GID Organization

GID is composed of the Office of the Director and two Branches. Each of these organizational units performs highly specialized work to support global vaccine-preventable disease efforts.

• Office of the Director
  Director, Rebecca Martin, PhD
  • Disease Eradication and Elimination Branch (DEEB)
    Chief, Robert Linkins, PhD
    • The African Regional Team (AFRO)
    • The European Regional Team (EURO)
    • The Eastern Mediterranean Regional Team (EMRO)
    • The South-East Asia Regional Team (SEARO)
    • The Western Pacific Regional Team (WPRO)
    • The Research and Program Support (RAPS) Team
  • Strengthening Immunization Systems Branch (SISB)
    Chief, Vance Dietz, MD, MPH, TM
    • The Routine Immunization (RI) Team
    • The Surveillance and Vaccine Introduction (SVI) Team
    • The Strengthening Quality and Use of Immunization Data (SQUID) Team

Office of the Director

The Office of the Director (OD) provides strategic leadership in setting overall priorities, goals, objectives, and policies to meet the global mission of GID. Additionally, the OD manages the personnel and budget resources of the division and provides administrative support to oversee travel, communications, research, and economic studies. The OD also coordinates recruitment for long-term staff as well as for The Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP) program. STOP trains and deploys public health professionals to improve VPD surveillance and to help plan, implement, and evaluate vaccination campaigns. Since 1999, more than 1,350 STOP team members have participated in 3-month assignments in 62 countries.

Vaccine Preventable Diseases Eradication and Elimination Branch (DEEB)

DEEB's role is to provide technical and programmatic support for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and the Measles Initiative to reduce global measles mortality, and on rubella, hepatitis B, and neonatal tetanus control and elimination. DEEB develops and implements program enhancements for immunization services, disease surveillance, program monitoring and evaluation, and data management for specific vaccine-preventable diseases. Many DEEB staff members are stationed around the world, often placed in organizations such the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF), where they provide technical assistance to improve disease surveillance, strengthen national vaccination programs, and assist with other disease control efforts. Atlanta-based DEEB teams provide support for select regions of the world following the WHO regional designations

AFRO - The African Regional Team

See full list of countries in the AFRO region.

 

EURO - The European Regional Team

See full list of countries in the EURO region.

 

EMRO - The Eastern Mediterranean Regional Team

See full list of countries in the EMRO region.

 

SEARO - The South-East Asia Regional Team

See full list of countries in the SEARO region.

 

WPRO - The Western Pacific Regional Team

See full list of countries in the WPRO region.

 

The Research and Program Support (RAPS) Team

The Research and Program Support Team is responsible for planning and directing GID’s research activities in five disease-specific program areas (polio, measles, rubella, hepatitis B, tetanus) in collaboration with other GID staff members and partners. The RAPS team is staffed in part with the polio, measles, and rubella subject matter experts for GID. These experts provide technical advice and strategic planning to CDC, international ministries of health, and other organizations involved in vaccine-preventable disease eradication and elimination efforts.

Strengthening Immunization Systems Branch (SISB)

SISB’s role is to provide technical and programmatic support globally for strengthening routine immunization services, developing integrated surveillance systems for vaccine-preventable diseases, contributing to the evidence base for global immunization policy, enhancing the introduction of new vaccines, and improving the quality and use of immunization data. SISB conducts research and evaluation studies related to the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) data quality and use, surveillance, service delivery integration, capacity building, and vaccine introduction. This work is done in collaboration with other CDC divisions, foreign governments, and international partner agencies including WHO, UNICEF, and the GAVI Alliance, among others. Learn more about the importance of strengthening immunization systems.

The Routine Immunization (RI) Team

Collaborates with international partners to provide technical and programmatic support to assist countries in improving their routine immunization programs.

The Surveillance and Vaccine Introduction (SVI) Team

See full list of countries in the SVI Team.

 

In collaboration with other CDC divisions and external partners, provides strategic technical and programmatic guidance on introducing new and underused vaccines, improving surveillance for VPDs to support vaccine-related decision making, and implementing integrated vaccine-preventable disease surveillance.

The SVI Team also functions as the Americas Regional Team (PAHO). In this role, the team provides technical and scientific support to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the countries that make up the Americas Region. This support focuses on the introduction of new vaccines while maintaining polio eradication and efforts to eliminate measles and rubella. Haiti reconstruction is also a priority.

The Strengthening Quality and Use of Immunization Data (SQUID) Team

Works with technical experts and WHO regional and country partners to improve data quality and enhance their ability to conduct data analysis, interpret data, use data for program management, and provide recommendations to improve immunization programs.

CDC Ramps up Support of Global Polio Eradication Effort

On December 2, 2011, CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, activated CDC’s Emergency Operations Center to strengthen the agency’s partnership engagement through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), which is committed to completing the eradication of polio. On December 14, Dr. Frieden enlisted the support of the entire CDC community to become active participants in an intensified strategy to eradicate polio worldwide. CDC’s scale-up of polio eradication activities will include:

• Providing technical assistance for outbreak response, surveillance reviews, and vaccination campaign planning and monitoring;
• Advancing efforts to strengthen immunization infrastructure in key areas related to polio eradication;
• Supporting efforts to strengthen management capacity;
• Actively seeking out, evaluating, and scaling up effective innovations to identify and vaccinate children;
• Reinforcing CDC country offices resources, and increasing in-country planning and coordination; and
• Facilitating partner engagement and enhanced support for countries most threatened by endemic or recurrent polio outbreaks.

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