Science and Evaluation of Public Health Emergency Management at CDC

About the role

A fellowship opportunity is available in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. The Division of Emergency Operations collaborates with colleagues across CDC to facilitate well-coordinated, agency-wide responses to emergencies and threats, such as infectious disease outbreaks and natural disasters. DEO applies decades of emergency management experience to put the right people, plans, and processes in place to prepare for, respond to, and evaluate public health emergencies in the United States and around the world. Before and during a response, DEO leads response training, supports emergency communication, and contributes to analyses of public health data. The DEO Science Team lends scientific and evaluation knowledge to ensure scientific quality and integrity throughout the Division. The team supports efforts that contributes to evidence-based practice dissemination and implementation.

Research projects

Two specific projects include:

• Review of Calls to the CDC-Emergency Operations Center. The CDC-EOC Watch Team operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Among many responsibilities, the team receives approximately 10,000 incoming calls annually regarding public health, safety, or CDC-operational concerns. The Team uses a library of over 100 protocols to manage and respond to an incoming call, provide specialized customer service to the caller, document specific information about the call, and triage the call to the appropriate CDC program, state health department, government agencies, or other appropriate destination. This project team will review the audio recordings from a sample of calls to the CDC-EOC Watch Desk. A data abstraction form will be used to review and document how the team chooses protocols, and how the protocol directs triage and disposition of the call. Data will be analyzed and results summarized to produce recommendations for triaging calls, providing accurate information to the caller, and maintaining consistent messaging across CDC outlets (i.e. information provided on CDC website and EOC calls).
• Evaluation of Training Provided to CDC staff. DEO leads the development of training modules to inform CDC staff on foundational emergency response concepts, systems, and processes for CDC response activities. The CDCReady Responder - General Responder training comprises five modules: Overview of the National Incident Management System (NIMS), CDC’s Incident Management System, Overview of Response Systems and Processes, Information Sharing in a Response, and Responder Resilience. To assess the staff’s perceived knowledge of emergency response concepts and experience with the training, learners are invited to complete an evaluation questionnaire following completion of each of the five training modules. Collection of these questionnaires is automated and has been on-going since February 25, 2025. To date, over 750 questionnaires have been collected for each of the five modules. You will have the opportunity to analyze questionnaire data and collaborate on the production of a report of results including recommendations for improving training.

Learning objectives

Under the guidance and training of a mentor you will be involved in several learning activities of the Division including:

• Gain experience evaluating the development and implementation of CDCReady Responder, a cross-agency initiative to recruit, develop, and sustain a qualified public health emergency response workforce.
• Develop skills in analyzing CDC readiness and response operational data to assess program performance and response capacity.
• Learn to interpret evaluation findings and prepare reports that inform recommendations for improving CDC emergency response processes.
• Gain experience with continuous quality-improvement reviews of daily operations within CDC’s Emergency Operations Center.
• Gain exposure to CDC emergency response activities through participation in Incident Management System activations.
• Strengthen collaboration and project-coordination skills with CDC programs and centers, federal partners, state and local health agencies, and public- and private-sector organizations.

Eligibility

• U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) only.
• Bachelor's or master's degree in a relevant field, received within five years of the appointment start date. Master's is preferred, however bachelor's degree in data science or related field will also be considered.
• Not previously employed by CDC or by a contractor working directly for CDC (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).

Preferred skills

• Data analysis and visualization
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Basic qualitative data analysis
• Strong knowledge of the MS Office suite of programs, including SharePoint
• Project management experience
• Excellent oral and written communication
• Organizational skills

Pay

$4,446.75 – $5,439.25 monthly

Schedule and appointment details

• Start date: As soon as possible, 2026 (flexible)
• Appointment length: Initially one year, may be renewed upon recommendation of CDC and contingent on availability of funds
• Level of participation: Full time

Benefits

• 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.