HHS Office and Location: Two fellowship opportunities are currently available with the Division of Healthcare Quality and Outcomes, Office of Health Policy within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) located in Washington, DC.

ASPE advises the HHS Secretary on policy development, leads special initiatives, coordinates the Department's evaluation, research and demonstration activities, and manages cross-Department planning activities such as strategic planning, legislative planning, and review of regulations.

The Office of Health Policy (HP) provides a cross-cutting policy perspective that bridges Departmental programs, public and private sector activities, and the research community, in order to develop, analyze, coordinate, and provide leadership on health policy issues for the Secretary. HP carries out this mission by conducting policy, economic and budget analyses, assisting in the development and review of regulations, assisting in the development and formulation of budgets and legislation, and assisting in survey design efforts, as well as conducting and coordinating research, evaluation, and information dissemination on issues relating to health policy.

Another HP responsibility is the designated authority by the HHS Secretary to manage for the department a portion (4%) of the Patient Centered Outcomes Research (PCORTF) to build data capacity for PCOR through coordination across HHS. Specifically, this responsibility resides in the Division of Healthcare Quality and Outcomes (HQO) where the selected fellow will be housed. A portfolio of projects is funded every year and the topics are selected to meet the HHS priorities. More information about the prior and existing projects portfolios can be found here: https://aspe.hhs.gov/collaborations- committees-advisory-groups/os-pcortf

Research Project: The selected fellow would be mentored by a team of scientists with expertise in data, science, public health, informatics and policy who focus on building a data and research infrastructure for comparative effectiveness and patient centered outcomes research to inform health, health care and public health policies. In addition to direct mentorship by the ASPE team, the fellow would have the opportunity to collaborate with federal and non-federal stakeholders and would develop skills in policy and program analysis and research.

The selected fellow would have the opportunity to: collaborate with a broad set of data resources, some created by projects funded through PCORTF; design and conduct research studies and/or participate in quantitative and qualitative analytic projects related to comparative effectiveness and patient centered outcomes research; identify best practices and disseminate findings through presentations and publications; learn about management support and technical expertise for PCORTF funded projects and collaboratives; and participate in all HQO’s and HP’s activities.

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant will engage in learning activities related to:

Attending training to develop (if necessary) and maintain subject matter expertise on issues relevant to health science and public health policy in order to provide review and analysis of related topic areas for the annual HHS budget and legislative development process, as well as reviews and analyzes of relevant regulations, legislation, executive directives, reports, and other documents for policy implications and alignment with HHS priorities. Drafting internal and external correspondence, reports, presentations, talking points, and other materials for use by staff, management, and/or senior ASPE leadership in briefing key stakeholders and other leadership, including the HHS Secretary. Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Scott Smith (scott.smith@hhs.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: 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 HHS 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. A health insurance allowance will be provided.

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 HHS. Participants do not become employees of HHS, 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 HHSrpp@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Preferred skills:

Curating and managing large data sets such as claims, EHRs and longitudinal linked data Using data linkage methodologies (e.g., deterministic and probabilistic) Designing research studies and using different methods such as quantitate, qualitative and mixed methods Having a good understanding of the creation and process of approving and implementing data standards Having a good understanding and some experience in using different technology solutions such as ML Using statistical software such as SAS, R and Python and visualization software such as PowerBI: intermediate to high level knowledge Interpreting and Communicating the results of analytical projects within the biomedical or behavioral sciences or within public health or public policy Writing documents such as fact sheets, reports, white papers and peer review articles; Have at least one paper published and one presentation at one national meeting Communicating well with others and in any circumstance, under time pressure to deliver high quality products included Collaborating in a team and being an effective collaborator