CDC Parasitic Diseases Branch Molecular Epidemiology Fellowship

CDC Office and Location: A research opportunity is currently available within the Parasitic Diseases Branch (PDB), Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria (DPDM) of the Center for Global Health (CGH) 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: Cyclosporiasis is a foodborne diarrheal illness caused by the parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. People become infected with this parasite through the consumption of contaminated food or water, with fresh imported produce the most common source of infection. In the United States, cyclosporiasis outbreaks occur regularly during the summer months. PDB is responsible for conducting molecular surveillance on this parasite to identify genetic links in support of epidemiologic investigations of cyclosporiasis outbreaks. The role of the PDB cyclosporaisis molecular surveillance team is to generate C. cayetanensis sequence data from clinical specimens, and then analyze this data to detect any potential genetic clusters. These data are then reported to CDC epidemiologists for follow-up, in support of their epidemiologic investigations.

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant will be trained in the following activities:

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Yvonne Qvarnstrom (bvp2@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: January 3, 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 only.

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

The qualified candidate should have received a master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields, or be currently pursuing one of the degrees with completion before December 31, 2022. Degree must have been received within the past five years.