Fellowship

CSTE, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), has established this Fellowship to train recent graduates in the expanding field of applied epidemiology. The goal of the Fellowship is to provide a high quality training experience and to secure long-term career placement for Fellows at the state or local level. Participating fellows will receive two years of on-the-job training at a state health agency under the guidance of an experienced mentor.

Program Mission
To meet the nation's ongoing need for applied epidemiology workforce capacity in state and local health departments through a national fellowship-training program. The fellowship will focus on balancing three key concepts, as identified in the CDC guidance document, Applied Epidemiology and Training Program (AETP) Development Handbook (McDonnell 2002):

Provide service to the sponsoring agency.
Create and train a core group of public health workers.
Strengthen capacity in applied epidemiology across public health institutions.

Applied Epidemiology Fellowship
The CDC/CSTE Fellowship is designed for recent master or doctoral level graduates in epidemiology or a related field who are interested in the practice of public health at the state or local level. While the program provides rigorous training for its participants, it is also designed with flexibility in order to meet the particular interests of the Fellow. Fellows are carefully matched to host agencies based on the career interests of the Fellow and available opportunities of the host agency. Program participants will develop a comprehensive set of core skills through competency-based training.

Training
Closely designed after the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) program and using a mentorship model, The CDC/CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for graduates to acquire and develop epidemiologic skills during a high quality, on-the job-training program in public health practice. Fellows work closely with highly trained and experienced epidemiologists at the state and local level, as well as those working at the federal level with the CDC. All Fellowship graduates have secured permanent positions and most are furthering their careers in epidemiology at the state or local level.

Mentor and Host Health Agency
Each Applied Epidemiology Fellow is assigned to a designated host health agency and two highly trained and experienced mentors (primary and secondary mentors). Host health agencies are CDC and CSTE approved, with demonstrated capacity to provide an Applied Epidemiology Fellow with technical training, research opportunities, and practical experience in the application of epidemiologic methods.

Eligibility: To be eligible to be a Fellow, applicants are required to have the following:

An MPH, MSPH, MS in epidemiology, or an equivalent degree or advanced degree in a health related field
(i.e. PhD in epidemiology, biostatistics, or other public health field; an MD degree; or a DVM degree).
Completed at least three graduate-level epidemiology courses and one graduate level biostatistics course.
Desire to pursue a long-term career at the state or local level.
United States citizenship.

Application process: All applications that meet minimum requirements will be formally evaluated by at least two members of a review committee. Their review committee will include representatives from CDC staff, ASPH affiliates, and persons with past or current experience working as an epidemiologist in a state or local health department. Criteria for evaluating the applications include the following:

Academic achievement
Work/research experience
Writing skills
Career goals
Letters of Recommendation

After this evaluation, top applicants will be selected for in-person interviews. The number of applicants selected for interviews will depend upon the number of funded positions and the quality of applications. Finalists will then be selected and matched with the available positions at state and local health agencies.

The application includes the following components:

Identifying Information
Education
Professional Experience
Program Areas of Interest
Geographical Preferences or needs
Resume or CV
Official Transcripts from all degree granting programs
Three letters of Recommendation
Personal statement
Proof of US Citizenship

Applied Epidemiology Core Competencies
Program participants will develop a comprehensive set of core skills through competency-based training. These competencies are expected to be fulfilled during the two-year Fellowship:

Epidemiologic methods

Design surveillance systems to assess health problems.

Evaluate surveillance systems and understand the limitations of surveillance data. First year Fellows are required to submit an abstract on their evaluation project for the CSTE Annual Conference.

Role in bioterrorism/emergency preparedness and response (BT/ER). Fellows should be prepared to play a functional role in the BT/ER response for their host agency and are encouraged to participate in related training, tabletop exercises, etc.

Be able to interpret surveillance data.

Design an epidemiologic study to address a health problem.

Understand the basic types of study design and the advantages and limitations of each type.

Design a questionnaire or other data collection tool to address a health problem.

Collect health data from appropriate sources (e.g., case interviews, medical records, vital statistics records, laboratory reports, or pathology reports).

Create a database for a health data set.

Use statistical software to analyze and characterize epidemiologic data.

Interpret findings from epidemiologic studies, including recognition of the limitations of the data and potential sources of bias and/or confounding.

Recommend control measures, prevention programs, or other public health interventions based on epidemiologic findings.

Communication

Write a field investigation report resulting from participation in an infectious disease or other approved outbreak investigation of either acute disease outbreak or a time sensitive investigation. Fellows will experience participating in and observing an investigation performed in a charged environment. Those Fellows working in Chronic Disease, Maternal and Child Health, etc, will participate in a temporary detail to allow the Fellow to participate in such an investigation.

Write a surveillance report.

Understand the basic process for preparing a manuscript for publication.

Make an oral presentation using appropriate media.

Present data graphically and know how to use graphic software.

Understand the basics of health-risk communication and be able to communicate epidemiologic findings in a manner that is easily understood by lay audiences (i.e., those with limited scientific background).

Master's-level Fellows: present a poster at a national or regional meeting/publish a technical report/prepare a manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Doctoral-level Fellows: prepare a manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Public Health Practice, Policy, and Legal Issues

Have a basic understanding of public health law

Understand the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the recently implemented privacy and information security amendments.

Distinguishing between public health research and public health practice.

Understand policies designed for the protection of human subjects and the role of an Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Know the essential public health functions.

Understand the roles of local, state, and federal public health agencies.

Appreciate the diversity of how epidemiology is used in different program areas.

Effectively negotiate cultural sensitivity issues.