At a glance
- EEP is an opportunity to gain experience in applied epidemiology and explore future career opportunities in the field.
- EEP typically can earn you academic school credit for an elective or research rotation.
- EEP can help you build your professional network and make you eligible for monetary awards to continue to develop these networks by attending the EIS conference.
Benefits
EEP students:
- Complete projects in public health topics of interest. During their 6- or 8- week rotation, EEP students apply clinical knowledge and skills to public health projects. They might conduct literature reviews, collect and analyze health data, assist with outbreak investigations, draft policy or reports, and more. For example, past EEP students have supported measles prevention and control efforts at port health stations, provided technical assistance for legionella environmental sampling in the United States Virgin Islands, and reviewed policy intended to reduce salmonellosis in backyard poultry.
- Witness how CDC, other public health agencies, and partners protect the public's health. Students are placed at host sites across CDC; at other federal sites; and at state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments. This gives them a first-hand perspective on how these various health agencies work to protect the public's health, in areas such as infectious disease, high-consequence pathogens, One Health, maternal and child health, chronic diseases, injury, statistics, and more.
- Participate in training designed for medical and veterinary students interested in a future public health career. EEP students start their rotations with a 3-day orientation designed to teach them foundational applied epidemiology and introduce them to staff from across the agency. Every week, they also participate in training on different topics.
- Build their professional networks. In addition to speed networking and panel events offered during EEP-led training, students have the opportunity to meet staff from across CDC and state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments. This includes Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers.
- Earn academic credit. Most schools award academic course credit for participation in EEP. Additionally, dual degree candidates (e.g. MD/MPH or DVM/MPH) can use their EEP rotation as MPH practicum if they have completed 2 years of medical or veterinary school curriculum by July 1 of the application year and meet all other eligibility criteria.
- Become eligible for monetary awards to attend the EIS Conference. EEP alumni may be eligible to apply for stipend awards that cover travel to the annual Epidemic Intelligence Service conference to learn and network with CDC disease detectives. Learn more about the CDC-Hubert Global Health Award and the Pappaioanou Veterinary Public Health and Applied Epidemiology Award on the awards web page.