CDC Sustainable Management Development Program (SMDP)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is dedicated to strengthening health systems globally through improved public health leadership and management. We engage, develop and support health leaders in these ways:

• Building country capacity to achieve lasting health improvements: CDC works with ministries of health to strengthen managers’ skills and competencies, improve program operations, and promote changes in policy and systems. Our Global Health Leadership Forum will be held in Atlanta, Georgia during November 1-5, 2010, increasing our efforts to build capacity within countries. The Forum will bring together senior leaders from ministries of health or animal-health related programs to exchange experiences in public health leadership, management and new approaches to strengthening health systems.
• Developing strong partnerships and providing strategic leadership: We aim to strengthen leadership through new and creative partnerships, globally and within CDC, that foster systems and support better health. For example, CDC is partnering with field epidemiologists, laboratorians, the South Caucasus Field Epidemiology Training Program, and the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency to build laboratory management capacity and strengthen disease surveillance of dangerous pathogens in the Republic of Georgia.
• Advancing the science base through applied research and evaluation: CDC is committed to building a stronger evidence base for global leadership and management sciences and their application to public health improvement. We are developing a management assessment tool with which to identify and disseminate best practices in building management capacity and sustainable programs.

CDC’s approach to sustainable management capacity building is founded on partnership and includes the use of mentoring, management expertise, and science-based best practices tailored to a country’s culture and conditions. We are guided by our values of sustainability, country ownership, evidence-based practice, and relevance to country-identified needs.