HHS Science and Data Policy Fellowship

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

HHS Office and Location: Several fellowship opportunities are currently available in the Office of Science and Data Policy within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Washington, D.C. The fellow is expected to adhere to federal telework policies.

ASPE advises the HHS Secretary on policy development, leads special initiatives, coordinates the Department's evaluation, research and demonstration activities, and manages cross-Department planning activities such as strategic planning, legislative planning, and review of regulations. 

Research Project: The fellow will have the opportunity to conduct policy research and analysis, evaluation and data policy research, and public health research in support of one or more of the three Divisions in the Office:  Evidence, Evaluation, and Data Policy, Strategic Planning, and Science and Public Health Policy.  The fellow will participate in one or more projects, with roles such as:

• Serving as an analyst for the evaluation of a data, science, regulatory, or public health program, including, but not limited to: researching information; generating reports and manuscripts; compiling data; designing limited studies and participating in data collection; analyzing established public health policy and recommending related areas for improvement;
• Providing review and guidance related to a range of program evaluation and data policy areas for the purpose of improving the evidence about and performance of health and human services service delivery;
• Supporting the development and monitoring of implementation of the HHS Strategic Plan.

The selected fellow will be mentored by a team of policy, public health, economic, and evaluation experts who focus on science, public health, and data policies. In addition to direct mentorship by the ASPE team, the fellow will have the opportunity to collaborate with a broad set of federal and non-federal stakeholders. 

Learning Objectives: Additional learning opportunities include: 

• Contributing to review and analysis for the annual HHS budget and legislative development process;
• Reviewing and analyzing relevant regulations, legislation, executive directives, reports, and other documents for policy implications and alignment with HHS priorities;
• Participating in intra- and inter-Agency task forces and working groups;
• Researching and providing recommendations on a range of data governance and evaluation design approaches;
• Drafting internal and external correspondence, reports, presentations, talking points, and other materials for use by staff, management, and/or senior ASPE leadership in briefing key stakeholders and other leadership, including the HHS Secretary.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Deborah Porterfield (deborah.porterfield@hhs.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: As early as January 1, 2024. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of HHS and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full-time.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. 

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.

ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and HHS. Participants do not become employees of HHS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility, including but not limited to, COVID-19 requirements (e.g. facial covering, physical distancing, testing, vaccination).

Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email HHSrpp@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a master’s or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (e.g. Health Policy, Public Health, Bioinformatics, Biostatistics). Degree must have been received within the last five years. 

Preferred Skills: 

• Experience designing, planning, conducting, and communicating the results of analytical projects within public health, public policy or the biomedical or behavioral sciences
• Knowledge of and experience with qualitative analytic approaches (e.g., conducting, collating, analyzing and interpreting results from key informant/subject matter expert interviews) and/or
• Knowledge of and experience with quantitative research approaches (e.g., statistics, econometrics, epidemiology, health services or public health systems research)
• Experience writing documents such as fact sheets, reports, white papers and peer reviewed articles
• Working in a team and being an effective collaborator