Key points
- Applicants should begin preparing information early to submit the application by the deadline.
- Detailed instructions are provided as a guide to gathering and preparing required information, as well as for submitting the online application.
Overview
Eligible applicants should allow ample time to prepare the required information and submit the online application according to the deadline.
How to prepare
Eligible applicants should follow these steps to prepare required information for the fellowship application.
- Update your resume or CV.
- Gather all information about your education; graduate training and skills; work and volunteer experience; publications, presentations, and grants; honors and awards
- Write a personal statement addressing:
- What influenced you to consider a career in public health?
- How will this fellowship help achieve your goals?
- Identify three or more people to complete recommendation forms on your behalf.
- Obtain unofficial copies of transcripts for all earned and in-progress college degrees.
- If any of your degrees were obtained from an institution outside the U.S., you will also need a course-by-course credential evaluation.
Standardized letters of recommendation (SLORs)
- Three recommendation forms are required from persons familiar with the applicant's academic achievements, aspirations, personal qualities, and professional attributes.
- At least two recommendation forms must be from persons who are not currently employed at the CDC.
- Persons writing recommendation forms should typically be current or former supervisors or professors. Avoid requesting recommendation forms from colleagues or friends.
- Recommendations must be specific to the PHIFP application and written in English.
- Please inform all recommenders to expect a system-generated email from the PHIFP Fellowship Program (PHIFP@cdc.gov) with instructions for submitting the recommendation forms.
- All recommendation forms are required to be submitted by the application deadline.
Transcripts
Your application requires copies of unofficial transcripts for all earned degrees or qualifying degrees in progress.
- All applicants with degrees obtained at a non-U.S. institutions must also provide documentation of an academic credentialing evaluation to ensure degree requirements are equivalent.
- For this requirement, an applicant must provide an academic credentialing evaluation for any degree from a non-US academic Institution before the December 1st deadline. This requirement applies to all Doctoral, Master's, and Bachelor's level degrees.
- For more information about the academic credentialing evaluation process and to submit the applicant's degrees for evaluation, please visit The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.
- All academic credentialing evaluations documents or unofficial transcripts are required to be submitted by the application deadline.
- Transcripts must state the applicant's degree of study, courses taken, earned grades, and graduation date if the degree has been conferred.
- Transcripts and other proof of degree completion will not be returned.
- For more information about submitting unofficial transcripts or foreign degree evaluation credentials, please see the PHIFP Application Checklist.
How to apply
Once you have prepared the above information, you are ready to start the online application. The link for the online application is only provided and active during open application periods.
The application will prompt you for:
- Contact information
- Education
- Post-graduate training and skills
- Work and volunteer experience
- Publications, presentations, and grants
- Honors and awards
- Personal statement addressing the following
- Three recommendation forms
- Unofficial college or university transcript
Please complete all sections of the application. When you are finished, select submit. You will receive an email notification stating that your application has been successfully submitted.
All supporting documents (e.g., recommendation forms; unofficial transcripts or evaluation of transcripts) must be submitted by the application deadline.
Information for recommendation writers
- To complete the recommendation form, click on the link provided in the system-generated email from PHIFP to access the online recommendation form.
- Recommendation forms must be specific to the PHIFP application, written in English, and completed using PHIFP's online fellowship application portal.
- An additional system-generated email from PHIFP@cdc.gov will be sent indicating that the upload was successful. If an email is not received, please contact PHIFP@cdc.gov to confirm the submission.
Official transcripts
If the applicant is accepted into the program, CDC must receive their official transcript by June 30th of the fellowship year. Send official transcripts by mail to:
Public Health Informatics Fellowship Program
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd., NE
Mailstop V24-5
Atlanta, GA 30329-4018
If the degree requires a completed thesis or dissertation, the applicant must have defended their thesis or dissertation on or before May 31st of the year they enter PHIFP. They will also need to submit their transcripts with the conferred degree as soon as they become available.