CDC Asthma and Community Health Evaluation Internship
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
CDC Office and Location: A research opportunity is currently available with the Evaluation team, within the Asthma and Community Health Branch (ACHB), in the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice (DEHSP) within the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) 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: The participant will be training with the ACHB’s lead evaluator and evaluation team. ACHB prioritizes evaluation use—supporting funded recipients to use evaluation as a tool to improve the lives of people with asthma and their families, reduce health disparities, and promote equitable outcomes. The fellow will deepen their understanding of the CDC Framework for Program Evaluation and the process for building evaluation capacity both internally and with funding recipients; qualitative methodologies; and the science behind evaluation and performance monitoring in asthma programs.
The fellow will learn to create and disseminate evaluation-capacity building products, such as training manuals, presentations, and white papers, and will gain experience with the ins and outs of performance monitoring at the federal level (e.g., data management/visualization for multiple audiences).
Under the guidance of the Team Leader for Evaluation, the participant will have the opportunity to:
- Contribute to evaluation planning with multidisciplinary contributors, both internal and external to the Agency
- Plan and support data collection and analysis efforts, qualitative and quantitative
- Design activities to interpret data collaboratively with intended users of the evaluation or others with an interest in a program or its evaluation
- Explore how to visualize data in ways that resonate with intended users, when appropriate and needed
- Assist in translating findings into practical, robust recommendations to improve activities in the short-term and over time
- Contribute to efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the organization via well-designed, participatory inquiry
- Conduct literature and document reviews and synthesize information to support evaluation activities
- Collaborate with diverse colleagues to develop and disseminate evidence-based logic models to depict complex activities or programs
- Contribute to an evaluation-related Community of Practice and network with evaluation professionals in ACHB and agency-wide
Learning Objectives:
- Learn how data can be used to improve activities or programs in public health settings and beyond
- Learn to prepare evaluation plans, reports, and other products to meet different needs and expectations of colleagues and other users, public and private partners, the general public, or policymakers
- Understand the trade-offs of different approaches to program evaluation in terms of accuracy, feasibility, propriety, and utility
- Understand an evaluator’s role in evaluation accountability
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Maureen Wilce (muw9@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: September 2021. Start date is flexible.
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 and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) 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.
Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.CDC.NCEH@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity (CDC-NCEH-2021-0267).