DSEPD Support and Services
What We Offer State and Local Health Departments
CDC’s Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development (DSEPD) assists state and local public health departments and public health partners by providing staff (fellow assignments), technical assistance, and training and education services.
We provide staff to CDC programs, local health departments, and other partners through fellow assignments.
Fellows are assigned to positions at state and local health departments or CDC headquarters through a competitive process. Fellows receive training and mentoring and provide service during their assignments.
DSEPD also works through a cooperative agreement with partners to place fellows in state and local health departments. Programs find fellows helpful for a wide range of initiatives, from immunization, to preparedness, to antimicrobial resistance, and more. Find out more about CDC’s opportunities to host a fellow or intern at the CDC Fellowships Host Site web page.
We provide short-term technical assistance and deployments of fellows to state or local health departments.
Technical assistance is provided through several mechanisms. Some examples include the following:
- An Epi-Aid is the mechanism CDC uses for public health authorities to request short-term (1–3 weeks) epidemiologic assistance. Epi-Aids allow rapid response by Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers.
- An Econ-Aid is the mechanism CDC uses for public health authorities to request assistance with economics analysis and is offered through the Prevention Effectiveness Fellowship.
- A Lab-Aid is a mechanism for public health authorities to request laboratory assistance and is offered through the Laboratory Leadership Service.
- An Info-Aid is a mechanism for public health partners to request informatics assistance and is offered through the Public Health Informatics Fellowship Program.
Fellows work closely with the state and local public health authorities, and the appropriate subject matter experts at CDC. The opportunity to provide technical assistance is a mutual benefit for the fellows and the program needing assistance.
Additionally, many fellows can deploy during emergency response or other urgent public health events. Fellows participate in responses as a part of their experiential training and can deploy to the field or to CDC’s Emergency Operations Center.
We deliver and promote learning opportunities for health professionals to improve health.
CDC Learning Connection helps health professionals find CDC and CDC partner trainings and other learning resources, through the website, social media and a monthly e-newsletter. CDC TRAINExternal
The E-learning Institute (ELI) is an online fellowship designed to cultivate skills of public health training professionals with limited experience designing or developing e-learning products.