Applying for federal government jobs

Alumni: Tia Brown, PhD, MPH

Graduated from: Department of Health, Behavior and Society

Can you tell us briefly about how you found out about the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellowship?

I attended a lunchtime seminar that was promoting various fellowship programs at BSPH during my last year at the school. One of the presentations was by the AAAS program, which is the American Association for the Advancement of Science and it's their science and technology policy fellowships. What was attractive of the fellowship to me was that it was an opportunity to find something outside of academia that I could do post-graduation because I didn't know exactly where I would land.

Can you tell us a little bit about the application process?

I actually applied to work under one of the partner societies when I applied for the fellowship. So, there is the general AAAS science and technology policy fellowship program. And then within that, there were agreements with partners societies which include I believe the American Psychological Association and I think the American Sociological Association among others. I applied to the Population Association of America or PAA Fellowship.

Even though the PAA fellowship is under the umbrella of the AAAS fellowship, the application process was different when I applied and again that's been almost 10 years ago. I don't know what changes have been made since then, but when I applied, I applied directly to The Population Association of America, and worked with them. I was interviewed by their staff then then I was interviewed by NIH staff to see if I would be a good fit. I didn't go through the AAAS umbrella to achieve that fellowship position.

Whereas from what I understand when applicants apply to the general AAAS program, there is a slightly different process.

What did you do during your fellowship?

So while I was a fellow, my placement was at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). I was placed in the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Research (OBSSR). I worked on issues related to health disparities. I work to coordinate and lead a seminar of experts from around the country was who came to talk to the NIH community about how children influence fathers. Often times research discusses how fathers impact their children, but this was taking a unique lens to it and thinking about, how do children impact their fathers? That was really exciting.

I authored a paper with our office Director that focused on understanding and thinking about the links between education and health. I also had the opportunity to complete a detailed placement in the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President where I worked on the topic of informal caregiving and spoke with various agencies about how they conceptualize and operationalize in formal caregiving in the Federal surveys that they promote.

It was a lot to get done in two years, but it was really an exciting opportunity, and an experience that I truly value even to this day.

How did your fellowship impact your career moving forward?

As part of the fellowship, we are all expected to be looking for jobs so we are supported are supported through interview preparing and having our CV reviewed. By the end of the fellowship, I had three job offers which was great, because I had the help of my colleagues at NIH in preparing for that.

I accepted a position as Social Science Research Analyst in the Office of the Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in their Office of Health Policy. I worked on issues pertaining to HIV and women’s minority health. I also worked with the Office of the Surgeon General again and in the public health services division in the Office of Health Policy. After two years of doing that, I realized I wanted to lean back into the research of public health, so I transitioned to the Administration for Children and Families where I work in the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation within the Division of Family Strengthening.

What advice do you have for current social and behavioral (SBS) doctoral students pursuing a fellowship and/or a career in the federal government?

My recommendations would be to engage in thoughtful networking. It's very important to think through networking consciously and thoughtfully, and not solely for the purpose of getting what you want, but that you get to know other people, where they are and what they've got going on. I attended a seminar while I was an AAAS fellow, and I remember the speaker said “Networking is not about who you know. Networking is about who knows you.” My recommendation would be to cast a wide net. Ask your advisor if there's a professor for something you’re interested in or want to work on while you’re at Hopkins. Find mentors. Don’t be afraid to apply for that fellowship. Go for the job. In the end, it’s all experience and getting to know people!

Alumni: Beth Linas, PhD, MPH

Graduated from: Department of Epidemiology

Alumni: Raimee Eck, PhD, MPH, MPAS

Graduated from: Department of Health, Behavior and Society

Can you tell us briefly about how you found out about the NCI fellowship?

My advisor connected me with the Associate Director of the Behavioral Research Branch (BRP) with whom I conducted an informal interview.

Can you tell us a little bit about the application process?

There are numerous fellowships available at NCI. The process to apply for the Cancer Research Training Award Fellowship varies across divisions, but generally includes your CV, personal statement, references, and interview(s). I interviewed with the branch chief of the Health Behaviors Research Branch (there are four branches in BRP), as my work focused on alcohol’s association with cancer. You would have to assess which program and/or division would be the best fit for you and your interests.

What did you do during your fellowship?

The fellowship itself was very flexible. You can come in with limited experience or you can come in with extensive experience. Ultimately, it's a platform for you to be able to do collaborative and independent research with people at NCI. You find or are assigned a mentor or two to create a fellowship training plan. This includes goals and a timeline, which you review with your mentor every six months. They really press you to be realistic about your time and effort, which is also why they have the check ins to see how you are progressing and to make sure that you are meeting your goals together.

I personally focused on training on advanced epi methods, including more robust training with R, in addition to presenting at or attending conferences, which are all supported as part of your fellowship. You also have a lot of opportunities to present your work internally, which allows you to gain experience in presenting and communicating with varying audiences. They also encourage cross-division collaborations—there are so many opportunities to grow and expand your research portfolio.

How did your fellowship impact your career moving forward?

My research focus during my dissertation was on alcohol, injury, and policy, so I had never thought much about cancer other than it being one of the causally associated chronic conditions from alcohol. Now, as a result of the fellowship, I have been invited to curate webinars and speak at conferences specifically focused on the link between alcohol and cancer. The fact that I do policy work is even more desirable because cancer has not been much of a policy target for those in alcohol research and advocacy. Had I not received the immersive training that I did at NCI, I don’t see as clear a path for me focus on this work like I am now.

I have also made a lot of connections through the fellowship with different people across varying disciplines. It is a significant network that moves forward with you.

What advice do you have for current social and behavioral (SBS) doctoral students pursuing a career in the federal government?

Definitely talk to people who have gone to NCI; we have a number of current and past fellows from Hopkins. I’m very happy to talk to people as well or point them in the direction of people as needed. Talk to the Associate Directors or other people who work at NCI as well, especially in the Divisions or Branches that you are interested in – people over there are very open and interested in working with students. It’s important to get a sense of what it would be like to work there, as NCI isn’t a good fit for everybody.

My experience led to me believe that if you love the idea of academia, but don’t like academia itself in the sense of constantly seeking out grants, then NCI can be a really great place to be. People at NCI are constantly seeking knowledge, and there is a lot of funding, both internal and external. Ultimately you could choose to lead your own research, manage grants as a program director, become an administrator, or some combination. It’s a lot like being at Hopkins with cutting edge research going on without having to fight to pay for your own salary and a steady stream of great speakers. Finally, I found the other fellows, program directors, staff, and administrators that I worked with to be both fun and supportive, qualities in work colleagues that make coming to the office every day that much more enjoyable!

Alumni: Naomi Greene, PhD, MPH

Graduated from: Department of Health, Behavior and Society

Alumni: Pierre Muhoza, PhD, MPH

Graduated from: Department of International Health

Can you tell us briefly about how you found out about the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) fellowship?

I was initially interested in lab-based sciences but then I gravitated towards public because I wanted to have a population level impact and understand how diseases get transmitted in populations and how to control them. That’s how I eventually learned about epidemiology. Around the same time, the movie Contagion came out and it features a disease detective in the main role which in reality is an EIS officer. So that’s basically what I do now. The EIS fellowship is a 2-year post-doctoral training program offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and basically recruits people who have a background in health education and are interested in public health. They can be nurses, pharmacists, doctors, or scientists.

If you are in epidemiology circles, EIS is a very well-known fellowship. So I first heard about EIS through friends initially. And then the interest was later reinforced by the movie. And then I visited the EIS website to learn more about the program and how I could position myself later so I could be a good candidate for the fellowship.

I even sought out an advisor in my program who was an EIS alum. I think it made a difference for my experience because it was definitely good to have somebody with EIS training to mentor me, and then teach me how to identify questions that mattered for public health impact for my dissertation work. and also to help me identify different opportunities that would make me a good candidate for the fellowship.

Can you tell us a little bit about the application process?

So the application process is very involved. It begins with an online application that basically collects your biographic information, education, accomplishments, and anything that you have done in terms of volunteering so it's always important to keep track of those.

Then there is a personal statement which is also important and an essential part of the process. Basically, the whole purpose of the personal statement is to kind of get a sense of what motivates you to want to do public health, what are the experiences that shaped you in terms of wanting to pursue public health, how the EIS fellowship is the next logical step for your education, how it will benefit you (make sure to give specific examples!), and then what are your goals after the program. Overall, you are discussing how can this training program help you achieve those goals because the EIS is a training/service program. You are gaining essential skills to be an effective public health practitioner, but you are also expected to provide service to the agency in the meantime which can take many forms. It can be in terms of supporting states or tribal territories to control or assess patterns of diseases. It can be providing technical assistance to international partners. So, it’s just always critical to keep that in mind.

Then you have the letters of recommendation which are another key component of the process because you want people who know you well to speak to your different characteristics and ability to work with others and achieve whatever the team objectives are. So you want to have recommenders who can speak to that.

And then once, you've submitted that application package there's usually a rigorous interview process that follows.

What does your day to day look like in the fellowship?

So, I am in the global immunization division of the CDC. Basically, what I do spans many different areas of public health, including surveillance system evaluations which is about making sure that we are fine tuning our surveillance systems to be able to monitor any changes in patterns of diseases and the different needs of our the communities that we serve. I've also supported projects that are around program design implementation and evaluation. So, for instance, we're trying to launch a project that will basically generate evidence around the practice of catch-up vaccination, which is identifying children who have missed vaccine doses for which they're eligible for and then making sure that they receive them. Then I also do activities around outbreak response such as responding to the recent outbreak of wild polio virus in Southern African countries. I also supported roll out of the COVID vaccine in countries that need CDC support. For example, next month, I’ll be deploying to a country in East Africa to support partners in terms of strengthening their information systems to be able to keep track of COVID vaccine related activities. Lastly, I also get the opportunity to support a working group that is composed of GAVI, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization colleagues in terms of monitoring any disruptions that the roll out of the COVID vaccine across countries may be having on routine immunization systems, and just making sure that if there any major disruptions that are identified we can act on them.

What advice do you have for current social and behavioral (SBS) doctoral students pursuing an EIS fellowship?

Definitely check out the EIS website as soon as possible, as early as possible in your career. If you think that this is something that you might be interested in later, because you know, the sooner you are informed about the fellowship the better because you're able to position yourself in terms of engaging in activities that are relevant.

Also, talk to people who have gone through the fellowship – people who have completed the fellowship are always happy to share about their experiences. You may find alignment and learn from their trajectories. They may be able to help you prepare for your application or refer you to others who can guide you. Talking to people is always important just understanding that everybody is different and has different motivations to help the public, but we all want to make a difference. But understanding what another person's perspective is, can really influence you.

Also, the School of Public Health sometimes has information sessions on EIS so go to those to learn more about the fellowship. Try and speak to the EIS service officers who come to the information sessions. Also, if you can, go to the EIS annual conference so you can learn about the things we do and see if it is a good fit for you, network with others and learn more!

Alumni: Rachana Sikka, PhD, MPH

Graduated from: Department of Health, Behavior and Society

Name: Dzifa Adjaye-Gbewonyo, PhD, MPH, CPH

Graduated from: Department of Health, Behavior & Society

Can you tell us briefly about how you got into your role in the federal government?

I started my federal career in the Department of Commerce with the U.S. Census Bureau as a Statistician (Demography) in the International Programs Center’s Health Studies Branch. I first learned of openings at their agency through a recruitment booth at a Population Association of America (PAA) annual meeting I attended towards the end of my doctoral program and later applied to the vacancies through USAJOBS. The position was specifically designated for recent graduates and then I converted to a regular position at the end of the program. After working for almost three years with the Census Bureau, I applied through USAJOBS for my current position at CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

Can you tell us a little bit about where you currently work?

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is the country’s main health statistics agency. Its mission is to collect, analyze, and disseminate timely, relevant, and accurate health data and statistics. NCHS works with partners to collect data through vital statistics, medical records, surveys of healthcare providers, and surveys and physical assessments of the general public. These data are used to monitor population health and healthcare use and inform health policies and programs.

Can you briefly describe your current role?

I work as a Health Statistician in the Division of Health Interview Statistics. Our division is responsible for the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which is a nationally representative household survey conducted year-round and is the primary source of health information on the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population. In my role, I work regularly with statistical software to perform quality checks on NHIS data during different stages of data processing, and I help prepare the data and documentation for public release. I also respond to requests from data users and contribute technical knowledge on various public health topics to support center or agency activities. In addition, I engage in data analysis to produce estimates of various health indicators and conduct and publish research on a variety of subjects. I also get the opportunity to participate in some activities during the survey development and questionnaire design process.

What advice do you have for current social and behavioral (SBS) doctoral students pursuing a career in the federal government?

My advice to SBS doctoral students looking for jobs in federal government through USAJOBS is to cast a wide net. You may have to submit numerous applications before qualifying for a position. There are several agencies and offices out there that are applicable to public health professionals with a background in social and behavioral sciences. Beyond CDC and NIH, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Office of Minority Health (OMH), Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and many others. Outside of HHS, USAID at the Department of State may be a place to look if your interests are international; and there may be relevant agencies in the Department of Justice, Department of Commerce, or other federal government departments. When searching USAJOBS, I liked to set up saved searches and schedule for automated job search results to be emailed to me so I could get notified of new vacancies that fit my search criteria. I would also recommend looking for openings designed for recent graduates; these may be a great entryway to your desired agency and federal careers in general. It’s also important to pay close attention to the questionnaire and resume since these are crucial elements in determining your eligibility and referral for each position. Though you can upload your own resume, it doesn’t hurt to use the system’s resume builder to ensure your resume includes all the necessary information. There are also useful resources and books available that you can find or order online to help with understanding the federal application process.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this interview are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the United States government.

Name: Rachana Sikka, PhD, MPH

Graduated from: Department of Health, Behavior & Society