CDC Applied Program Evaluation and Public Health Analytics

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 69,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Monthly stipend

Health insurance supplement

Job summary

CDC's ORISE program in Atlanta invites candidates with a Master’s in public health or related fields to engage in mentored research focused on program evaluation, analytics, and evidence synthesis. You will work with federally funded recipients and use R, Power BI, and Excel to analyze datasets and develop data visualizations.

The role emphasizes evaluation capacity-building, performance measurement, and dissemination of findings through scientific communications, posters, and manuscripts.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, economics, environmental health, or related field.
• Strong quantitative or mixed methods analysis experience is encouraged.
• Experience with data visualization tools and technical reporting is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Engage in mentored research and professional development within CDC's Asthma and Air Quality Branch.
• Learn evaluation approaches used by state recipients and discuss evaluation plans and performance measures.
• Develop data visualizations, dashboards, and summaries to communicate findings.

Skills

Quantitative analysis

Mixed methods

Data visualization

Written communication

Collaboration

Education

Master's degree in public health or related field

Tools

R

Power BI

Excel

Tableau

NVivo/ATLAS.ti

Job description

Organization

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Reference Code

CDC-2026-0039

Application Deadline

10/9/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Description

• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location

A research opportunity is available in 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 protects 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. CDC increases the health security of our nation. As the nation’s health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats. To accomplish its mission, CDC conducts important science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these arise.

Research Project

You will engage in a mentored research and professional development experience within CDC's Asthma and Air Quality Branch focused on program evaluation, public health analytics, and evidence synthesis. Learning activities will emphasize evaluation practice within the National Asthma Control Program, including engagement with federally funded recipients, evaluation capacity‑building approaches, performance measurement, quantitative and mixed methods analysis and synthesis, and evidence translation and dissemination.

Under Mentorship From CDC Staff, You May

• Learn about evaluation approaches used by state and territorial National Asthma Control Program (NACP) recipients funded through CDC cooperative agreements.
• Participate in discussions of recipient‑developed evaluation plans, logic models, performance measures, and evaluation reports for educational purposes.
• Observe approaches used to strengthen recipient evaluation capacity and support continuous program improvement, and participate in development of enhancements.
• Gain experience with synthesis of evaluation themes, promising practices, lessons learned, and challenges identified across recipient programs.
• Participate in exploratory analyses of evaluation, surveillance, survey, and economic datasets using R, Power BI, Excel, and related analytic software and relevant AI tools.
• Learn to develop data visualizations, dashboards, and summary products that communicate evaluation findings and trends.
• Learn how performance measurement information is used to monitor program implementation and outcomes and engage in processes to help improve existing approaches.
• Participate in literature reviews and evidence syntheses related to asthma control interventions and program evaluation.
• Collaborate on the preparation of scientific presentations, posters, abstracts, manuscripts, and communication products.
• Attend recipient meetings, webinars, evaluation groups, and scientific conferences to gain exposure to public health evaluation practice.

Learning Objectives

• Increase your knowledge of CDC's Framework for Program Evaluation and its application to public health programs.
• Enhance quantitative analysis skills using R, Power BI, Excel, and other analytic software.
• Gain experience applying mixed‑methods evaluation and performance measurement approaches.
• Strengthen skills in data visualization, evidence synthesis, and scientific communication.
• Increase understanding of application of evaluation capacity‑building approaches used with federally funded public health programs.
• Gain experience translating evaluation findings into communications for technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Enhance critical thinking, collaboration, and professional competencies in public health evaluation and analytics.

Mentor(s)

The mentor for this opportunity is Sara Jacenko ([e-mail]). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date

October 26, 2026. 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.
• The anticipated stipend is $5,439.25, with a $739 monthly health insurance supplement.

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. 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 [e-mail] and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

Candidates should have recently completed a Master's degree in public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, economics, environmental health, or a closely related field. Applicants with strong quantitative or mixed methods analysis experience and an interest in public health program evaluation are especially encouraged to apply.

Preferred Skills

• Coursework or experience in program evaluation, public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, economics, data science, or a related discipline.
• Experience using R (preferred), Microsoft Excel, and data visualization software (e.g., Power BI or Tableau) and qualitative software (eg NVIVO, ATLASti) is desirable.
• Demonstrate strong quantitative, mixed methods and analytical skills, excellent written and verbal communication abilities, an interest in public health evaluation and evidence‑based decision making, and the ability to act collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment.
• Experience with literature reviews, scientific writing, or analysis of public health data is also desirable.

Stipend

$5,439.25 Monthly

Point of Contact

Rachel

Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
• Degree: Master's Degree received within the last 60 month(s).
• Discipline(s):
  • Communications and Graphics Design
    • Science Writing
  • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (5)
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (4)
  • Mathematics and Statistics (2)
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (1)
• Affirmation I certify that I have not previously been employed by CDC or by a contractor working directly for CDC. I understand that CDC does not permit individuals with a prior employment relationship with CDC or its contractors to participate as trainees in the ORISE program. (Exceptions may be granted for individuals who, since the previous CDC employment, have obtained a new STEM degree which necessitates training in a new field.)