About The Epidemiology Elective Program

At a glance

  • The Epidemiology Elective Program (EEP) is an elective rotation for medical and veterinary students. Most students earn academic course credit.
  • EEP offers 6- and 8-week rotations. Students learn applied epidemiology through training, project assignments, and mentorship from public health experts.
  • Project assignments are with CDC, other federal agencies, and state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments.
eep students

Opportunities & Updates

Student Application

The student application period for 2025 rotations is now closed. Applications for 2026 rotations will be open from January 31, 2025 to March 31, 2025.

Host Site Application

The host site application period is also closed. Applications for 2026 rotations will be open from January 31, 2025 to April 30, 2025.

Contact us at epielective@cdc.gov.

Background

The Epidemiology Elective Program (EEP) is a short-term, service-learning rotation in applied epidemiology. Medical and veterinary students learn through training, project assignments, and mentorship from public health experts.

Students can participate in a 6- or 8-week rotation. Projects assignments are with CDC, other federal agencies, and state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments. Every effort is made to place students with a host site that provides experience in leadership and project in a topic area of the student's interest.

Project assignments involve helping public health experts investigate public health problems such as infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters, chronic diseases, and poor access to healthcare.

Most schools award academic course credit for participation in EEP.

EEP flyer
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Impact

More than 2,100 medical and veterinary students have completed EEP since its inception in 1975. Many students go on to participate in CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) program and become public health leaders.

Meet Amy Xie, MD, a 2020 EEP student who joined EIS in 2023‎

Dr. Xie had this to say about her EEP rotation: "Working alongside a CDC medical officer and EIS officer during a coronavirus field investigation enabled me to learn about public health response through first-hand experience. I got to see how decisions are made and how an incident command team is structured. I had the chance to contribute to field investigation information that was published in two Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports. I see great value in being a physician with epidemiology training!"