MEF Program

Print
Related Pages

Goals:

The MEF program trains laboratory scientists and bioinformaticians to become efficient, competent, and well-rounded molecular epidemiologists to navigate seamlessly between laboratory science and epidemiology.

Overview:

CDC’s Molecular Epidemiology Fellowship (MEF) program is designed to produce molecular epidemiologists by

  • Providing training in applied epidemiology.
  • Providing opportunities to conduct molecular epidemiology work.
  • Expanding career potential for laboratory scientists with experience in generating or analyzing genomic data and bioinformaticians with laboratory experience.

The two-year MEF program matches fellows to host sites that provide experiential training in outbreak investigation and surveillance activities. MEF fellows are assigned two supervisors. The primary supervisor is an experienced epidemiologist in the assigned host site. The secondary supervisor is an experienced laboratory scientist in the corresponding laboratory program. The fellow is to spend 85% of the time within the epidemiology program and 15% within the laboratory program.

Fellows also take classes and attend lectures with established public health educators and can participate in trainings and seminars with laboratory scientists, public health advisors, bioinformaticians, and data scientists at CDC.

Graduating from MEF opens doors for specialized career development, leadership opportunities, and expanded career potential. In addition, this program gives MEF graduates the ability to conduct molecular epidemiology and the skills to work at the intersection between epidemiology and laboratory science.

Mission:

The mission of the MEF program is to equip laboratory scientists or public health scientists with the knowledge to interpret and apply genomic data for infectious diseases to accomplish the following:

  • Detect outbreaks faster
  • Identify outbreaks that otherwise would go undetected
  • Recognize and classify the sources of outbreaks
  • Guide an investigation by confirming or refuting transmission among epidemiologically linked cases
  • Monitor and predict variant emergence and spread
  • Address data modernization needs involving managing and sharing genomic data elements and linking them with epidemiologic data
  • Adapt to emerging technologies like metagenomics for routine public health use

Backbone of MEF:

The MEF program seeks to develop core competencies [PDF – 2 pages]—a set of foundational skills desirable for public health professionals. These core competencies are organized into nine domains, or skill areas, within public health. Successful completion of the MEF Core Activities of Learning (CALs) [PDF – 8 pages] will result in varying levels of competence throughout the nine competency domains.

Goals:

The MEF program trains laboratory scientists and bioinformaticians to become efficient, competent, and well-rounded molecular epidemiologists to navigate seamlessly between laboratory science and epidemiology.

Overview

Information, DNA, DNA analysis

CDC’s Molecular Epidemiology Fellowship (MEF) program is designed to produce molecular epidemiologists by

  • Providing training in applied epidemiology.
  • Providing opportunities to conduct molecular epidemiology work.
  • Expanding career potential for laboratory scientists with experience in generating or analyzing genomic data and bioinformaticians with laboratory experience.

The two-year MEF program matches fellows to host sites that provide experiential training in outbreak investigation and surveillance activities. MEF fellows are assigned two supervisors. The primary supervisor is an experienced epidemiologist in the assigned host site. The secondary supervisor is an experienced laboratory scientist in the corresponding laboratory program. The fellow is to spend 85% of the time within the epidemiology program and 15% within the laboratory program.

Fellows also take classes and attend lectures with established public health educators and can participate in trainings and seminars with laboratory scientists, public health advisors, bioinformaticians, and data scientists at CDC.

Graduating from MEF opens doors for specialized career development, leadership opportunities, and expanded career potential. In addition, this program gives MEF graduates the ability to conduct molecular epidemiology and the skills to work at the intersection between epidemiology and laboratory science.

Mission

The mission of the MEF program is to equip laboratory scientists or public health scientists with the knowledge to interpret and apply genomic data for infectious diseases to accomplish the following:

  • Detect outbreaks faster
  • Identify outbreaks that otherwise would go undetected
  • Recognize and classify the sources of outbreaks
  • Guide an investigation by confirming or refuting transmission among epidemiologically linked cases
  • Monitor and predict variant emergence and spread
  • Address data modernization needs involving managing and sharing genomic data elements and linking them with epidemiologic data
  • Adapt to emerging technologies like metagenomics for routine public health use

Backbone of MEF

The MEF program seeks to develop core competencies [PDF – 2 pages]—a set of foundational skills desirable for public health professionals. These core competencies are organized into nine domains, or skill areas, within public health. Successful completion of the MEF Core Activities of Learning (CALs) [PDF – 8 pages] will result in varying levels of competence throughout the nine competency domains.