The Other Side of Public Health Laboratory Science: Training CDC Laboratory Leaders and Disease Detectives
Application Deadline
10/9/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
CDC Office and Location: One research opportunity is available with the Epidemiology and Laboratory Workforce Branch (ELWB) in the Division of Workforce Development (DWD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. This research opportunity is full-time in-person with opportunities to train at various CDC campuses in the metro-Atlanta area.
CDC saves lives, protects people from health threats, and supports public health emergency responses. DWD has a lead role in public health workforce development and is committed to advancing the public health workforce through leadership, evidence-based programs, and partnerships. ELWB is home to two career fellowship Disease Detective training programs, the Laboratory Leadership Service (LLS) and Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS). This opportunity works with the LLS program. LLS is a service-learning fellowship that trains the next generation disease detectives and public health laboratory leaders.
Research Project: This opportunity is with the Laboratory Science and Leadership Team, home to CDC’s LLS program, under the direct mentorship of the Team Lead. You will benefit from the collaborative culture of the LLS program team and engage in cross-cutting projects. The opportunity will allow you to learn from a variety of experts from CDC and state/local public health partners, including those with expertise in applied laboratory research, clinical diagnostics, quality management, biosafety science, program management and delivery, leadership, workforce development, education, evaluation, data analysis, technical writing and more. You will also have access to much of the didactic training curricula offered to LLS and EIS officers.
Through this fellowship you can expect to gain:
- Experience in the “other side” of applied public health laboratory science. Gaining experience in practices that are important for public health laboratories but rarely learned during traditional academic doctoral training. These include, but are not limited to laboratory safety, risk assessment, laboratory quality management, CLIA, laboratory testing regulations and compliance, strategic thinking, and laboratory leadership.
- Skill(s) in researching, developing, and evaluating project-based, experiential public health laboratory science curricula.
- Experience in enhanced communications, critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, and collaboration.
- Proficiency in using peer-reviewed literature and evidence-based methods to identify and apply best practices for curriculum management and program delivery.
- An in-depth understanding of how to develop and deliver applied laboratory science curriculum for CDC Disease Detectives.
- Technical skills in qualitative and quantitative statistical measures and various platforms, tools, and systems to support these measures.
- Professional soft skills, including networking, empathy, emotional intelligence, and enhanced interpersonal skills.
- Training and preparation for a career path in applied public health laboratory science, public health program delivery, or workforce development.
- Broad exposure to various CDC offices, programs, and partners.
Learning Objectives: This fellowship offers the unique opportunity to impact public health workforce development while enhancing your technical (laboratory science and data management, analysis, and visualization) and practical (problem-solving, communication, collaboration) skills. You will receive training in public health laboratory science and operations, curriculum development, communication and facilitation, partnership building, and analysis and evaluation methods while collaborating in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Specific focus areas can be adapted to fit the candidate’s interests. By the end of the fellowship, you will:
- Use peer-reviewed literature and collaboration with subject matter experts to research content and best-practice methodologies that inform the development of case-study training exercises.
- Learn how to contribute to the design of competency- and standards-based, age-appropriate experiential learning activities focused on applied public health laboratory science topics.
- Gain familiarity with public health laboratory science examples such as respiratory outbreaks, laboratory safety incidents, and international laboratory capacity-building initiatives.
- Develop knowledge of best practices for facilitating applied learning exercises with adult learners in public health and laboratory science settings.
- Gain experience with evaluating applied laboratory science training curricula for alignment with adult learning principles and evidence-based educational practices.
- Gain experience with applying evaluation tools, logic models, survey instruments, and data analysis approaches to support assessment of program effectiveness and impact.
- Learn how evidence-based approaches are used to monitor program implementation, training delivery, and data quality.
- Build collaborative relationships with CDC staff, fellows, laboratorians, and public health partners to support program initiatives and strengthen training activities.
- Develop scientific communication skills by learning to write clearly in plain language and translate technical data into graphics, figures, and information products for varied audiences.
- Strengthen written and oral communication abilities through participation in technical and professional communication activities.
- Develop professional skills in collaboration, project planning, time management, and monitoring progress toward project goals.
Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Dr. Tara Mohr (idz4@cdc.gov). The participant will meet weekly with Dr. Mohr and receive direct professional development mentoring in addition to research advisement and guidance. Contact Dr. Mohr with questions about the nature of the research.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: September 7, 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
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.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should have received or is pursuing doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years or anticipated to be received by 12/31/2026. If pursuing a doctoral degree, documentation of a successful dissertation defense must be provided before starting the fellowship assignment.
Preferred Skills:
- Experience with “wet lab” bench research
- Ability to operate both independently and in collaboration with a team
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Strong organizational skills
Stipend
$5,439.00 – $6,581.00 Monthly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
- Degree: Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 12/31/2026 12:00:00 AM.
- Minimum Overall GPA: 3.50