Epidemiologist

CDC Foundation; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

The CDC Foundation is seeking an Epidemiologist to support the CDC's initiatives on overdose prevention and wastewater surveillance. This role requires a Master’s degree in public health, with responsibilities including managing projects related to drug consumption monitoring. Candidates must have strong communication skills and the ability to work with diverse stakeholders.

This position can be remote or onsite in Atlanta, GA, and offers a salary range of $95,000 to $105,000. The role is dynamic and critical for public health efforts.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required, preferably in public health.
• Experience working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.
• High attention to detail with organizational skills.
• Strong understanding of research design and epidemiologic studies.

Responsibilities

• Participate in a systematic review for drug consumption measures.
• Serve as the DOP liaison for wastewater analysis community.
• Assist in development of standards and methods for wastewater analysis.
• Manage key objectives and deliverables of the wastewater project.

Skills

Organizational skills

Strong communication skills

Experience with data analysis

Proficiency in Microsoft Excel

Education

Master’s degree in public health or health-related field

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Teams

Zoom

Job description

Position Title: Epidemiologist

Location: Remote or onsite supporting Atlanta, GA-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Salary: $95,000- $105,000

Position End Date: 09/29/26

Overview

The CDC Foundation is working with CDC and state and local authorities to provide surge staff to support surveillance, prevention and response activities within the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) Capacity Building Initiative program. A potential new activity in the Division of Overdose Prevention (DOP) includes the development and implementation of a national wastewater surveillance (WWS) system to detect emerging drug threats. The DOP Office of the Associate Director for Science (OADS) is looking to hire staff to complete tasks necessary to build a foundation for a national WWS system.

Minimum Qualifications

• A Master’s degree is required (preferably in public health or a health-related field)
• Organizational skills demonstrating high attention to detail and the ability to organize multiple priorities.
• Strong communication skills, both written and oral
• Experience working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders and engaging in strategic partnerships and strong interpersonal skills required for teamwork and interaction with people across CDC and with external partners
• Strong understanding of design and implementation of research and epidemiologic studies
• Experience with data analysis and synthesizing literature
• Demonstrated ability to work well independently and within teams
• Experience working in a virtual environment with remote partners and teams
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams and Zoom

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in drug overdose epidemiology, wastewater or laboratory activities
• Experience working directly with a local and state health department
• Experience developing technical guidance for health departments

Responsibilities

• Participate in a systematic review to describe methodology currently used to measure drug consumption using wastewater samples; serve as the main liaison in DOP to staff leading this effort in the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH).
• Serve as the DOP liaison for the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) community of practice on wastewater analysis for drug consumption; joining all meetings and sharing discussion with OADS and staff managing the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) cooperative agreement; ensuring any necessary synergies between state-funded OD2A staff and those working on wastewater activities within the state.
• Assist APHL in development of an ethical framework for wastewater analysis for drug consumption; join meetings with APHL and serve as liaison with OADS.
• Assist NCEH in the development of standards and methods; participate in meetings and potentially write sections of technical guidance.
• Assist OADS with overall management of the wastewater project to include developing key objectives & deliverables along with timelines and parties responsible for completion.

Special Notes

This role is involved in a dynamic public health program. As such, roles and responsibilities are subject to change as situations evolve. Roles and responsibilities listed above may be expanded upon or updated to match priorities and needs, once written approval is received by both the CDC Foundation and CDC in order to best support public health programming.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, mental or physical disabilities, veteran status, and all other characteristics protected by law.

We comply with all applicable laws including E.O. 11246 and the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 governing employment practices and do not discriminate on the basis of any unlawful criteria in accordance with 41 C.F.R. §§ 60-300.5(a)(12) and 60-741.5(a)(7). As a federal government contractor, we take affirmative action on behalf of protected veterans.

The CDC Foundation is a smoke-free environment.

Relocation expenses are not included.

About the CDC Foundation

The CDC Foundation helps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) save and improve lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC, philanthropies, corporations, organizations, and individuals to protect the health, safety and security of America and the world. The CDC Foundation is the go-to nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to support CDC’s critical health protection mission. Since 1995, the CDC Foundation has raised over $1 billion and launched more than 1,000 programs impacting a variety of health threats from chronic disease conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer, to infectious diseases like rotavirus and HIV, to emergency responses, including COVID-19 and Ebola. The CDC Foundation managed hundreds of CDC-led programs in the United States and in more than 140 countries last year. Learn more at www.cdcfoundation.org.