Frequently Asked Questions

Students are asked on the online application to note their availability, providing a minimum of two 6-week timeframes when they are able to come to CDC or another potential host site. Potential supervisors review student's availability as part of the application review process. If accepted, minor date changes can usually be accommodated up to 6-weeks prior to assignment start date.

Selected students are placed in a subject area within CDC or other Federal sites.

Atlanta, GA sites:

• CDC, Center for Global Health (CGH)
• CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
• CDC, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)
• CDC, National Center for Environmental Health / Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR)
• CDC, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP)
• CDC, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)
• CDC, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
• CDC, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD)
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

Non-Atlanta sites:

• CDC, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) , Puerto Rico
• CDC, Arctic Investigations Program (part of NCEZID), Anchorage, Alaska
• CDC, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (part of NCEZID), Ft. Collins, Colorado
• Indian Health Service (IHS), Albuquerque, New Mexico
• National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) , Hyattsville, Maryland
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  Anchorage, Alaska
  Cincinnati, Ohio
  Denver, Colorado
  Morgantown, West Virginia
  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  Spokane, Washington
• National Park Service (NPS) — Office of Public Health
  Albuquerque, New Mexico
  Ft. Collins, Colorado

On the EEP application, students are asked to rank up to five host sites where they would like to work or to specify a supervisor they would like to work with. EEP staff submits a call for assignments to all potential host sites. Potential host sites submit an assignment proposal and assign a potential supervisor. Based on the assignment proposal, EEP sends student materials to potential supervisors for review. Potential supervisors review and rank student's application, letters of recommendation, and availability. EEP staff match students with supervisors using student host site rankings and supervisor review rankings.

Students do not receive a stipend and are responsible for round-trip transportation to their assigned location and living expenses. A reasonable accommodation housing list is provided to students. If students are assigned to an Epi-Aid during the elective, CDC will fund any Epi-Aid-related travel.

We do our best to match as many students as possible. Unfortunately, we may not have the capacity to match all qualified applicants. Please understand that this opportunity is competitive with a limited number of host sites. Eligible candidate applications will be reviewed by the host sites. During this process, host sites may schedule interviews with qualified applicants. CDC assigns students to host sites based on rankings.

The EEP program will send acceptance letters to matched students. Matched students must accept the assignment and complete necessary paperwork within 10 days. Acceptance letters will be sent no later than the notification dates provided. Students who are not accepted will not receive a letter of notification. Status of all applications can be found on the application website.

Each week, students are provided with a list of seminars and trainings available at CDC and encouraged to attend as a group. 

Students at non-Atlanta sites can view most seminars and trainings online. Students should make every effort to learn more about CDC’s fellowship, training, and employment opportunities and to network with fellows currently in these positions. Some fellowships include,

• Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) , a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship in applied epidemiology;
• Public Health Informatics Fellowship Program ; and
• Prevention Effectiveness Fellowship

Fellowship opportunities can be explored at: https://www.cdc.gov/Fellowships/ . Various employment opportunities for students can be explored at: https://jobs.cdc.gov/students.

No, only select students will be assigned to assist with an Epi-Aid investigation. This 2-4 week field investigation provides students with invaluable experience to work with a response team, including subject matter experts and Epidemic Intelligence Service officers. EEP students assigned to the CDC site leading the investigation will be asked to assist first. If no student is available, students will be chosen according to a pre-determined response roster. Students are assigned to this roster during their second or third week of rotation and are given advance notice of their on-call status. To be eligible, students must have a Concur profile set up for them during the first week of their rotation.

Contact:

CDC Epidemiology Elective Program
E-mail: EpiElective@cdc.gov