CDC Public Health Informatics & Data Fellowship

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

CDC's Office of Readiness and Response in Atlanta invites a Public Health Informatics Fellow to join the SCIP, focusing on data stewardship, system performance, and user experience improvements within PRISM.

You will work with program staff, developers, and end users to design assessments, manage enhancements, and deliver training, while contributing to agency-wide data collection modernization.

Qualifications

• Background in public health informatics or related field.
• Ability to work in a team with program staff and developers.
• Experience coordinating, documenting, and resolving system support requests.

Responsibilities

• Train and collaborate on SCIP data collection and reporting to improve data quality and user satisfaction.
• Design and plan a SCIP System Performance and User Experience Assessment for platform utilization and training impact.
• Collaborate on developing a more responsive, data-driven, user-centered platform and engage stakeholders.
• Gain experience in modernization of an agency-wide data collection system to support program operations.

Skills

Public health informatics

System analysis

User experience

Stakeholder engagement

Tools

PRISM platform

Job description

Organization

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Reference Code

CDC-2026-0045

Application Deadline

1/1/2027 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.

This opportunity is located within the Office of Readiness and Response [Office of Readiness and Response: Who We Are] which is a central hub for the agency - providing oversight for preparedness, readiness, and response operations.

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

The Office of Readiness and Response would like to welcome a Public Health Informatics Fellow to our Strategic Capacity Building and Innovation Program (SCIP) to further develop and expand their data stewardship skills. SCIP relies on a centralized data collection and reporting platform (PRISM) to support funding management, project monitoring, performance reporting, and program oversight activities across CDC Centers, Institutes, and Offices (CIOs). As SCIP continues to evolve, there is an opportunity to strengthen system performance, improve the user experience, and enhance the effectiveness of data collection processes through ongoing system refinement, testing, and training.

Expected Activities

• Train and collaborate on continuous improvement of SCIP's data collection and reporting platform by advancing public health informatics, systems analysis, and user-centered design practices. You will collaborate closely with program staff, system developers, and end users to identify enhancement opportunities, gain experience tracking and managing help requests, learn to conduct user acceptance testing, and collaborate on training efforts. Through these activities, you will learn to improve system functionality, data quality, operational efficiency, and overall user satisfaction.
• Learn to design and plan to implement a SCIP System Performance and User Experience Assessment to evaluate platform utilization, user support trends, training effectiveness, and opportunities for future enhancements. This effort will provide leadership with actionable insights and recommendations to inform system improvements, prioritize future development efforts, and strengthen the overall user experience.
• Collaborate on the development of a more responsive, data-driven, and user-centered platform while gaining experience in public health informatics, systems improvement, user experience evaluation, stakeholder engagement, training development, and performance measurement.
• Gain experience on the modernization and continuous improvement of an agency-wide data collection system while gaining knowledge and understanding of what is involved to ensure that SCIP's data collection system effectively supports program operations, decision-making, and strategic objectives.

Learning Objectives

• Develop skills in tracking, prioritizing, and managing system enhancement requests and user support tickets to ensure timely resolution and continuous system improvement
• Gain practical experience coordinating, documenting, and resolving requests from system users
• Learn techniques for conducting user acceptance testing (UAT) and validating system enhancements to ensure functionality and readiness for deployment
• Strengthen the ability to identify documentation needs and maintain system documentation, user guides, and job aids that support user adoption and performance
• Develop the ability to analyze user challenges, identify root causes, and recommend solutions that improve the overall user experience
• Gain experience applying system analysis and collaboration skills to support developer in implementing enhancements that increase system efficiency, effectiveness, and user satisfaction

Mentor(s)

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

Anticipated Appointment Start Date

October 12, 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.

Citizenship Requirements

This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.

ORISE Information

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the