Fall 2003 Issue
Former Fellow Brings Relationship with CDC Full Circle
Fellowships Offer Unique Access to Public Health Training
Over the last eight years, the CDC Foundation has supported 174 fellows to train or work at CDC. Some of these fellows participate in structured fellowship programs, while others assist CDC with specific projects. The structured fellowship programs are designed for groups such as medical students, journalists and scientists to obtain specific kinds of public health training at CDC. The project-specific fellowships vary greatly and are determined by the needs of the CDC project.
Fellowships are just one more way the CDC Foundation works to help CDC do more, faster.
Charlene R. Burgeson, a former physical education teacher, coach and administrator, took a calculated risk when she became one of the CDC Foundation´s first fellows in 1997. At the time, she resigned from her job as program administrator with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) in Reston, Va., and relocated to Atlanta for a one-year commitment with CDC - not knowing quite what her future would hold.
It proved to be a smart move. Burgeson´s CDC Foundation fellowship helped launch her successful six-year career at CDC, where she served as a public health advisor for the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity (DNPA) from 1998 to 2001. She then became a health scientist for the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) from 2001 to 2003.
Back in 1997 Burgeson´s fellowship entailed coordinating the Improving Child and Adolescent Health through Physical Activity and Nutrition (PAN) program. The three-year partnership among the CDC Foundation, CDC, the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, International Life Sciences Institute and Emory University was designed to improve the health of U.S. youth through the promotion of physical activity and healthy diets. “Working on the PAN project was a multifaceted opportunity that allowed me to interact with scientists and practitioners,” she says.
Promoting physical activity and healthy eating
During her fellowship, Burgeson helped create the School Health Index for Physical Activity and Healthy Eating, a useful self-assessment and planning tool for schools. She also coordinated a collaborative effort that led to the publication of a supplemental issue of the journal Preventive Medicine that was entirely devoted to children´s physical activity and nutrition.
“My fellowship allowed me to transition into CDC and was a wonderful opportunity,” she says. “It also gave me a chance to learn about the CDC Foundation and to see firsthand the important work that the Foundation does on behalf of CDC and public health.”
An active supporter of the CDC Foundation
Over the course of her CDC career, Burgeson became an active supporter of the CDC Foundation through the Combined Federal Campaign. “I always felt that the CDC Foundation would be a good steward of my money, and I knew that my contributions were going to fund important work,” she says.
These days Burgeson´s experience at CDC is coming full circle. She returned to NASPE in September 2003, this time as executive director. In her new role, she plans to continue to collaborate with CDC and build on the knowledge she gained while at the agency.
“At NASPE, our focus is physical education in schools. We want to physically educate all people so that they have knowledge, skills and confidence to be active on a daily basis,” she says. “One of the most valuable things I learned at CDC was how important it is to develop programs that are science-based. In my role at NASPE, I hope to partner with CDC through projects that will help raise the quality and quantity of physical education in schools across the country.”
-Lisa Splitlog