More About the EIS

The EIS is primarily a post-doctoral level program. Most EIS officers hold PhDs or doctoral degrees in medicine, veterinary science, or dentistry. A small number of non-doctoral applicants with MPHs (nurses, PharmDs or physician assistants) are also accepted into the program. See Program Eligibility for more details.

About 75% of EIS graduates remain in public health at CDC or in state or local health departments. Many become leaders in public health throughout the world.

During the 2-year training program, EIS officers are employees of the CDC and receive a salary and benefits. Salaries range from $55,000 to $75,000 per year, based on qualifications and experience.

Training and Service

The EIS program provides competency-based training in both the classroom and through on-the-job learning activities. Additionally EIS officers provide service to the CDC and our public health partners.

Training

Classroom instruction includes topics such as applied epidemiology, biostatistics, public health surveillance, scientific writing, and working with the media, as well as emerging public health issues. Each EIS class begins with a 1-month course, starting in July each year in Atlanta.

As part of the on-the-job training, EIS officers are required to complete core activities of learning (CALs).

• Conduct or participate in a field investigation of a potentially serious public health problem
• Design, conduct, and interpret an epidemiologic analysis on public health data
• Design, implement, or evaluate a public health surveillance system
• Write and submit a scientific manuscript for a peer-reviewed journal
• Write and submit a report to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Present a paper or poster at the annual EIS Conference
• Give an oral presentation at CDC’s Epidemiology Grand Rounds (Tuesday Morning Seminar) or at a national or international scientific meeting
• Respond appropriately to written or oral public health inquiries

Service

The EIS program is modeled after a traditional medical residency program where much of the education occurs through experiential learning. Thus, the EIS program not only organizes training for the officers, but a major contribution of the program (and work of the officers) is providing service to the CDC and our public health partners. EIS officers not only conduct routine research activities that are directly related to fulfilling CDC’s mission; but they serve as one of CDC’s primary resources for responding to urgent or emergent public health problems.

Assignments

EIS officers work in state or local health departments or at CDC. Below is a list of CDC national centers in which EIS officers may be assigned. Although international work may be part of any EIS assignment, no assignment currently is based outside the U.S.

CDC National Centers

• National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
  Atlanta, Georgia
• National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
  Atlanta, Georgia
• National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
  Hyattsville, Maryland
• National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention (NCHHSTP)
  Atlanta, Georgia
• National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)
  Atlanta, Georgia
• National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
  Atlanta, Georgia
• National Center for Preparedness, Detection and Control of Infectious Diseases (NCPDCID)
  Atlanta, Georgia
• National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases (NCZVED)
  Atlanta, Georgia
• National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD)
  Atlanta, Georgia
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  Anchorage, Alaska
  Atlanta, Georgia
  Cincinnati, Ohio
  Denver, Colorado
  Morgantown, West Virginia
  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  Spokane, Washington