CDC Emergency Risk Communication Research and Evaluation Fellowship

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: A research opportunity is currently available with the Division of Media Relations (DMR) of the Office of Communications (OC) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 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 opportunity is within the Research and Evaluation Team (R&E) in the Office of Emergency Risk Communication (OERC), Office of Communication, at CDC. The mission of OERC’s Research and Evaluation Team is to provide usable scientific data and evidence to enhance the behavioral impacts of CDC’s risk communication efforts during public health emergencies.

Learning Objectives: This training opportunity will focus on learning how the CDC supports public health emergency response efforts and preparedness activities. You may also gain experience with public health opinion surveys on a range of response-related topics. Under the guidance of a mentor, activities supporting these learning objectives may include:

• Communication surveillance: Participating alongside CDC communication researchers to analyze public health emergency-related news media stories, social media posts, and other user-generated content to provide daily input to inform agency communication strategy during CDC emergency responses;
• Communication evaluation: Gain experience with analyzing and reviewing communication system and audience data collected during emergency responses and exercises to assess the utility and impact of communication processes and activities, identify gaps, and recommend improvements; create reports, presentations or manuscripts for internal and external stakeholders;
• Communication research: Gain experience providing research literature summaries on special topics during emergency responses; participating alongside communication researchers to include input on instruments, processes, data collections, analysis and reports;
• Participating and collaborating with team and program leadership to create written materials explaining the findings and implications of research and evaluation activities to multiple audiences with varying levels of technical knowledge.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Lindsay Lane (NVE8@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor.

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