CDC-RFA-OE22-2201 (3).pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services

Strengthening the Population & Public Health Workforce Pipeline

CDC-RFA-OE22-2201

05/10/2022

Table of Contents

A. Funding Opportunity Description

B. Award Information

C. Eligibility Information

D. Application and Submission Information

E. Review and Selection Process

F. Award Administration Information

G. Agency Contacts

H. Other Information

I. Glossary

Part I. Overview

Applicants must go to the synopsis page of this announcement at www.grants.gov and click on the "Subscribe" button link to ensure they receive notifications of any changes to CDC-RFA-

OE22-2201. Applicants also must provide an e-mail address to www.grants.gov to receive notifications of changes.

A. Federal Agency Name:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease

Registry (ATSDR)

B. Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Title:

Strengthening the Population & Public Health Workforce Pipeline

C. Announcement Type: New - Type 1:

This announcement is only for non-research activities supported by CDC. If research is proposed, the application will not be considered. For this purpose, research is defined at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2007-title42-vol1/pdf/CFR-2007-title42-vol1-sec52-

2.pdf. Guidance on how CDC interprets the definition of research in the context of public health can be found at https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/regulations/45-cfr-

46/index.html (See section 45 CFR 46.102(d)).

D. Agency Notice of Funding Opportunity Number:

CDC-RFA-OE22-2201

E. Assistance Listings Number:

93.967

F. Dates:

1. Due Date for Letter of Intent (LOI):

N/A

2. Due Date for Applications:

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2007-title42-vol1/pdf/CFR-2007-title42-vol1-sec52-2.pdf https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2007-title42-vol1/pdf/CFR-2007-title42-vol1-sec52-2.pdf https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/regulations/45-cfr-46/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/regulations/45-cfr-46/index.html

11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time, at www.grants.gov.

3. Due Date for Informational Conference Call:

N/A

G. Executive Summary:

1. Summary Paragraph

This Notice of Funding Opportunity supports activities that build competencies and enhance the capacity of the nation’s public health workforce to reduce health disparities and advance health equity. The NOFO consists of three components (A, B and C) providing funding for best practices in training, curriculum, and recruitment, fellowship program, and workforce improvement projects (WIPs). Three strategies are rooted in a theory of change to advance health equity, we must strive to: (1) Strengthen design and execution of data science and leadership training programs; (2) Assess, design and test a recruitment approach for developing a professional workforce that reflects the demographics of the populations served and the communities facing health inequities, to prepare them to advance health equity in public health practice; and (3) Provide high-quality, tailored, and applied learning experiences to diverse and representative individuals in governmental public health organizations. Organizations are expected to implement diversity and inclusion best-practice principles at the national, state, and local levels. Long-term outcomes of this work include: Increased effectiveness of leadership and data science development training programs to address health disparities and advance health equity; and increased leadership and data science competency of diverse and representative emerging public health professionals.

a. Eligible Applicants:

Open Competition

b. Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement)

c. Approximate Number of Awards

Only one award will be made for Component B: Public Health Fellowship program, and up to 3 awards will be made for Component A: Best Practices in Training, Curriculum and Applied

Learning, and Recruitment. Component C is dependent on CIO funding and Workforce

Improvement Project proposals to the extent such proposals align with the authority and purposes of this NOFO.

d. Total Period of Performance Funding:

$1,830,000

This amount is an estimate and subject to availability of funds. Applicants should apply separately for the components for which they wish to be considered.

e. Average One Year Award Amount:

$366,000

These amounts are estimates, up to 3 awards will be made for Component A (Best Practices in

Training, Curriculum and Applied Learning, and Recruitment) amount range from $166,000 to https://www.grants.gov/

$366,000; only one award will be made for Component B (Public Health Fellowship Program) amount range from $200,000 to $366,000. Component C is dependent on CIO funding and

Workforce Improvement Project proposals to the extent such proposals align with the authority and purposes of this NOFO.

f. Total Period of Performance Length:

g. Estimated Award Date:

August 01, 2022

h. Cost Sharing and / or Matching Requirements:

No

Part II. Full Text

A. Funding Opportunity Description

1. Background

a. Overview

A well-trained diverse public health workforce is essential for successfully implementing strategies and activities that will reduce our nation’s health disparities and advance health equity.

Understanding the social, technological, and cultural dynamics that impede health equity and how they drive inequities is critical for the public health workforce to equitably apply innovative, multi-sectoral practice models that impact population health. The goal of the NOFO is to support activities that apply innovative and established best practices in the education and training of diverse graduate, postgraduate, and applied public health learners, many of whom represent communities facing the greatest inequities in the cross-cutting areas of leadership development, data science training, and public health practice. Under Component A, recipients will focus thier activities under the NOFO’s two strategies: (1) Strengthen the design and execution of data science and leadership training programs; and (2) Design, assess, and test a recruitment approach for developing a professional workforce that is inclusive of the demographics of the populations served and communities facing health inequities. Under Component B, recipients will provide high-quality, tailored, and applied learning experiences to diverse individuals in governmental public health organizations that support diversity and inclusion best-practice principles at the national, state, and local levels. Under Component C, recipients will execute projects supported by various CDC Centers, Institutes, and Offices (CIOs) and other federal agencies. These projects will have an emphasis on education and training and focus on improving the health of populations while engaging the workforce in various areas of public health practice. By applying activities through a theory of change lens to systematically advance health equity, these strategic practices will seek to address the possible causes of health inequities. The 2016 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Public Health 3.0 initiative calls for a more concerted and coordinated effort to build foundational, high-performance skills and leadership development and management skills to ensure the success of the entire public health workforce. Producing highly skilled public health leaders requires a robust understanding of public health competencies and how to apply them to formal and informal leadership roles. Evidence needs to direct public health workforce planning and development, drive recruitment and retention strategies, and understand and address training gaps. For example, both specialized and generalized big data skills are becoming more common and necessary in the public health workforce. The modernization of data and information science requires a workforce trained in new, innovative approaches and methods in data science to tailor more precise and effective interventions. Education and applied training programs should also prioritize the recruitment and graduation of a diverse public health workforce. A greater diversity of demographic backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences yields more innovative public health approaches.

With these factors in mind, CDC is supporting activities that apply innovative and established best practices in the education and training of graduate, postgraduate, and applied public health learners in the strategies highlighted in this NOFO.

b. Statutory Authorities

Section 317(k)(2) of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. Section 247b(k)(2))

c. Healthy People 2030

This NOFO supports and builds the Public Health Infrastructure as defined in Healthy People

2030. The activities seek to develop a capable and qualified workforce able to assess and respond to public health needs. More information about the public health infrastructure goals can be found at: https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/public-health-infrastructure. Specific workforce objectives related to this funding opportunity include PHI-

R01, PHI-R02, and PHI-R03.

d. Other National Public Health Priorities and Strategies

• National Public Health Workforce Strategic Roadmap:

https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/strategic-workforce-activities/ph-workforce/roadmap.html.

• Public Health Workforce Development Action Plan:

https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/strategic-workforce-activities/ph-workforce/action-plan.html.

• Building Skills for a more Strategic Public Health Workforce: A Call to Action:

https://debeaumont.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Building-Skills-for-a-More-

Strategic-Public-Health-Workforce.pdf.

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities: A Nation Free of Disparities in Health and Health Care.

Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, [April 2011].

• National Partnership for Action. National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health

Equity; 2011.

e. Relevant Work

This NOFO builds on CDC programmatic activities within Academic Partnerships to Improve

Health.

https://www.cdc.gov/apih/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fc sels%2Fdsepd%2Facademic-partnerships%2Findex.html

Academic Partnerships to Improve Health (APIH) focused on improving individuals' and communities' health by developing the current and emerging health workforce.

2. CDC Project Description

a. Approach

Bold indicates period of performance outcome.

https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/public-health-infrastructure https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/public-health-infrastructure https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/strategic-workforce-activities/ph-workforce/roadmap.html https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/strategic-workforce-activities/ph-workforce/roadmap.html https://debeaumont.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Building-Skills-for-a-More-Strategic-Public-Health-Workforce.pdf https://debeaumont.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Building-Skills-for-a-More-Strategic-Public-Health-Workforce.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/apih/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcsels%2Fdsepd%2Facademic-partnerships%2Findex.html https://www.cdc.gov/apih/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcsels%2Fdsepd%2Facademic-partnerships%2Findex.html

CDC-RFA-OE22-2201

Logic Model: Strengthening the Population & Public Health Workforce Pipeline

Strategies and

Activities Short-term Outcomes Intermediate Outcomes

Long-Term

Outcomes

COMPONENT

A

Strategy 1:

Strengthen execution of data science and leadership training programs

Strategy 2:

Assess and design a recruitment approach for a more diverse public health workforce

COMPONENT

B

Strategy 3:

Provide quality applied learning experiences in governmental public health at the national, state, and local levels

COMPONENT

C

Strategy 4:

Implement workforce improvement projects

Increased awareness of evidence on effective leadership development and data science training

More comprehensive didactic leadership and data science trainings

Expanded experiential leadership and data science trainings

Fellows gain applied knowledge on data science and leadership in public health

Increased awareness of best practices to promote equity and diversity in recruitment

Increased understanding of barriers and potential solutions to recruitment for a diverse public health workforce

Increased number of projects at state, local, and tribal levels that address workforce needs

Increased implementation of best practices in leadership development and data science training

Improved knowledge and skills in leadership and data science among professionals

Increase in number of professionals with applied training in leadership and data science

Pathways developed for diverse students and recent alumni to support recruitment of future public health workforce hires

Increased availability of tools for hiring officials in institutions and jurisdictions to conduct their recruitment and selection processes that reduce bias

Increase in number of health professionals with applied training in public health and population health

Increased effectiveness of leadership and data science development training programs leadership and data science competency of emerging public health diversity of effective public health workforce

Enhanced capacity of the

i. Purpose

This NOFO will address workforce challenges to ensure adequate size, composition, and necessary skills to effectively deliver public health services. The NOFO supports best practices in training by generating and disseminating evidence-base for the execution of data science and leadership development training programs; developing and implementing a curriculum for public health leaders and data scientists; developing and implementing standards for applied learning experiences; developing and implementing strategy to support recruitment for a diverse workforce; and implementing fellowships.

ii. Outcomes

The principal outcomes of the strategies and activities under the cooperative agreement are:

• Increased effectiveness of leadership and data science development training programs

• Increased leadership and data science competency of emerging public health professionals

• Increased diversity of effective public health workforce

• Enhanced capacity of the public health workforce

iii. Strategies and Activities

Recipients will complete the activities described below under Component A, Best Practices in

Training, Curriculum and Applied Learning, and Recruitment, which consists of three strategic pillars, Component B, the Public Health Fellowship program, or Component C, Workforce

Improvement Projects.

Component A: Best Practices in Training, Curriculum and Applied Learning, and

Recruitment

Applicants may apply to conduct all or select pillars under Component A. These activities include the following:

Strategic Pillar 1 — Best Practices in Training

Generate and disseminate the evidence base in best practices for the execution of data science and leadership development training programs

Activity 1: Identify and clarify the evidence base for effective leadership development and data science and analytic training programs.

In Year 1, the recipient may conduct literature reviews that describe the pedagogical and best practices evidence base of leadership development and data science training. In addition, the recipient should apply approaches to collect and report on practice-based evidence as reported by subject-matter experts and instructors through interviews, focus groups, and other appropriate assessments. The information obtained from the literature reviews, focus groups, and interviews should be combined into a report that summarizes the methods, results, and recommendations.

The report can be shared with CDC at the end of the program year and published either in the gray or peer-reviewed literature. The recipient should also disseminate findings through presentations at relevant national or local national meetings.

Activity 2: Identify and improve the understanding of what it takes to motivate people to pursue a public health career, retain them in the profession, and support their career progression to become leaders.

In Year 2, the recipient may conduct literature reviews that describe the pedagogical and best practices evidence base of retention and career progression. In addition, the recipient may apply approaches to collect and report on practice-based evidence as reported by subject-matter experts and workforce development specialists through interviews, focus groups, and other appropriate assessments. The information obtained from the literature reviews, focus groups, and interviews should be combined into a report that summarizes the results, findings, and methods. The report can be shared with CDC at the end of the program year and published either in the gray or peer-reviewed literature and made avaialble to the public. The recipient will also disseminate findings through presentations at relevant national or local meetings.

Activity 3: Engage institutions conducting cutting edge science (from research and evaluation) and provide evidence to predict emerging trends in data science and analytics training and leadership development.

In Years 1 through 5, the recipient may convene an advisory group with relevant institutes of higher education and experts in the field that meet annually to discuss emerging evidence, trends, and identified needs in data science training and leadership development and develop recommendations. An annual report may be shared with CDC at the end of each program year and published either in the gray or peer-reviewed literature and shared with the public. The recipient will also disseminate findings through presentations at relevant national or local meetings.

Activity 4: Define solutions to improve data science training and leadership development training and help implement solutions.

In Years 1 through 5, the recipient may convene an advisory group and technical assistance teams consisting of experts from relevant institutes of higher education and experts in the field that meet at least annually to discuss solutions to improve data science and leadership training and assists with implementing solutions within institutions and government. The recipient should track the activities of technical assistance teams and generate reports at the end of each program year that describe challenges and identify solutions and recommendations. The reports may be provided to the public and CDC, and aggregated data may be published either in the gray or peer-reviewed literature. The recipient may also disseminate aggregated results through presentations at relevant national or local meetings.

Activity 5: Support pilot programs of leadership and data science education and training innovations in applied training within government at the local, state, and federal levels.

In Years 4 and 5, the recipient may provide subawards to training pilot programs in leadership development and data science training to test innovations. Pilot sites should evaluate their projects and share summaries of their innovations and evaluation results to the recipient and

CDC at the end of Year 5.

Strategic Pillar 2 — Curriculum and Applied Learning

Develop and implement curriculum for development of public health leaders and data scientists and develop and implement standards for impactful applied learning experiences

Activity 1: Engage with practice partners to establish a leadership training agenda and implementation plan.

The recipient may convene public health practice partners from all levels of government and the private sector. They should identify the needs, requirements, skill sets, and competencies needed for modernizing public health workforce leadership development programs, and an implementation strategy in the governmental public health workforce. The results should be combined into a leadership training agenda and implementation plan. The report should be provided to CDC at the end of the program year and published either in the gray or peer-reviewed literature. The recipient should also disseminate findings through presentations at relevant national or local meetings.

Activity 2: Provide more opportunities for high quality applied learning experiences between schools and public health jurisdictions at the federal, state, and local levels (particularly among lower-resourced health jurisdictions).

In Year 1, the recipient may conduct an environmental scan describing current field-based applied learning experiences or externships between schools and governmental public health agencies. The environmental scan may include research formerly completed and published in the peer-reviewed or gray literature. However, such studies should not be more than three years old and should be combined with results from information the recipient gathers from schools and governmental agencies the year they first receive funding.

In Year 2, the recipient should convene a meeting with schools and health departments to present scan results, and explore opportunities, challenges, and a vision for future partnerships based on emerging needs or trends. A meeting outcomes summary should be shared with CDC and disseminated widely among represented schools.

In Year 2, the recipient may establish a workgroup to develop standards for implementing effective applied opportunities, rotations, and projects within public health departments for students, graduates, and fellows.

In Year 3, the recipient may develop a guidance document and toolkit that builds the capacity of health departments by engaging college professors as supervisors for applied projects and subject-matter experts in state, local and tribal health departments. The recipient should widely disseminate these resources and provide technical assistance where needed to support the plan's implementation on the local level.

In Years 4 and 5, the recipient may develop guidelines defining the elements of quality field-based applied learning experiences with input from experts in the field, widely disseminate the guidelines, and provide technical assistance to support their implementation within schools and health departments.

Activity 3: Develop and implement training or content, including certified minicourses, for the current public health workforce to help fill gaps in existing content for leadership development and data science training.

In Year 3, the recipient may identify gaps in content and training materials and offerings identified by their advisory groups, technical assistance teams, and other experts.

In Years 4 and 5, the recipient may develop and implement training content and minicourses as needed to fill those gaps. Course developers should apply the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE) model of curriculum development and include analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation.

Strategic Pillar 3 — Recruitment

Develop and implement a strategy to support recruitment for a more diverse public health

Activity 1: Summarize best practices in recruitment and explore alternative methods (such as artificial intelligence) to reduce selection biases when recruiting for the public health workforce.

In Year 1, the recipient may engage practice leaders to understand what disciplines are essential for effective public health practice but currently underrepresented in the public health workforce.

In Years 1 and 2, the recipient may meet with academic leaders from traditional disciplines and disciplines that are not represented in the public health workforce but whose skills and training are necessary to public health to strengthen recruiting efforts.

In Years 1 and 2, the recipient may also have meaningful engagements with institutions and organizations that can support recruitment of a racial and ethnically diverse workforce (such as

Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Tribal colleges) to identify opportunities for collaboration and create access to diverse students and recent alumni for graduate and postgraduate education and training programs.

In Years 3, 4, and 5, the recipient may coordinate and support national implementation of the diversity recruitment strategy into governmental public health jobs.

Activity 2: Summarize best practices in the retention and progression of the public health workforce and describe how these factors may differ among diverse groups.

In Year 1, the recipient may engage practice leaders, subject-matter experts, and thought leaders to understand the factors contributing to retaining and advancing a diverse workforce.

In Year 2, the recipient may produce a report or guide that can be used by governmental and nongovernmental public health leaders to guide and support their workforce development and diversity efforts more fully.

In Years 3 through 5, the recipient may coordinate and support national implementation of the national retention and progression strategy.

Component B: Public Health Fellowship Program

This component provides applicants’ funding from CDC’s Centers, Institutes, and Offices

(CIOs) to support the management of public health fellowships. Public health fellowships are vital to CDC's strategic interests to ensure students and emerging health professionals receive hands-on experience in public health practice at CDC.

For this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), fellowships are for recent graduates (within five years of graduation) of Council on Education of Public Health-accredited schools or programs of public health, including dual degree programs. Public health fellowship placements will be from one to three years in length, with the option for mentors to renew for a fourth advanced training year.

The recipient will serve as a national coordinator among their constituent academic institutions for CDC fellowship programs. The goal is to provide timely and effective recruitment and selection of qualified and trained early career graduates and match them to domestic CDC placements based on the program's stated position requirements and criteria. In addition, CDC will provide the training position description and the baseline technical skills required of the fellow.

Fellowship Recruitment

The applicant should clearly outline and describe their process and methods for recruiting a well-qualified, diverse pool of fellowship applicants. Desired fellowship applicants will possess attributes that align with the service-oriented mission of CDC and share CDC's commitment to improve public health and eliminate health disparities and inequities and the underlying factors that drive it. Fellows will be recruited into applied training opportunities in different disciplines, including policy, data science, epidemiology, program management, health education, and communication. Applicants should indicate their plans and methods for partnering specifically with schools and programs that serve a diverse pool of students. These will include schools and programs within Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, schools and programs with a substantial percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native students and alumni, and schools with a rural health program or track. The recipient is expected to include a comprehensive summary of their recruitment activities, metrics, and outcomes in the

Annual Fellowship Program Report.

Fellow Selection

The applicant should clearly describe their process and methods for fellow selection. Fellow selection should occur in two stages, and both stages should incorporate Holistic Review principles and approaches into the selection process. The first stage will comprise an initial screening for general fellowship eligibility and will be conducted by the applicant or their qualified designee(s). The applicant should clearly outline the criteria used during this initial screening and include the screening instrument used by screeners. The second stage will be conducted by the CDC mentor and their designated selection team. The recipient should develop and provide a standardized interview instrument and scoring rubric to be used by interviewers and provide a brief training that summarizes the evidence base around best practices for interviewing. The applicant should outline their process for working with mentors to ensure the identification of a diverse interview panel and applying other principles to achieve a selection process that is equitable and aligned with CDC's mission.

Also, recipients should demonstrate successful administration of their specific programs, adherence to annual budget requirements, submission of annual reports, and achievement of stated objectives. A comprehensive evaluation plan based upon said goals that incorporate a quality improvement process is required for this component.

Those applicants considering applying for the fellowship component of this NOFO should include plans for transitioning current fellows and related fellowship management activities into their organization. Similarly, applicants for the fellowship component of the NOFO should include a brief statement on how they plan to prepare for transitioning programs and fellows at the end of the five-year cooperative agreement to a new recipient, should that occur.

Evaluation Plan

Applicants are required to submit an evaluation plan and include supporting materials, tools, and instruments. The fellowship evaluation plan should include a timeline outlining when assessments will be administered and to whom (fellow or mentor). A description of the primary purpose of each assessment, how assessment results will guide the quality improvement plan, and who will be involved in making any needed programmatic changes (recipient, CDC program office, fellow or mentor) is necessary. The applicant should include all the required steps in the workplan and have the time frame that each requirement or product will be implemented and complete.

In addition to the requirements described above, recipients should do the following:

o Charter, recruit, and establish a fellowship advisory committee or council;

o Assess core and discipline-specific fellowship competencies on an annual basis and update fellowship competencies as needed;

o Describe and implement, in collaboration with CDC, an instructional plan for fellowships, including learning objectives, proposed training methods, and approaches for assessing learning outcomes or performance improvement and incorporating evaluation feedback to improve future training;

o Promote, along with academic institutions, fellowship placement opportunities located at

CDC's domestic offices;

o Manage competitive selection of candidates and coordinate efforts to identify, recruit, and match qualified and trained candidates with fellowship placements;

o Provide comprehensive administrative support to fellows, including payroll, travel, insurance, and other necessary administrative functions;

o Design, coordinate, and execute a comprehensive fellowship orientation that specifies expectations, familiarize trainees with foundational needs, and introduces fellows to the agency, and provides presentations and trainings that align with program competencies and meets all applicable requirements;

o Identify and promote appropriate training opportunities for professional development in relevant topic areas that align with the program competencies;

o Provide and manage an electronic data system reporting fellowship project goals and objectives, project plans and descriptions, and project outcomes; and o Develop a program plan, and annual report submitted annually to CDC that includes the following:

• Recruiting, advertising, and marketing efforts and outcomes;

• Developing guidelines and support mechanisms for trainees and supervisors and mentors;

• Screening, selection, and matching process that ensures high-quality trainees;

• Developing program orientation, its requirements, and information about fellows' specific assignments;

• Monitoring and evaluation of trainees' progress, providing advisement and corrective plans when needed;

• Monitoring trainees' accounting (e.g., stipend, travel, and allowance) and resolving unexpected problems;

• Developing a transition plan that identifies an alternative recruitment process in case the fellow leaves the program early;

• Identifying an initial description and general training plan for the advanced training 4th year and finalize it with input from CDC program offices and the advisory committee or council; and

• Developing and implementing a rigorous evaluation and quality improvement plan based on stated objectives and activities contained in this NOFO. The evaluation plan must be included in the application.

Component C: Workforce Improvement Projects (WIPs)

This component provides funding derived from CDC Centers, Institutes, and Offices (CIOs) and other federal agencies for specific projects that have an emphasis on education and training and focused on improving the health of populations while engaging the workforce in various areas of public health practice. Recipients may work with the CIO supporting the project throughout project implementation. Depending on the requirements outlined in the WIP, recipients may apply for WIPs as a sole applicant or collaborate with other organizations or institutions to submit joint applications. WIP projects may be one to five years in length, depending on project scope, needs, and requirements and the specific projects will be advertised annually, and recipients will be eligible to apply for funding to implement the specific projects identified by the CIO.

1. Collaborations

a. With other CDC projects and CDC-funded organizations:

For applicants applying for Component A, the collaborations described in the CDC project description includes subject matter experts (data scientists and leaders in state, local, tribal health departments, federal agencies and NGO’s, and workforce development specialists); Instructors and researchers in workforce, leadership, data science and experts in higher education; Public health practice partners, administrators and managers within schools and programs of public health and health departments, and historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribal colleges. For applicants applying for Component B, the collaboration described in the CDC project description includes mentors and supervisors within CDC Centers, Institutes and Offices (CIOs), fellowship course providers and instructors, administrators of schools and programs of public health essential for the recruitment of fellows into the training program. Recipients are expected to collaborate with CDC CIOs and programs to implement the fellowship program and workforce development activities. CDC CIOs sponsoring fellows will provide mentorship, applied learning opportunities, and training support to fellows. Fellowship placements in CIO funded programs within state, local, tribal and territorial health departments will be coordinated through the CIO in collaboration with the recipient.

b. With organizations not funded by CDC:

Recipients are expected to collaborate with schools of public health and other schools that represent disciplines important to public health, state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments, and the national organizations that represent them, academic associations that represent industries, schools, and programs critical in impacting health, historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions and tribal colleges, and credentialing organizations. Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide letters of support, where applicable.

Letters of support should be uploaded as a pdf at www.grants.gov and titled "Letter of

Support". Recipients will identify opportunities to advance the goals of the cooperative agreement at relevant meetings and conferences.

2. Target Populations

The group that will benefit from achieving the outcomes within this NOFO is the governmental public health workforce at state, tribal, local, territorial and federal levels.

Recipients are expected to identify segments of the public health workforce that are most impacted by health disparities and inequities in the context of professional development to ensure broad and deep representation in the learner cohorts. Recipients are expected to use best available data to identify their target population(s) and describe the sociodemographic characteristics of these sub-groups.

a. Health Disparities

The Public Health Fellowship program recruits recent graduates that possess attributes that align with the service-oriented mission of CDC and share CDC's commitment to improve public health, eliminate health disparities and inequities, and the underlying factors that drive it.

Recipients are expected to develop, adapt, and modify program strategies, activities, and materials to ensure diversity and representativeness of learners in funded programs, as well as identify and describe how they will validate the cultural, linguistic, and social appropriateness of this work. To advance inclusion, recipients should establish a hiring process that vets candidates for their sensitivities to and understanding of root causes of health inequities, empathy, and health equity to facilitate a staff body that advances inclusion principles. Recipients should develop an internal strategic plan that outlines their intentions to change and align internal practices and processes to advance diversity, inclusion, and equity principles and describe how these principles will be enforced. Monitoring and evaluation procedures should be developed to document and inform best-practices and to understand the implications of this work.

iv. Funding Strategy

This is a multicomponent NOFO. Applicants may apply for both components A and B or just a single component. Successful applicants will automatically be eligible for Component C, Workforce Improvement Projects. No application is required for Component C. Applicants must submit one cumulative application be submitted for all components applied for they would like to be considered. Applicants applying to administer the Public Health Fellowship program should note that the award for the Public Health Fellowship includes the base funding amount plus the award for each fellow enrolled in the program. Additional funds cover fellow stipends, travel and training, and associated organization administrative fees.

The range of funding for Component A is $166,000 to $366,000. Applicant’s can propose to implement activities under one, two, or three strategic pillars. The range of base funding for

Component B is $200,000 to $366,000. The maximum base funding for the two components is

$366,000. Applicants who apply to implement activities under both components, their total base budget across the two components should not exceed $366,000. Funding will be based on the number of activities or strategic pillars applicants will implement and the recipient’s capacity.

Funding for Component C may vary and is dependent on CIO funding availability.

b. Evaluation and Performance Measurement

i. CDC Evaluation and Performance Measurement Strategy

The activities under this NOFO will result in the following outcomes:

Outcome Measure 1: Increased awareness of evidence on effective leadership development and data science training programs

Suboutcome: Increased implementation of best practices in leadership development and data

Outcome Measure 2: More comprehensive didactic leadership and data science trainings

Suboutcome: Improved knowledge and skills in leadership and data science among public health

Outcome Measure 3: Expanded experiential leadership and data science trainings

Suboutcome: Increase in number of public health professionals with applied training in leadership and data science

Outcome Measure 4: Fellows gain applied knowledge on data science and leadership in

Outcome Measure 5: Increased awareness of best practices to promote equity and diversity in recruitment

Suboutcome 1: Pathways developed for diverse students and recent alumni to support recruitment of future public health workforce hires

Suboutcome 2: Increased availability of tools for hiring officials in institutions and jurisdictions to conduct their recruitment and selection processes that reduce bias

Outcome Measure 6: Increased understanding of barriers and potential solutions to recruitment for a diverse public health workforce

Suboutcome 1: Pathways developed for diverse students and recent alumni to support recruitment of future public health workforce hires

Suboutcome 2: Increased availability of tools for hiring officials in institutions and jurisdictions to conduct their recruitment and selection processes that reduce bias

Outcome Measure 7: Fellows gain applied knowledge in governmental public health and population health

Suboutcome: Increase in number of health professionals with applied training in public health and population health

CDC will use the below measures to track implementation of recipient strategies and activities:

Component A

Process measures for Strategy 1:

• By the end of the first year, recipients can submit a report to CDC (and possibly a broader audience through publications or conference presentations) summarizing findings on the evidence base of effective leadership development and data science programs.

• Recipients should annually report on the number of and quality of relationships with institutions.

• By the end of the third year, recipients may submit a report to CDC on the evidence to predict emerging trends in leadership and data science.

Process measures for Strategy 2:

• By the end of the fifth year, recipients can submit to CDC a report on the training agenda and implementation plan.

• By the end of the first year, recipients may submit to CDC a report of environmental scan findings.

• By the end of the second year, recipients may submit to CDC a report prioritizing the training needs.

• By the end of the first year, recipients may submit a report to CDC on environmental scan findings of current practices.

• By the end of the second year, recipients should convene a meeting with SPH and HDs to present results from environmental scan and explore challenges and opportunities.

• By the end of the second year, recipients may submit to CDC a report summarizing meeting discussion and proposing recommendations to CDC.

• Recipients can submit annual reports to CDC the number of college professors serving as host site supervisors.

• By the end of the second year, recipients should establish the workgroup and then annually report on the number of workgroup meetings.

Process measures for Strategy 3:

• By the end of the first year, recipients may submit to CDC a report on recruitment best practices and recommendations.

• By the end of the second year, recipients may submit to CDC a report of motivating factors and opportunities to increase retention and progression of public health professionals.

• Recipients should annually report to CDC the number of minority-serving institutions engaged with and the recruitment activities that took place.

• By the end of the first year, recipients should report to CDC the number of education and training leaders engaged with.

• By the end of the second year, recipients should report on identified approaches for increased engagement.

• During years 3-5 recipients should submit to CDC annual implementation and evaluation reports. Evaluations may investigate the quality and fidelity of implementation. CDC evaluation resources are available to provide consultation as needed.

Component B

Process measures for Public Health Fellowship Program:

• Recipients should annually report to CDC the types of hands-on training in which fellows participated.

• Recipients should annually report to CDC results of training assessments from fellows.

• Recipients may develop a tracking mechanism to follow graduates over time and annually report data to CDC.

• Recipients should annually report to CDC data from assessments of fellows' learning.

CDC will use the below measures to determine progress on achieving the period of performance outcomes:

Component A

Outcome measures for Strategy 1:

• By the fifth year, recipients should report to CDC changes in awareness of evidence on effective leadership development and data science training programs among leaders, directors, and/or decision makers of public health training programs, as informed by evaluation surveys on that population.

Outcome measures for Strategy 2:

• Annually during years 3-5 recipients should report to CDC the number of new trainings developed and an evaluation report of the training quality, effectiveness, and fidelity of implementation.

• By the end of the fifth year, recipients may have implemented recommendations in select host sites and will report the number of institutions where curricula were changed to include experiential learning.

• Recipients should annually report to CDC changes in fellows’ knowledge, as measured on post-training evaluations.

Outcome measures for Strategy 3:

• By the fifth year, recipients should report to CDC changes in awareness of best practices to promote equity and diversity in recruitment among leaders, directors, and/or decision makers of public health training programs, as informed by evaluation surveys on that population.

• By the end of the fifth year, recipients should report to CDC changes in understanding of the barriers and potential solutions to recruitment for a diverse public health workforce among leaders, directors, and/or decision makers of public health training programs, as informed by evaluation surveys on that population.

Component B

Outcome measures for Publich Health Fellowship Program:

• Recipients should annually report to CDC changes in fellows’ knowledge, as measured on post-training evaluations.

Performance measures will be used to track and report on the progress and success of NOFO activities and build an evidence-base regarding engaging students and learners to develop the priority areas of leadership and data science. The data collected in a given year will be used to inform future program activities and approaches. Up to 3 awards will be made for activities described under the three strategic pillars in Component A - Best Practices in Training, Curriculum and Applied Learning, and Recruitement. One award will be made for Component B

- Public Health Fellowship Program.

ii. Applicant Evaluation and Performance Measurement Plan

Applicants must provide an evaluation and performance measurement plan that demonstrates how the recipient will fulfill the requirements described in the CDC Evaluation and Performance

Measurement and Project Description sections of this NOFO. At a minimum, the plan must describe:

• How the applicant will collect the performance measures, respond to the evaluation questions, and use evaluation findings for continuous program quality improvement.

• How key program partners will participate in the evaluation and performance measurement planning processes.

• Available data sources, feasibility of collecting appropriate evaluation and performance data, and other relevant data information (e.g., performance measures proposed by the applicant)

• Plans for updating the Data Management Plan (DMP) as new pertinent information becomes available. If applicable, throughout the lifecycle of the project. Updates to

DMP should be provided in annual progress reports. The DMP should provide a description of the data that will be produced using these NOFO funds; access to data;

data standards ensuring released data have documentation describing methods of collection, what the data represent, and data limitations; and archival and long-term data preservation plans. For more information about CDC’s policy on the DMP, see https://www.cdc.gov/grants/additional-requirements/ar-25.html.

Where the applicant chooses to, or is expected to, take on specific evaluation studies, the applicant should be directed to:

• Describe the type of evaluations (i.e., process, outcome, or both).

• Describe key evaluation questions to be addressed by these evaluations.

• Describe other information (e.g., measures, data sources).

Recipients will be required to submit a more detailed Evaluation and Performance Measurement plan, including a DMP, if applicable, within the first 6 months of award, as described in the

Reporting Section of this NOFO.

c. Organizational Capacity of Recipients to Implement the Approach

Applicants applying for Component A must possess the following:

• Able to describe existing and prior collaboration with the following where applicable:

state, local, tribal, territorial health departments or organizations that represent them;

• Able to demonstrate evidence of existing and prior collaboration with schools and programs of public health and other schools important to public health and workforce development such as business, computer science, public policy, education;

• Has experience convening partners to develop consensus documents, significant public health practice reports or other guidance documents;

• Provide a staffing plan and project management structure that will be sufficient to achieve the project outcomes and which clearly defines staff roles;

• Provide evidence of having collaborations with state, tribal, local, territorial health departments, or the organizations that represent them, the vast majority of Council on

Education for Public Health (CEPH) accredited schools of public health or the organization that represent them and other schools important to the public health enterprise.

Applicants applying for Component A or Component B must possess the following abilities:

• Has experience planning, conducting and evaluating workforce development programs;

• Has experience developing curricula and developing and curating training content;

• Has…