HHS Nutrition Policy Fellowship

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

HHS Office and Location: A nutrition policy fellowship is available in the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Office of the Secretary (OS), at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in Rockville, MD.

The mission of the HHS is to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.

OASH provides leadership to the nation on public health and science matters, and communicates on these subjects to the American people. OASH is a Staff Division in HHS that performs both policy and program roles and is led by the Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH), whose chief mission is promoting, protecting, and improving the nation’s health. For additional information, please visit: http://www.hhs.gov/ash/.

ODPHP, strategically placed in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, has been leading the alignment of disease prevention and health promotion activities across the department for more than 30 years. Within ODPHP, the Division of Prevention Science coordinates departmental efforts in the development of 1) Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Dietary Guidelines), which form the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy, are the basis of federal food, nutrition, and health programs, and are issued jointly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) every five years since 1980; and 2) the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which provide science-based recommendations and summarize the latest knowledge about physical activity and health.

Research Project: The primary participatory role for the nutrition policy fellow will be assisting in the coordination and development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030.

The fellow may also be involved in the following activities:

• Supporting the work of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
• Supporting the development, implementation, and review of Dietary Guidelines and related materials through research, writing, and editing.
• Supporting communication and dissemination of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 
• Assisting with the preparation of briefing materials for ODPHP, OASH, and HHS leadership on key federal nutrition initiatives
• Participating in and evaluating team projects in the area of disease prevention and health promotion.
• Replying to Departmental correspondence and clearances.
• Participating in Division of Prevention Science meetings, contributing to program development and implementation.
• Contributing to Departmental prevention efforts.

Learning Objectives: The participant will gain professional experience in a health policy setting. 

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Janet DeJesus (Janet.Dejesus@hhs.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: October 1, 2023. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of HHS and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full-time.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The current stipend for this opportunity is within the range of $64,957 - $103,619 per year.

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.

ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and HHS. Participants do not become employees of HHS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility, including but not limited to, COVID-19 requirements (e.g. facial covering, physical distancing, testing, vaccination).

Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email HHSrpp@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (e.g. Nutrition). Degree must have been received within the past five years. 

Registered Dietitian preferred.

Preferred Skills:

• Must demonstrate ability to present information, both orally and written, for various audiences in clear and concise formats and be able to work independently as well as with a team.
• Ability to review and interpret nutrition research.
• Be a self-starter capable of working in a fast-paced environment; 
• Have substantial experience as an expert in food and nutrition;
• Have strong interpersonal, organizational, analytical and technical writing skills; and
• Be knowledgeable about the Dietary Guidelines scientific process.