CDC Evaluation of Public Health Practices

*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: This training opportunity will provide you with hands-on experience in identifying, appraising, and evaluating best practices and evidence-based interventions in environmental public health. Under the guidance of CDC scientists and subject matter experts, you will gain practical experience conducting evidence syntheses, designing evaluation plans, applying evaluation frameworks (e.g., CDC Framework, RE-AIM, PRISM), and translating scientific evidence into actionable guidance and tools for public health practice. 

• Participate in training on evidence synthesis methods, program evaluation frameworks, and implementation science approaches relevant to environmental public health.
• Conduct structured literature searches and systematic or rapid evidence reviews to identify candidate best practices across topics such as exposure reduction, community-level interventions, environmental health surveillance, and risk communication.
• Learn and apply appraisal tools (e.g., GRADE, risk-of-bias checklists) to assess the quality and strength of evidence for environmental public health interventions.
• Develop logic models and theory-of-change maps linking interventions to short-, intermediate-, and long-term outcomes and select appropriate process and outcome indicators.
• Collaborate on the design of evaluation protocols using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches.   
• Gain experience in analyzing program and surveillance datasets, including descriptive summaries.   
• Observe and contribute to the development or improvement of evaluation tools and dashboards that summarize evidence and program performance for practitioners (e.g., evidence tables, scorecards, RE-AIM summaries).
• Participate in stakeholder and partner meetings to learn approaches for integrating community perspectives, regulatory considerations, and interagency coordination in evaluation and practice guidance.
• Prepare written evidence summaries, evaluation plans, presentations, and practice-oriented briefs for technical and non-technical public health audiences.
• Participate in meetings, webinars, and professional development activities to increase understanding of environmental public health evaluation, implementation science, and evidence translation.

Learning Objectives: 

• Develop a foundational understanding of methods used to identify and evaluate best practices and evidence-based interventions in environmental public health.
• Gain experience conducting structured literature searches, evidence syntheses (systematic or rapid reviews), and appraisal of study quality and applicability.
• Learn to construct logic models and select measurable indicators that align activities to expected public health outcomes.
• Acquire practical skills in designing evaluation studies and choosing appropriate study designs and analytic methods for real-world program evaluation (including equity-focused analyses).
• Strengthen competencies in mixed-methods approaches to evaluate implementation fidelity, barriers and facilitators, and contextual influences on practice effectiveness and sustainability.
• Increase proficiency in translating evidence and evaluation findings into concise, actionable products (executive summaries, policy/practice briefs, implementation recommendations) for diverse audiences.
• Learn best practices for stakeholder engagement and participatory evaluation approaches that integrate community and partner perspectives.
• Enhance professional competencies in data interpretation, evidence-based decision support, and science communication to support a future career in environmental public health practice, research, or evaluation.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Maria Paz Carlos (bbi9@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: September 30, 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 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 CDCrpp@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.