Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP)

At a glance

The Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion works to protect patients and healthcare workers through safe healthcare delivery systems in the U.S. and abroad.

Our Mission


The mission of the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) is to protect patients; protect healthcare personnel; and promote safety, quality, and value in both national and international healthcare delivery systems.

To achieve this mission, DHQP provides leadership, expertise, and assistance to state and local health departments, healthcare facilities, and other federal agencies on healthcare safety topics. This includes detecting, preventing, and responding to healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and antimicrobial-resistant infections; addressing adverse events from the use or misuse of a drug (e.g., accidental overdoses); training and education; and ensuring blood, organ, tissue, and vaccine safety.

What We Do


  • DETECT: Measure, validate, interpret, and respond to data relevant to healthcare-associated infections; antimicrobial resistance; sepsis; adverse drug events; blood, organ, and tissue safety; immunization safety; and other related adverse events or medical errors in healthcare affecting patients and healthcare personnel.
  • RESPOND: Investigate and respond to new and emerging infections among patients and healthcare personnel, and coordinate guidance, consultation, and research related to infection control across the agency and with national and international partners.
  • PREVENT: Conduct epidemiologic and laboratory research to identify new strategies to prevent infections and related adverse events or medical errors, especially those associated with medical or surgical procedures, indwelling medical devices, contaminated products, dialysis, and water.
  • INNOVATE: Collaborate with academic and public health partners to design, develop, and evaluate the efficacy of interventions for preventing infections and improving antibiotic use and reducing healthcare-associated infections, antimicrobial resistance, sepsis, and related adverse events or medical errors.

Leadership


Michael Bell, MD

Michael Bell, MD

Acting Director Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP),
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)

Michael Bell, MD, is the Acting Director of CDC′s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. The division promotes the protection of patients and healthcare personnel, and improvements in safety and quality of healthcare. Examples of activities include producing guidelines for prevention of healthcare associated infections, programs for prevention of antimicrobial resistance, and improvements in basic safe medical practices such as safe injections.

His first position at CDC was in the Hospital Infections Program, investigating outbreaks of healthcare-associated illness and writing national infection control guidelines. Prior to his current position, he was the chief of the Epidemiology Unit at the Viral Special Pathogens Branch, addressing infection control for high-risk pathogens such as Ebola virus.

He received his medical degree from the University of Washington and trained in Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado, and in Infectious Diseases at the University of California San Francisco.

Organization


DHQP’s organizational structure:

  • Antimicrobial Resistance Coordination and Strategy Unit
  • Blood, Organ, and Other Tissue Safety
  • Clinical & Environmental Microbiology Branch
  • Consultation and Training
  • Epidemiology, Research, and Innovations Branch
  • Immunization Safety Office
  • International Infection Control Program
  • Prevention and Response Branch
  • State Strategy and Evaluation Team
  • Surveillance Branch