CDC NCIRD Morehouse School of Medicine Vaccine-Preventable Disease Internship Program – Streptococcus Laboratory Fellowship

CDC Office and Location: A fellowship opportunity is available with the Meningitis and Vaccine Preventable Diseases Branch (MVPDB), within the Division of Bacterial Diseases (DBD), in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 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.

The mission of the Division of Bacterial Diseases (DBD) is to prevent and control illness and death from vaccine-preventable and other respiratory bacterial diseases, in the United States and worldwide, through leadership in epidemiologic and laboratory science and vaccine policy.

NCIRD - Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) Home | CDC

Research Project: CDC’s Streptococcus Laboratory provides support for active population-based surveillance for invasive streptococcal disease, primarily caused by groups A and B streptococci and Streptococcus pneumoniae. It supports state and local health departments in the United States to characterize streptococcal isolates and is active in many international collaborations. The laboratory is a reference center for the identification and characterization of streptococci and other Gram-positive catalase-negative cocci.

RDB is seeking a qualified and motivated candidate to support project activities within the Streptococcus Laboratory focused on method re-validation of a number of real-time PCR assays to meet current agency requirements for quality metrics. These assays are critical to our diagnostic and strain characterization to support primarily research and surveillance of 3 major streptoccocal pathogens of public health importance: S. pneumoniae, S. agalactiae and S. pyogenes.

Learning Objectives: The activities listed below represent the minimum training opportunities that the fellow will complete:

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Lesley McGee (afi4@cdc.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: August 14, 2023.  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.NCIRD@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

The qualified candidate should be a current Morehouse School of Medical (MSM) student pursuing a master's, doctoral, or medical degree in Biomedical Sciences, Health Sciences, Medicine, Public Health, or other related disciplines and have completed at least one year, to be completed by the start of this fellowship. Recent graduates from MSM will also be considered, and a degree must have been received within the past 60 months.