Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Practicum Opportunities in Epidemiology

Why CDC: Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the CDC is the lead United States agency
for protecting the public health and safety through a wide range of activities including
national and international disease outbreak investigations, providing information to the
public, and by promoting health through partnerships with state health departments and
other organizations. By way of its central role in disease prevention and control, the CDC
is a source of a wide range of competitive internships for students in epidemiology.

Eligibility: Interns at CDC must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents unless otherwise
specified in the particular internship. Other requirements may apply to specific
internships which are sometimes made available to nonresidents.

When to start looking: Winter break and early in the Spring Semester (Dec/Jan/Feb).

How to start your search: Online – You can find most practicum opportunities for the
CDC posted online at the links listed in this document. Postings are seasonal so if you
don’t find what you are looking for initially you should check back periodically or e-mail
a practicum advisor. Searches for epidemiology and internship at division web sites will
often bring up information on practicum suitable opportunities. Pay special attention to
the dates, duration and eligibility requirements of the programs listed at this site as some
are not short-term opportunities suitable for an Epi practicum.

The major internships available through the CDC are the Student Temporary
Employment Program (STEP) and the ASPH/CDC Public Health Internship Program.

Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) is a summer internship program

through the CDC that allows students to engage themselves with training in their field of
study. Summer internship opportunities are announced January through March of each
year at http://www.studentjobs.gov/employment. Visit this site in January for more
information on the application process.

Additional STEP application information may be found at the following link:

http://www.cdc.gov/employment/menu_student.html.

The ASPH/CDC Public Health Internship Program is a summer internship

opportunity coordinated by the CDC and the Association of Schools of Public Health.
Internship opportunities are full-time positions for the duration of 10 weeks over the
summer. Internship opportunities will be located either at CDC headquarters in Atlanta,
Georgia, or at another CDC location in the United States. Interns are required to relocate
to the internship location. Relocation costs will not be covered by ASPH or CDC.

Students interested in this program should regularly check the ASPH/CDC Public Health
Internship Application website (https://internships.asph.org/apply/index.cfm) to stay up-
to-date on internship announcements and application deadlines.
In addition to the above programs, some of the CDC's institutes and offices are listed
below with a short description of the division’s function and respective web addresses:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
NCCDPHP prevents premature death and disability
from chronic diseases and promotes healthy personal
behaviors.
http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/index.htm
National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH)
NCEH provides national leadership in preventing and
controlling disease and death resulting from the
interactions between people and their environment.
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
NCHS acts as a central depository and analysis center
for many types of population level health data and
statistical information.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD,
and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP)
NCHSTP level supports national level efforts aimed at
preventing and controlling human immunodeficiency
virus infection, sexually transmitted diseases, and
tuberculosis
http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
(NCIPC)
NCIPC’s mission includes prevention of death and
disability from non-occupational injuries, including
those resulting from unintentional mechanisms and
violence.
http://www.cdc.gov/injury/index.html
National Center On Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities (NCBDDD)
NCBDDD’s mission includes prevention of birth
defects and developmental disabilities and for
improving the health and wellness of people with
disabilities.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH)
NIOSH’s mission includes improving safety and
health in the workplace through research and
prevention.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.html

Common necessary items when applying: There are a number of things necessary
when applying for an internship. Prepare as many of them as possible well in advance of
when you will need them. Make requests for letters of recommendation and for your
transcript well in advance of when you will need them.

• Application
• Resume
• Official transcript
• Letters of Recommendation
• References

Before Embarking on your practicum: After you have made a decision as to where you
will do your practicum, you should complete the Department of Epidemiology Practicum
Agreement Form before beginning your practicum.