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Shannon Easley, 404.523.3510, seasley@cdcfoundation.org
Medical Students Selected to Train in Applied Epidemiology at CDC
July, 25, 2008, ATLANTA – Eight medical students have been selected to participate in The CDC Experience Applied Epidemiology Fellowship for physicians-in-training at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The year-long fellowship combines classroom instruction in epidemiology and public health science with hands-on public health work.
The CDC Experience Applied Epidemiology Fellowship is funded by a grant to the CDC Foundation from Pfizer Inc and is designed to help strengthen the ties between the fields of medicine and public health by giving future physicians an in-depth understanding of applied epidemiology, the role of epidemiology in medicine and the role of physicians in the public health system.
The eight students, who were competitively selected from 45 applicants, will begin their fellowships in August 2008. Each student will be assigned to a specific division within CDC – divisions such as cancer, environmental health, chronic disease, infectious diseases and quarantine or birth defects and developmental disabilities – and will be mentored by a CDC expert in that division. Working with their mentors, fellows will conduct epidemiological research, help design public health interventions and participate in field investigations. Fellows also receive classroom training and special seminars on topics such as public health surveillance, biostatistics and health policy.
"The health system needs physicians with a broader, population-based perspective," says Denise Koo, M.D., M.P.H., director of CDC's Career Development Division. "The CDC Experience helps future leaders in the health care system understand how, as physicians, they can use epidemiology skills to improve the clinical treatment of individual patients, as well as protect the health of entire communities. Each new class of fellows makes valuable contributions to CDC and helps strengthen CDC's ties to our partners in the medical community."
The medical students selected to participate in the fifth class of The CDC Experience include:
Brian Johnson
Medical School: Emory University, M.D./M.P.H. Candidate
Focus area assignment: Respiratory and Enteric Viruses, Epidemiology Branch, Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Hannah Kirking
Medical School: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine
Focus area assignment: Quarantine and Border Health Services Branch, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases
Leslie Marino
Medical School: State University of New York, Downstate, M.D./M.P.H. Candidate
Focus area assignment: Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Branch, Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for Environmental Health
Obianuju "Uju" Obi
Medical School: Harvard Medical School
Focus area assignment: Developmental Disabilities Branch, Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Patrick Peebles
Medical School: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine
Focus area assignment: International Team and Surveillance Team, Epidemiology and Prevention Branch, Division of Influenza, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Scott Tolan
Medical School: University of Texas Medical School at Houston
Focus area assignment: Enteric Diseases and Epidemiology Branch; Division of Foodborne, Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases; National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne and Enteric Diseases
Jamie Krashin
Medical School: University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Focus area assignment: Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch; Division of STD; National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, and STD and TB Prevention
Charlene Wong
Medical School: Emory University School of Medicine
Focus area assignment: Health Care Services, Epidemiology and Applied Research Branch, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
"The CDC Experience is a great example of a successful public-private partnership," says Charles Stokes, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. "In early conversations, leadership from CDC, Pfizer Inc and the CDC Foundation discussed how best to improve communication and collaboration between the medical and public health communities. This year-long experience at CDC for medical students immediately struck a chord with all the partners, and we are thrilled to now be welcoming our fifth class of bright young leaders to learn about public health at CDC."
Founded by Congress, the CDC Foundation is an independent, nonprofit enterprise that forges effective partnerships between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others to fight threats to health and safety. Learn more at www.cdcfoundation.org.