Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA

Description

The Environmental Health Specialists Network (EHS-Net) supports programs in public health departments to: (1) As a funded member of EHS-Net, collaborate with other EHS-Net recipients and partners to develop and conduct multisite research projects focused on improving retail food safety; (2) Develop and conduct individual research projects focused on improving retail food safety. These projects will be unique to each recipient’s needs; and (3) Include an environmental health component in foodborne outbreak investigations and report data from outbreak investigations to CDC’s National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS). You must be able to collaborate with epidemiology and laboratory staff in your health departments or in other agencies that conduct foodborne outbreak investigations. Environmental health programs are typically responsible for retail food safety in their jurisdictions; foodborne outbreaks commonly occur in retail food establishments such as restaurants, delis, and caterers. Thus, the focus of these research and investigation efforts is retail food safety. We will award recipients for the first 12 months. We expect to award four more separate 12-month budget periods after that. Those separate budget period awards depend on whether funds are available and whether the recipient’s progress is satisfactory. Key activities include: 1) Practice-based research with a focus on retail food establishments; 2) Foodborne outbreak investigation; and 3) Collaboration with other EHS-Net recipients. Topics of interest include: a) Food safety management systems; b) Foodborne illness risk factors and practices that contribute to outbreaks, such as sick workers, inadequate temperature control of food, and cleaning and sanitizing; c) Interventions to reduce foodborne illness risk factors; d) Norovirus prevention and investigation; e) Cottage food and food freedom regulations; and f) Restaurant inspection and outbreak investigation practices.

Who can apply

• State governments
• County governments
• City or township governments
• Special district governments
• Independent school districts
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Public housing authorities / Indian housing authorities
• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized)
• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education)
• Private institutions of higher education
• For-profit organizations other than small businesses
• Small businesses
• Others
• Unrestricted

Contact

Candis M. Hunter, PhD, MSPH, REHS/RS<br/>ncipc_erpo@cdc.gov
ncipc_erpo@cdc.gov