CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) Public Health Internship Program – Mumps Research Fellowship

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: A fellowship opportunity is available with the Viral Vaccine Preventable Diseases Branch (VVPDB), within the Division of Viral Diseases (DVD), in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. This opportunity is part-time or full-time, and is eligible for 100% telework from Atlanta, GA or San Juan, PR.

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.

The mission of the Division of Viral Diseases (DVD) is to prevent disease, disability, and death from viral diseases through immunization and other prevention measures. Within DVD is the Viral Vaccine Preventable Diseases Branch (VVPDB) which provides laboratory and epidemiologic support for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella/zoster control programs in the US, and laboratory support for international measles and rubella control programs.

NCIRD - Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) Home | CDC

Research Project: Mumps usually involves pain, tenderness, and swelling in one or both parotid salivary glands. Before the U.S. mumps vaccination program started in 1967, about 186,000 cases were reported each year, and many more unreported cases occurred. The disease caused complications, such as permanent deafness in children, and occasionally, encephalitis, which could rarely result in death. Following the implementation of the routine two dose MMR vaccination policy, there was a 99% decrease in mumps cases in the United States, with just a few hundred cases reported each year by the early 2000s. However, starting in 2006 there has been an increase in mumps cases with several peak years. From year to year, the number of mumps cases can range from roughly a couple hundred to a several thousand, with majority of cases and outbreaks occurring among people who are fully vaccinated and in close-contact or congregate settings.

Mumps and mumps-related complications are reported to CDC. However, incomplete surveillance data can impact the ability of CDC to assess mumps cases by a variety of factors: race and ethnicity, as well as other factors associated with an outbreak, such as detention or incarceration status.  More complete data could allow for more focused interventions to improve mumps vaccination coverage and other targeted prevention measures.

The Mumps, Varicella, Zoster (MuVZ) Team is seeking a qualified and motivated candidate to evaluate completeness of mumps surveillance data for specific variables, focusing on race and ethnicity, both overall and by jurisdiction.

Learning Objectives: The activities listed below represent the minimum training opportunities that the fellow will complete:

• Provide feedback to jurisdictions through reports and summary calls for vaccine-preventable disease surveillance calls.
• Compare race and ethnicity completeness to other similar reportable VPDs, to evaluate if challenges are faced across VPD pathogens, or if any issues are mumps-specific
• Discuss challenges of collecting race and ethnicity data for mumps with specific jurisdictions and make recommendations for ways to increase completeness.
• Depending on length of internship, could also evaluate challenges with varicella and zoster surveillance and race/ethnicity completeness as well.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Sara Oliver (yxo4@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: February 5, 2024.  Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for up to 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, or part-time, and is negotiable.

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

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be a current University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences student pursuing a master's, doctoral, or medical degree in Biomedical Sciences, Health Sciences, Medicine, Public Health, or other related disciplines. Recent graduates from UPR will also be considered, and a degree must have been received within the past five years.

Preferred skills:

• Analytical/assessment skills
• Applied public health practice
• Knowledge and/or experience in virology/immunology
• Excellent written and oral communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills
• Analytical/assessment skills
• Health Equity Expertise