CDC Birth Defects Surveillance and Research Fellowship

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 61,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Job summary

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education seeks a trainee for a CDC ORISE fellowship in Atlanta, GA. You will train within IOMRPB, NCBDDD, conducting birth defects surveillance and epidemiologic research to improve infant health outcomes.

mentored by Shin Kim and Denise Boggs, the program emphasizes learning health communications, data analyses, and manuscript development with opportunities to present findings at conferences.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant field completed or anticipated by 6/30/2027.
• Strong quantitative and programming background for epidemiology and health communications.
• Experience analyzing large data sets and producing scientific outputs.

Responsibilities

• Develop skills in literature searches and synthesis of evidence.
• Learn epidemiologic surveillance and public-health research processes.
• Translate research data into clear consumer-focused materials.
• Build capacity to develop and evaluate scientific communication items.
• Gain experience with website content organization and maintenance.
• Strengthen statistical analysis using SAS, R, Python.
• Analyze large population-based datasets (PRAMS, NSCH) and more.
• Collaborate with clinical-site partners to collect and interpret data.
• Present findings at scientific conferences under mentor guidance.
• Prepare manuscripts, posters, and fact sheets communicating results.

Skills

Quantitative analysis

Programming

Epidemiology

Data interpretation

Communication

Education

Master's degree in a relevant field

Tools

SAS

R

Python

Job description

Organization

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Reference Code

CDC-2026-0125

Application Deadline

12/4/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Office and Location

A research opportunity is available in the Infant Outcomes Monitoring, Research, and Prevention Branch (IOMRPB), Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders (DBDID) of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. The fellowship is located on the CDC Chamblee Campus, Building 106, 3rd Floor.

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.

The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD)'s mission is to improve the health of children and adults by preventing birth defects and developmental disabilities, and complications of heredity blood disorders; promoting optimal child development, and the health and wellness among children and adults living with disabilities.

Research Project

Participants under this fellowship opportunity will train within the Infant Outcomes Monitoring, Research, and Prevention Branch (IOMRPB), Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders (DBDID) of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. The IOMRPB conducts birth defects surveillance, research, and implements programs to decrease substance exposure in pregnancy, improve care for individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, supports global efforts to monitor and prevent birth defects, and responds to emerging threats that impact infant health to improve the care and outcomes for mothers and babies, intervention and prevention activities. Training will occur under the direction of an assigned mentor.

Learning Objectives

The purpose of this fellowship program is to provide an educational experience to individuals interested in the field of public health and reproductive and birth defects epidemiology. Opportunities are aimed at furthering the health communication science, epidemiological and analytical knowledge of participants. You will train on various projects and can expect to gain valuable learning experiences in the learning how health communication campaigns are developed and evaluated, learning about surveillance and research study processes, learning data quality assurance practices, data analyses, learning about intervention and prevention strategies, interpretation of the results, writing manuscripts and giving oral presentations.

Activities

• Develop skills in conducting literature searches and synthesizing relevant scientific evidence.
• Gain experience learning how epidemiologic surveillance, research, and prevention activities are conducted in public‑health settings.
• Learn to translate scientific research and data into clear, consumer-focused communication materials.
• Build capacity to develop and evaluate scientific communication items, including web-based content.
• Gain experience learning about website content organization and basic maintenance approaches used to support scientific communication.
• Strengthen statistical analysis skills through use of statistical software to analyze data and summarize findings.
• Develop experience using healthcare claims and health‑record data, including MarketScan or similar data sources.
• Build proficiency analyzing large population‑based datasets, such as the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), and related sources.
• Collaborate with clinical‑site partners to learn about processes for collecting, organizing, and interpreting medical‑record data.
• Strengthen verbal and written scientific communication skills through presentations on epidemiologic studies and surveillance activities at scientific conferences under mentor guidance.
• Prepare scientific manuscripts, posters, presentations, fact sheets, and other materials that communicate findings to scientific, public‑health, and consumer audiences.

Mentor(s)

The mentor for this opportunity is Shin Kim ([e-mail]), with sub‑mentor Denise Boggs ([e-mail]). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentors.

Appointment Start Date

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: November 4, 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length

The appointment will initially be for one year 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.

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.

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

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a master's degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years, or anticipated to be received by 6/30/2027.

Preferred Skills

• A strong quantitative/programming background;
• Education or experience analyzing data using SAS, R, Python and/or other statistical software;
• Education or experience managing and analyzing large data sets from complex survey designs;
• Education or knowledge with large data sets;
• Education or experience conducting analyses in epidemiology, nutritional epidemiology, and/or genetics;
• Education or experience conducting scientific literature reviews;
• Education or experience producing technical/scientific reports, presentations, and/or manuscripts;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Stipend

$5,439.25 – $5,885.25 Monthly

Point of Contact

Rachel

Eligibility Requirements

• Degree: Master's Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 6/30/2027 12:00:00 AM.
• Discipline(s):
  • Communications and Graphics Design
  • Communications
  • Communications Theory
  • Health Communications
  • Mass Communications
  • Media Studies
  • Science Writing
• Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (2 )
• Life Health and Medical Sciences (6 )
• Mathematics and Statistics (3 )
• Social and Behavioral Sciences (4 )
• Age: Must be 18 years of age

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.)