Frequently Asked Questions

No. Applicants must be U.S. citizens in order to apply.

Yes. Part-time teachers may apply.

Yes. You do not need to teach a STEM subject to apply. Public health is multidisciplinary. We are looking for a mix of educators passionate about public health.

Yes. Historically, we have accepted elementary teachers, pre-services teachers, college professors, and those who hold education leadership roles at the district, state, or national level.

Yes. Many factors are considered during the application review process, including education leadership experience, classroom potential, and passion for public health. We look for applicants who demonstrate a commitment to bring epidemiology and public health sciences into their classroom. We also encourage teachers to participate in the Science Ambassador Regional Training Workshops.

Yes. Each year, we are looking for a mix of participants and are not always able to accept all qualified applicants. Therefore, we strongly encourage re-applying.

Yes. We accept alumni who have participated in previous years. Alumni must submit a new application.

Yes. Previous experience in public health is not required.

Applicants accepted into the program in prior years have explained their interest in the fellowship and how it aligned with their career goals. Strong statements included examples of how applicants formally shared their work with fellow teachers and the steps they planned to promote public health within their teaching communities.

Every applicant must provide one person’s email to fill out the recommendation form.

The recommendation writer should be a school administrator (e.g., principal or headmaster), department chair, or a direct supervisor.

The recommendation writer should be a school administrator (e.g., principal or headmaster), department chair, or a direct supervisor. Seek a recommendation writer who can speak to your skills and strengths.

No. In order to provide a fair application system, the deadline is strictly adhered to. See key dates.

The online application system will automatically send a confirmation e-mail to the applicant when the application has been submitted. It is the applicant’s responsibility ensure that all required forms are submitted prior to the deadline. Late submissions will not be considered.

Applications will be objectively reviewed by a selection committee. Applications are then ranked and the top candidates are accepted.

Yes. Notifications will be sent by e-mail in March. Applicants may check their application status at any time in the application system.

The duration of the fellowship is 1 year. Fellows are required to take an online course before participating in the 5-day summer course held at CDC headquarters. Summer course begins in July and sessions occur each day, 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (ET). Thereafter, fellows are expected to work remotely for approximately 5–10 hours per month. During this time, fellows may be asked to pilot public health STEM lesson plans, present lesson plans at local teacher conferences or meetings, and consult on the development of public health-based resource materials for middle and high school teachers nationwide.

The CDC Science Ambassador Fellowship is a 5-day summer course held in Atlanta at CDC followed by 1 year of remote collaboration. Throughout the summer course and remote collaboration, participants work in teams to develop classroom activities with CDC subject matter experts. The regional trainings take place at various locations across the United States. Each regional training provides a 2-day course modeled after the first 2 days of the Science Ambassador Fellowship summer course. Regional training participants are not responsible for the development of classroom activities. Participants of both the fellowship and regional trainings receive public health training and activities to take back to the classroom.

The duration of the fellowship is 1 year. Fellows attend the summer course in July and participate remotely for the remainder of the fellowship through June of the following year.

Yes. Fellows must attend the 5-day summer course in July held at CDC in Atlanta, Georgia.

The fellowship and summer course are free of charge. Beginning in 2023, travel to the 5-day summer course will be arranged and funded by the CDC Science Ambassador Fellowship program. Program staff will work with participants to coordinate travel. Costs covered by the program include domestic airfare to and from Atlanta, hotel stay, parking, transportation to and from the airport, and meals.

Regional training workshops are free of charge, but participants are responsible for travel costs to these trainings.

Yes. Typically, the CDC is authorized by IACET to offer 4.0 CEUs for the summer course.

Teaching epidemiology and public health science (e.g., surveillance, biostatistics, informatics, laboratories, and prevention effectiveness) in the classroom engages students in learning experiences across STEM disciplines. By viewing STEM content through the lens of public health, students will develop an understanding of how information learned in the classroom translates into real-world disease control and prevention, and community health and wellness.

Several states now accredit public health-related courses as part of a school science curriculum. To guide teachers in integrating public health into the STEM classroom or developing a new course in epidemiology and public health, CDC has developed a set of competencies for public health sciences that are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Critical Components for an Undergraduate Major in Public Health. CDC has also compiled examples of how to transform CDC and non-CDC resources into classroom materials.