What if you could spend two years at the CDC using data, computer science, and technology to solve real public-health problems? The CDC Public Health Informatics Fellowship Program (PHIFP) is a paid, full-time fellowship for professionals who want to apply informatics and data skills to public health.
Quick Facts
- Opportunity Type: Paid Fellowship / Federal Government Training
- Host Organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA; some assignments may be in Washington, DC and other CDC locations
- Duration: 2 years
- Mode / Format: Full-time, in-person
- Start Date: August 2027
- Minimum Degree Required: Master’s or Doctoral degree
- Eligible Fields: Public Health, Medicine, Healthcare/Health Services Research, Computer Science, Data Science, Medical/Public Health Informatics, Statistics, Epidemiology, Engineering, or Operations Research
- Age: None
- Nationality: U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, and eligible non-U.S. citizens with qualifying U.S. work authorization
- Work Experience: At least 1 year of documented full-time work or volunteer experience in the same field as the qualifying degree
- Stipend / Salary / Financial Support: Paid federal employment; Master’s fellows are appointed at GS-11 Step 3 and Doctoral fellows at GS-12 Step 3, with federal employee benefits
- Application Fee: $0
- Application Deadline: November 6, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET
- Recommendation Deadline: November 15, 2026
What Is the CDC PHIFP Fellowship?
The Public Health Informatics Fellowship Program is a two-year, competency-based training program where fellows apply information science, computer science, data analytics and related technical skills to public-health challenges.
Rather than being purely academic, the program is heavily experiential. CDC describes the training as approximately 90% on-the-job training and 10% coursework. Fellows can work on public-health information systems, informatics evaluations, emergency-response activities and technical projects supporting public-health agencies.
That makes this particularly interesting for people who want to combine technology + data + public health rather than pursue a conventional research-only fellowship.
What Do You Get?
Paid Federal Position
This isn’t an unpaid fellowship. PHIFP fellows are hired as full-time-equivalent federal employees.
- Master’s degree: GS-11 Step 3
- Doctoral degree: GS-12 Step 3
- Paid annual leave
- Paid sick leave
- Federal employee benefits
- Potential salary increase after the first year, depending on performance and applicable federal rules
Your exact salary depends on the applicable federal locality pay table.
Real CDC Project Experience
Fellows may work on projects involving:
- Public-health information systems
- Data science and analytics
- Informatics evaluation
- Computer science and information technology
- Emergency response
- Technical assistance to public-health organizations
- Research and development of public-health systems
Who Can Apply?
You need a qualifying Master’s or Doctoral degree from an accredited institution.
Eligible fields include:
- Public Health
- Medicine
- Healthcare or Health Services Research
- Computer Science
- Data Science
- Medical or Public Health Informatics
- Statistics
- Epidemiology
- Engineering
- Operations Research
You must also have at least one year of documented full-time work or volunteer experience in the same field as your qualifying degree. CDC also asks applicants to document research or evaluation experience, which can include publications, thesis work, presentations or research/evaluation proposals.
What About International Applicants?
This is an important detail.
The fellowship isn’t simply “open to everyone worldwide.” CDC says non-U.S. citizens or permanent residents may be considered only if they have an eligible U.S. work authorization, such as certain OPT STEM, TN, J-1/J-2, H-1B or other applicable work authorization. Eligibility is also subject to applicable federal rules.
So an international applicant should not assume that being eligible for the degree requirements automatically makes them eligible for PHIFP.
Application Timeline
- September 1, 2026: Applications open
- November 6, 2026, 11:59 PM ET: Application deadline
- November 15, 2026: Recommendation forms due
- November 2026–January 2027: Application screening
- January–February 2027: Host-site interviews
- February–March 2027: Final selections
- August 2027: Fellowship begins
What Do You Need to Apply?
CDC recommends preparing:
- Resume/CV
- Education and degree information
- Work and volunteer experience
- Publications, presentations and grants
- Personal statement
- Technical skills self-assessment
- At least three recommendation forms
- Unofficial transcripts for earned and in-progress degrees
The personal statement consists of two sections, each with a 500-word limit.
If your degree was obtained outside the United States, CDC requires a course-by-course academic credential evaluation from a NACES member before the application deadline.
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