CDC Vision Health Initiative Fellowship

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: An ORISE Fellowship is available with the Vision Health Initiative (VHI) in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, Economics and Statistics Branch (SEESB), Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) within the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) 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: Vision loss and eye diseases are common, costly, and disabling conditions and are a critical national public health issue. CDC’s Vision Health Initiative is seeking an ORISE Fellow to train under the guidance of a mentor on public health efforts related to promoting vision health across the United States. Through this fellowship, participants will gain experience in scientific, programmatic, and communication activities related to vision health, including conducting surveillance and epidemiologic research and related translation and dissemination. This project will provide critical support to the CDC's VHI to examine national and state prevalence and related trends of vision impairment and major eye diseases, disparities in vision and eye health, risk factors, and social determinants of vision and eye health. 

Learning Objectives: The fellow will have the opportunity to advance their skills to:

• Conduct literature reviews and identify existing gaps and opportunities in the published literature and existing data sources related to vision health.
• Analyze data from national surveillance systems (e.g., National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, National Health Interview Survey, and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) and healthcare databases (e.g., Medicare and Medicaid) to investigate the burden of vision loss, trends over time, and relationships with other health conditions and social, demographic, and economic risk factors.
• Expand the evidence base for effective public health approaches that decrease disparities in vision health.
• Write scientific manuscripts for peer reviewed journals using data from the Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System to explore differences in demographic and behavioral factors in populations with or at risk for vision loss and to identify disparities in eye health.
• Translate and disseminate findings from surveillance data and epidemiologic studies, including through presentations at internal CDC meetings and national conferences, application of impactful data vitalization techniques, development of website and social media materials, and other communication strategies.
• Gain experience collaborating and communicating with key partners and funded recipients, including national nonprofit organizations, institutes of higher education, and state and local public health departments.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is John Omura (ydk8@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: November 13, 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, 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.NCCDPHP@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (Epidemiology, health, or population sciences). Degree must have been received within the past five years.

Preferred skills:

• Knowledge of statistical programming and data analysis skills.
• Strong scientific and technical writing skills.

Eligibility Requirements

• Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 month(s).