ORISE HIV Prevention in Communities of Color Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship

Mission

The mission of this fellowship program is to recruit, mentor, and train investigators to conduct domestic HIV prevention research in communities of color. The fellows will be located in the Division of HIV Prevention (DHP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The program is led by the DHP Office of Health Equity (DHP OHE).

CDC’s HIV Prevention Efforts

CDC’s HIV mission is to prevent HIV infection and reduce the incidence of HIV-related illness and death, in collaboration with community, state, national and international partners. CDC’s domestic HIV prevention research efforts are concentrated in the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), DHP. The mission of NCHHSTP is to maximize public health and safety nationally and internationally through the elimination, prevention, and control of disease, disability, and death caused by HIV, non-HIV retroviruses, viral hepatitis, other STDs, and tuberculosis. DHP, in cooperation with other CDC components, administers operational programs for the prevention of HIV and conducts surveillance, epidemiologic, and behavioral research to monitor HIV and AIDS-related trends and risk behaviors. The resulting data provide a basis for developing interventions, directing prevention resources, and evaluating programs. Many of these research activities are targeted to reducing racial/ethnic disparities in new HIV infections in the United States.

Epidemiology of HIV in the United States

It is estimated that more than 1.1 million adults and adolescents are living with HIV infection in the United States.¹  In 2020, an estimated 30,635 people received an HIV diagnosis; of these, 80% of diagnoses were among cis-gender males and 18% were among cis-gender females and 2% among transgender and other persons.¹

HIV disproportionately affects certain populations. Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) who reported male-to-male sexual contact remain the group most heavily affected by HIV accounting for 68% of all diagnoses in 2020. By race/ethnicity, African American/Black persons and Hispanic/Latino persons experience the greatest burden of HIV infection accounting for 42% and 27%, respectively, of HIV diagnoses in 2020.¹

In 2019, The President announced a new initiative, Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America. The initiative will focus on four key strategies – Diagnose, Treat, Protect, and Respond – to reduce new HIV infections by 75% in five years and 90% in ten years.² These goals will be achieved by providing additional expertise, technology and resources to communities disproportionately affected by HIV in the United States.

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV Surveillance Report, 2020; vol. 33. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/hiv-surveillance.html. Published May 2022. Accessed July 17, 2022.
2. Fauci AS, Redfield RR, Sigounas G, Weahkee MD, Giroir BP. Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for the United States. JAMA. 2019; 321(9):844-845. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.1343

Fellowship Description

The fellowship seeks doctoral-level researchers (e.g., behavioral scientists, epidemiologists, social scientists, evaluators, educators, economists, anthropologists, or MDs with research training and/or experience). Applicants must have completed their doctorates within the past five (5) years (i.e., no earlier than February 2018 and no later than February 2023). Applicants with documented evidence of research expertise or experience in communities of color, (i.e., African Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Asians/Pacific Islanders) in the United States are preferred.

Up to three (3) successful applicants will be matched within one of the Offices or Branches listed below. Specifics on the training positions will be provided during the interview process and the final selection of activities will be determined by the mentor and the fellow.

• HIV Research Branch
• Office of Health Equity
• Translation and Evaluation Branch

Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to design, conduct, and evaluate scientifically sound, culturally appropriate, HIV prevention research activities in communities of color in the United States.

Applicants

Applicants must have completed all requirements for and been awarded a doctorate within the past five years, i.e., no earlier than February 2018 and no later than February 2023. Successful applicants will be required to re-locate to Atlanta for the 2-year fellowship appointment. Stipends will vary based on educational credentials and related experience. Following are some general guidelines for stipend ranges.

Click here for descriptions of 2002-2022 fellows.

Required Fellowship Activities

Mentors and fellows will collaborate to develop a list of diverse research activities that they will complete together over the two-year training period. These activities will be based on the fellow’s area(s) of interest, training, and expertise. The activities listed below represent the minimum mentoring and training opportunities for all fellows.

1. Conduct or participate in one site visit related to a research project or programmatic activity.
2. Design, conduct, and interpret an analysis on public health data (activities led by DHP OHE).
3. Write and submit a scientific manuscript for a peer-reviewed journal (activity led by Branch).
4. Present a paper or poster at one scientific meeting (activity led by Branch).
5. Give an oral presentation at a TRIP seminar or Thursday Health Equity Lunch and Learn Session.
6. Attend monthly scientific meetings on emerging public health issues.
7. Participate on at least one research project or programmatic activity (as a training opportunity) selected by the mentor and fellow.

Office Support

Office Support will include office space, computer, appropriate software, phone, mail and clerical services and other equipment as required and approved. Funds for travel will be available as appropriate.

Click here for Questions and Answers.

Application and Deadline

Applications will be accepted no earlier than September 1, 2022, and no later than October 1, 2022.

The fellowship is scheduled to begin in March 2023, subject to availability of funds.

For more information contact:

For more information contact:

Dr. Kirk D. Henny
Associate Director for Health Equity, CDC/NCHHSTP/DHP

This web page was prepared by the Division of HIV Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) through an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities under DOE contract number DE-AC05-06OR23100.

These are the updates for the Q&A section:

Who is eligible for this particular fellowship?

Applicants must have a doctoral degree (PhD, ScD, DrPH) in the behavioral sciences, social sciences, epidemiology, public health, or MD plus MPH (or expect their degree by February 1, 2023). Applicants with documented research expertise or experience in communities of color (African Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, American Indian/Native Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders) in the United States are preferred.