Application Guide

How to Apply for Senior Biostatistician

at CDC Foundation

🏢 About CDC Foundation

The CDC Foundation is a unique nonprofit that mobilizes philanthropic and private-sector resources to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's critical health protection work. Unlike typical government agencies, it operates with entrepreneurial flexibility while directly contributing to public health emergencies and long-term initiatives. Working here means your statistical work directly informs national health decisions and potentially saves lives.

About This Role

This Senior Biostatistician role focuses on transforming complex public health data into accessible Power BI dashboards for stakeholders. You'll bridge statistical analysis with data visualization, ensuring accurate communication of health trends and outbreaks. Your work will directly support CDC programs by making data actionable for epidemiologists and policymakers.

💡 A Day in the Life

You might start by meeting with epidemiologists to refine dashboard requirements for a new surveillance metric, then spend the morning writing DAX measures and optimizing data models in Power BI. After lunch, you could conduct statistical analysis in R to validate dashboard metrics, followed by training program staff on interpreting a newly launched dashboard tracking vaccination disparities.

🚀 Application Tools

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Interview Prep

Practice questions for this role

🎯 Who CDC Foundation Is Looking For

  • Has 2-4 years of hands-on experience with Power BI including DAX, Power Query, and data modeling, specifically for public health or government data
  • Combines statistical expertise (using SAS, R, or STATA) with dashboard design skills to create clear visualizations from epidemiological data
  • Has worked in public health, state agencies, or similar settings where data informs policy or emergency response
  • Can collaborate effectively with non-technical staff to translate data needs into interactive solutions

📝 Tips for Applying to CDC Foundation

1

Highlight specific Power BI projects where you created dashboards for public health or government stakeholders, not just generic business data

2

Quantify your impact: mention how many dashboards you've built/maintained, user adoption rates, or how your visualizations influenced decisions

3

Demonstrate your understanding of CDC priorities by referencing current public health initiatives (like opioid crisis, infectious disease surveillance, or health equity)

4

Show collaboration examples with epidemiologists or public health professionals, not just technical teams

5

Include a link to a Power BI portfolio or sample dashboard (if possible) that shows clean design and public-health-relevant metrics

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Your experience with statistical software (SAS/R/STATA) AND Power BI in public health contexts', 'Examples of translating complex biostatistical analyses into dashboard visualizations for diverse audiences', 'How your work has supported public health decision-making or emergency response', "Why you're specifically interested in the CDC Foundation's mission-driven, public-private partnership model"]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → CDC Foundation's current response initiatives (check their website for active programs beyond COVID-19)
  • → CDC's public health data priorities (like CDC's Data Modernization Initiative)
  • → How the Foundation differs from CDC itself - their unique public-private partnership model
  • → Recent CDC data releases or dashboards (like COVID Data Tracker) to understand their visualization style

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk through a past Power BI dashboard project: how you handled data modeling, DAX calculations, and design choices for public health data
2 How you ensure statistical rigor when preparing data for dashboards (addressing bias, missing data, appropriate metrics)
3 Scenario: An epidemiologist needs a dashboard to track disease outbreak metrics - what questions would you ask them first?
4 How you've trained non-technical staff to use and interpret dashboards in previous roles
5 Your experience working with sensitive health data and maintaining data privacy/security
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Focusing only on technical Power BI skills without demonstrating public health/statistical context
  • Generic dashboard examples (sales, marketing) without public health or government relevance
  • Not understanding the difference between CDC and CDC Foundation in your application materials

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to CDC Foundation!

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