*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: A research opportunity is available in the 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: Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are a leading cause of death in the United States among people ages 1–75 and the leading cause of death for children, youth, and young adults ages 5–24. In 2021, an estimated 42,915 people were killed in crashes in the United States. This is the highest number of motor vehicle crash deaths during a single year in the past two decades. MVCs are also associated with significant morbidity. In 2020, more than 2.1 million people were treated in emergency departments for nonfatal MV injuries. Additionally, medical costs and productivity losses associated with traffic deaths amounted to more than $430.7 billion in 2020. Health inequity is a salient concern in motor vehicle safety. Some populations are disproportionately affected by crash deaths, including Tribal populations, Black people, people who live in rural areas, males, youth, and older adults. There are also concerns for high-risk groups such as pedestrians. The fellow will collaborate with the Transportation Safety Team (TST) to support the Division of Injury Prevention's effort to reduce MVCs and injuries especially in disproportionally affected populations. Specifically, the fellow will support efforts to enhance surveillance, research, and program implementation related to the review and management of transportation safety initiatives and MVCs prevention activities. 

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, the fellow might assist the TST on the following learning activities:

1. Collaborate with TST in developing public health messaging, reports, and project designs for evidence based MVCs prevention activities and transportation safety initiatives
2. Evaluate current CDC tools, dashboards, websites, etc. relating to MVCs and transportation safety
3. Provide technical support for implementation, use, and evaluation of MVCs reduction activities
4. Pursue opportunities to educate and incentivize key partners to integrate MVCs prevention activities and transportation safety initiatives
5. Perform data cleaning and analysis activities using national datasets (BRFSS, NEISS-AIP, NSSP, NSDUH, FARS, etc.), and assist in the development of reports
6. Apply current natural language processing techniques to analyze text data from ED free text data for priority injury topics

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Aaron Grober (xih7@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: September 2, 2024. 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, 

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.NCIPC@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.