistate outbreaks caused by Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. Focus areas for the branch include: (1) coordinating the national network of public health officials who investigate foodborne, waterborne, zoonotic, and other enteric disease outbreaks; (2) providing outbreak assistance to state and local health departments and other groups at CDC who investigate multistate enteric disease outbreaks; (3) develop, implement, and evaluate tools and strategies for the prevention and control of zoonotic enteric disease outbreaks; (4) communicating risk to the public and other stakeholders during ongoing outbreaks and create educational materials to prevent enteric illnesses; and (5) collaborating closely with laboratory colleagues to use whole genome sequencing and other advanced laboratory techniques in enteric pathogen outbreak investigations.

The fellow in this appointment will train in the Foodborne Outbreak Response Team (FORT) and focus on investigating and preventing outbreaks of enteric illness associated with foodborne infections caused by Salmonella, STEC, and Listeria. The participant will be involved in learning how to develop, implement, and evaluate tools and strategies for the prevention and control of multistate foodborne and other enteric disease outbreaks; communicating risk to the public and other stakeholders during ongoing outbreaks; create educational materials to prevent enteric illnesses; and collaborating closely with laboratorians to use whole genome sequencing and other advanced laboratory techniques in enteric pathogen outbreak investigations.

Learning Objectives: This fellowship offers an opportunity to interact as a core member of a multi-disciplinary team focusing on outbreak response and prevention activities, a primary component of CDC’s mission. The fellowship offers advanced experiential learning opportunities that should complement academic study in public health and related fields. The participant will have opportunities to enhance quantitative and qualitative reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and teamwork skills.

Mentor(s): The mentor(s) for this opportunity is Zach McCormic (qkc8@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: May 1, 2023. 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, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non- U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.

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

Preferred Skills:

- Experience with data importation, manipulation, and analysis is preferred. - Experience with Microsoft Access, Excel, and Power Point is strongly preferred. - Strong quantitative skills, which may include proficiency in SAS and Microsoft Access or other relational database management systems. - Excellent time management and organizational skills, the ability to comfortably multi-task, and the ability to interpret and summarize scientific data. - Capable of working independently and possess excellent written and verbal communication and organizational skills.