Impact of Epidemic Intelligence Service Training in Occupational Respiratory Epidemiology

Abstract

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) is a fellowship in applied epidemiology for physicians, veterinarians, nurses, scientists, and other health professionals. Each EIS fellow is assigned to a position at a federal, state, or local site for 2 years of on-the-job training in outbreak investigation, epidemiologic research, surveillance system evaluation, and scientific communication. Although the original focus of the program on the control of infectious diseases remains salient, positions are available for training in other areas of public health, including occupational respiratory disease. In this Perspective, we describe the EIS program, highlight three positions (one federal and two state-based) that provide training in occupational respiratory epidemiology, and summarize trainees' experiences in these positions over a 30-year period. For early-career health professionals interested in understanding and preventing occupational respiratory hazards and diseases, EIS offers a unique career development opportunity.

Keywords: fellowships; occupational disease; occupational exposures.

Figure 1.

Locations of Epidemic Intelligence Service Officers assignments for classes of 2021 and 2022. Data published by the U.S. CDC/National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, Division of Workforce Development. Last updated March 30, 2023. CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.