CDC Foodborne and Bacterial Disease Internship

CDC Office and Location: A fellowship opportunity is currently available with the Enteric Disease Laboratory Branch (EDLB) in the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED) at the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), 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 works to protect 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.

Research Project: The Enteric Disease Laboratory Branch (EDLB) at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia has a learning opportunity in its program on foodborne and diarrheal bacterial diseases. The PulseNet, Reference, Outbreak, and Surveillance Team (PROST) within EDLB is interested in identifying microbiologists with Bachelor of Science or related degrees who may be interested in joining our multidisciplinary team.

Our laboratory team contributes to the prevention of foodborne and diarrheal diseases in the United States and abroad by detecting, identifying and characterizing enteric bacterial pathogens. We accomplish this goal by providing training and consultation to national and international public health partners, and developing applied research projects that use emerging technologies to identify and characterize enteric pathogens. The successful candidate will learn to characterize foodborne bacterial organisms using genetic and genomic methods, and they will assist in preparing training modules for laboratorians in whole genome sequencing (WGS) to strengthen national and international capacity for identification of enteric pathogens. This project will entail developing knowledge of a variety of enteric bacterial species, assay validation, training, and sequencing techniques. EDLB has a strong commitment to producing high-quality science through implementation of a robust Quality Management System (QMS).

Learning Objectives: The successful candidate will receive training in identification and subtyping of enteric pathogens, using Whole Genome Sequencing and next generation sequencing technologies.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Efrain Ribot (eyr4@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: August 1, 2022.  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: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience.

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.

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 ORISE.CDC.NCEZID@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

The qualified candidate should have received a bachelor's or master's degree in Biology, Chemistry, Public Health, or one of the relevant fields (e.g. Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Medical Technology, Bioinformatics), or be currently pursuing one of the degrees with completion by the appointment start date. Most recent degree must have been received within the past five years.

Preferred skills: