Externship Details:
Organization Description:
The California Emerging Infections Program (CEIP) is one of ten Emerging Infections Program sites funded by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, and sponsored by Public Health Foundation Enterprises, Inc. This program functions in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), local health departments and U.C. Berkeley School of Public Health. CEIP conducts public health surveillance for infectious diseases caused by selected bacterial and viral pathogens as well as related special studies, such as enrolling participants in vaccine effectiveness studies and determining risk factors for specific diseases. This surveillance is conducted in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties. CEIP was initiated in 1994 with Directors Duc Vugia, MD, MPH and Arthur Reingold, MD, Associate Director Gretchen Rothrock, MPH, and seven employees. It now employs over 40 staff and is now directed by James Watt, MD, MPH, Chief, Division of Communicable Disease Control
Sponsor's Responsibilities:
The Associate Director (AD) and Project Coordinators (PCs), oversee a wide range of studies and activities, from grant applications budget monitoring and hiring staff, to active, population-based surveillance for selected pathogens and implementation of special studies. These activities may include data collection and data management, as well as well as study planning and protocol development. As an example, one Project Coordinator oversees the implementation and coordination of a large pertussis case-control study, while another is planning the launch of the fourth phase of a hospital point prevalence survey, examining the use of antibiotics in hospital settings. The Project Coordinators also assist the Associate Director in forming CEIP policies.
Extern's Proposed Duties:
The extern may observe multiple activities of either the Associate Director or a Project Coordinator or Surveillance Officer who will be acting as sponsors for this externship. The extern may observe a project coordinator’s interactions with other CEIP staff, attend a staff surveillance meeting, special study meeting, or study conference call, and possibly meet with CEIP staff holding other job titles and responsibilities. If time permits and schedules allow, the extern may shadow a surveillance officer conducting field work or tour a public health laboratory. Projects that may be observed include surveillance for Healthcare Associated Infections, Hospitalized Influenza Disease, Foodborne Diseases, or Invasive Bacterial Infections, or one of the many related special studies that are conducted from the Oakland office of the CEIP.
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