About CDC

At a glance

  • CDC is the nation's leading science-based, data-driven, service organization that protects the public's health.
  • CDC puts science into action to help children stay healthy so they can grow and learn; to help families, businesses, and communities fight disease and stay strong; and to protect the public's health.
  • Learn more about CDC's mission, priorities, role, and core values.
Roybal campus with sign

Our mission

CDC works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same.

CDC increases the health security of our nation. As the nation's health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats. To accomplish our mission, CDC conducts critical science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats and responds when these arise.

Priorities

The 2022-2027 CDC Strategic Plan advances science and health equity and affirms the agency's commitment to one unified vision— equitably protecting health, safety, and security. The plan continues to leverage 5 core capabilities of the agency, reflecting our commitment to equity and diversity and lifting up where we have invested through the COVID-19 pandemic. Our work is underscored by the agency's Pledge to the American People and dedication to use timely data and science to drive and communicate customer-centered, high-impact public health action.

CDC Moving Forward‎

In April 2022, CDC launched an effort to refine and modernize its structures, systems, and processes around developing and deploying our science and programs. The goal was to learn how to pivot our long-standing practices and adapt to pandemics and other public health emergencies, then to apply those lessons across the organization. The effort included a review of key workflows, with a particular focus on ensuring CDC's science reaches the public in an understandable, accessible, and implementable manner as quickly as possible.
CDC Moving Forward

CDC in the 21st century

  • On the cutting edge of health security – confronting global disease threats through advanced computing and lab analysis of huge amounts of data to quickly find solutions.
  • Putting science into action – tracking disease and finding out what is making people sick and the most effective ways to prevent it.
  • Helping medical care – bringing new knowledge to individual health care and community health to save more lives and reduce waste.
  • Fighting diseases before they reach our borders – detecting and confronting new germs and diseases around the globe to increase our national security.
  • Nurturing public health – building on our significant contribution to have strong, well-resourced public health leaders and capabilities at national, state and local levels to protect Americans from health threats.

CDC's Role

  • Detecting and responding to new and emerging health threats
  • Tackling the biggest health problems causing death and disability for Americans
  • Putting science and advanced technology into action to prevent disease
  • Promoting healthy and safe behaviors, communities and environment
  • Developing leaders and training the public health workforce, including disease detectives
  • Taking the health pulse of our nation

Resources

CDC Tobacco–Free Campus CDC was one of the one of the first Health and Human Services agencies to implement the tobacco-free campus policy. The goal of Tobacco-Free HHS is to improve the health of its employees by promoting tobacco use cessation.

Employee Directory Search for CDC employees in the Health and Human Services employee directory.

Visiting CDC

CDC visitor center
Plan your trip to CDC in Atlanta. Print the Visitor Information Guide. Explore the David J. Sencer CDC Museum in the Tom Harkin Global Communications Center.
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Content Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention