At a glance
The Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Program (MCHEP) provides direct assistance to public health agencies by placing MCH epidemiologists in jurisdictions. MCHEP assignments help develop, improve, and promote analytic capacity within public health agencies. Assignments are prioritized for states with gaps in MCH epidemiology capacity.
Host an assignee!
If your agency is interested in hosting an assignee, send the MCHEP Team a proposal with the information described in this section. Leadership approval for an assignee is required BEFORE proposal submission.
Justification for an Assignee. Describe the following:
- Context of assignment (e.g., disparities, high morbidity or mortality).
- Epidemiologic or statistical need for an assignee.
- Current epidemiologic capacity of the agency.
- Special circumstances (e.g., Governor's initiative, MCH population epidemic).
Assignment Structure. Describe the following:
- Proposed role of the assignee in the state or public health agency.
- Name, title and role of the individual(s) who will provide the direct supervision of the assignee.
- City and state of the agency assignment.
- Department or Bureau within the agency in which the assignee will work. If available, please include an organizational chart.
- Options for in-person, remote or hybrid assignments.
- Opportunities for collaboration.
Funding Mechanism. The host site, CDC, and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) work together to determine support for the assignment. Several federal mechanisms exist for hiring or transferring a CDC employee into an assignment at a state, local, or tribal public health agency.
Describe how the state or agency (host site) intends to fund the assignment. CDC will provide 20% of funding. Describe the source for the remaining 80% (e.g., HRSA Title V Block Grant Funding). Plan to fund an assignment for a minimum of two years.
MCH Priorities and Data Sources.
- List the proposed MCH priority focal areas of the assignee.
- Describe 3-5 projects for the first 2 years of the assignment.
- Describe assignee's access to data sources and data sets.
Host Site Application Review
Once the MCHEP receives your proposal, MCHEP:
- Reviews the proposal from the prospective host site.
- Works with the host site to refine the assignment.
- Works with the host site on funding mechanisms.
- Works with the host site on an assignment plan.
- Initiates a matching process between the site and assignee candidates.
- Initiates paperwork between CDC and the host site.
Developing an assignment and selecting a well-matched assignee is a complex process. Placement may take up to one year to finalize.