CDC Fellowship in Entomology Quality Team

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: An opportunity is currently available with the Entomology Branch (EB) in the Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria (DPDM) within the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) located 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: DPDM's Entomology Branch (EB) works to reduce the threat of insect-borne diseases to humans. The branch focuses on vector surveillance and control related to Malaria, Lymphatic filariasis, Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis), and Onchocerciasis.

The branch also provides technical assistance to partners and the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) on insecticide resistance, analysis of insecticides and malaria drugs, and on long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor residual spraying programs. The branch has four teams: Operational Research, PMI Support, Insecticide Resistance & Vector Control, and Vector Genetics.

The Entomology Branch has a critical role in CDC’s overall public health mission, and it is imperative that all scientific activities performed within our laboratories are of the highest scientific quality. The EB laboratory quality management system (LQMS) provides a framework to structure all laboratory workflow processes and to ensure that the scientific outputs align with CDC’s guiding principle to produce the highest quality of laboratory science.

EB is seeking a full-time ORISE fellow to train with the quality team in laboratory activities. The fellow will train with the Branch Quality Manager to support the implementation, maintenance, and continual improvement of the EB LQMS processes. The fellow will train to gain experience on the established system.  Additionally, the fellow will train to identify risks and opportunities for improvement and learn how compliance with the established policies and agency requirements is maintained.

Learning Objectives: The participant will train in document management, conformance management, corrective and preventive action management, training management, equipment management, and audit/assessment management to gain experience with compliance and CDC’s quality standards.

The ORISE fellow will have the opportunity to be trained in the following activities:

• Train in the development, maintenance, and continual improvements of a LQMS
• Train in developing, maintaining, and revising policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to support the LQMS activities.
• Train in conducting gap analyses and identifying areas of improvement in the laboratories and the implementation of appropriate preventive and corrective actions.
• Train in performing laboratory risk assessments.
• Train in management of nonconforming events (NCEs) including root cause analysis and corrective action. Perform periodic trend analysis for continual improvement.
• Train in the implementation and integration of the new quality tools to support all functions of the laboratories.
• Learn to utilize basic statistical tools and techniques to gather and analyze quality data.
• Collaborate in relevant committees, meetings, evaluations, and trainings.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Babita Ganguly (fmm3@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: December 2, 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.NCEZID@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a bachelor's or master's degree in one of the relevant fields (medical or clinical laboratory science, medical technology, chemistry, environmental science, microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, biology, immunology, quality assurance, or other related field). Degree must have been received within the past five years or be currently pursuing.

Preferred skills and experience:

• 2-4 years of recent related laboratory experience in a clinical, public health or environmental laboratory.
• Equivalent combinations of directly related education and experience in quality assurance and quality management systems and quality improvement may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Basic knowledge of quality management systems and quality improvement tools
• Working knowledge of computer software programs sufficient for evaluation of electronic data, data interpretation, and report development.
• A strong understanding of the principles, practices, and techniques of the various analytical areas of the laboratory.
• Advanced verbal and written communication skills necessary to effectively collaborate in a team environment.
• Excellent organization skills allowing the coordination of multi-faceted QA activities.
• Ability to maintain good relationships with multi-cultural and multi-discipline staff.

Eligibility Requirements

• Degree: Bachelor's Degree or Master's Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.