*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

HHS Office and Location: A fellowship is available in the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP) within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Office of the Secretary (OS), at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) located in Rockville, Maryland.

The mission of HHS is to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans by providing effective health and human services and fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services. OIDP's mission is to provide strategic leadership and management while encouraging collaboration, coordination, and innovation among federal agencies and stakeholders to reduce the burden of infectious diseases.

Research Project: We are seeking to recruit an epidemiologist or an individual who has studied or has experience with epidemiology, surveillance, evaluation, and collecting/analyzing data to help inform and provide technical assistance with documenting data to guide the research of the OIDP Team. Specifically, the individual will support the research associated with the effective use of America’s HIV Epidemic Analysis Dashboard (AHEAD), a public-facing dashboard supporting the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative. 

The individual will also provide our team with plain language descriptions of the analysis of epidemiological reports. These descriptions should be detailed enough to capture the key findings and implications of the reports. This research analysis will be presented in informal updates during weekly or biweekly OIDP internal meetings with senior government officials to discuss how these findings can support our efforts. 

The individual will use the epidemiological data displayed in the dashboard to research ways to significantly improve how information on Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) is presented. OIDP will also use this research to support our research and ensure that SDOH data is used across all federal policies and programs. (SDOH focuses on the social, economic, and environmental factors that contribute to an individual's risk of acquiring a disease or incurring poor health—or, conversely, protect an individual from those risks.) 

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, learning and experience benefits from this appointment will include:?

• Use Research to Impact Public Health Policy
  • Research and document programmatic public health outcomes that inform multimillion-dollar fiscal investments and national policy/guidance, encompassing SDOH.
• Expand Knowledge of Public Health Policy
  • Attend high-level policy meetings to gather information and expand knowledge related to the development of public health policy, focusing on epidemiological strategies to address SDOH.
• Increase Understanding of Stakeholder Policy Input
  • Gain exposure to the importance of feedback from federal and non-federal colleagues during policy-related events and activities that contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the intersectionality of SDOH within broader public health initiatives.
• Support Publishing Goals
  • Publish or support the publication of evaluation results on and potentially contribute to or write journal articles, disseminating findings and contributing to the academic discourse surrounding SDOH and public health policy.
• Enhance Communication Skills
  • Give or support presentations and/or support presentations on research findings at annual conferences, sharing insights and recommendations with a diverse audience of public health professionals and stakeholders.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Miguel Gomez (miguel.gomez@hhs.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: July 5, 2024. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for two years, but may be renewed upon recommendation of HHS and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full-time.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience.

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 HHS. Participants do not become employees of HHS, 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 HHSrpp@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.