2010 CDC Orientation for New Health Officials

The Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support (OSTLTS) welcomed their second cohort of new health officials to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions’s (CDC’s) Orientation for New Health Officials that was held from September 29 – October 1, 2010, in Atlanta, GA.  New state, tribal, local and territorial (STLT) health officials who have been in office less than 2 years attended this orientation at CDC to learn more about the agency and have an opportunity to collaborate with seasoned state health officials and CDC subject matter experts and senior leaders.

Health Officials’ Orientation –
A Collaborative Effort

OSTLTS reached out to CDC leaders and subject matter experts from across the agency, who enthusiastically volunteered to be speakers and facilitators at the orientation.  The sessions focused on public health priorities, including the six winnable battles that CDC’s Director Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH, and leaders have identified based on the scope and burden of public health’s ability to make significant progress in improving outcomes.         

“I would have been more effective earlier in my tenure (as a State Health Officer), had I been able to come to an orientation like this,” said CDC Deputy Director and OSTLTS Director Judith Monroe, MD, FAAFP, who was the State Health Officer for Indiana until she joined CDC in April 2010. “A key goal of the orientation was to position new health officials for success, by providing them with information and decision-making tools to improve health.”

Steven Reynolds, MPH, Principal Advisor/Director of Operations for OSTLTS, kicked off the orientation with an introduction to OSTLTS and how this new office can provide support to state, tribal, local and territorial health agencies.  Subsequent sessions were presented by top CDC leaders:

• Andrew Rein, CDC’s Associate Director for Policy, gave a brief update on healthcare reform and the potential opportunities for public health.
• Bill Nichols, MBA, CDC’s Chief Operating Officer, and senior executive staff from the Financial Management Office and Procurements and Grants Office provided an overview of the business aspects of CDC.

Dr. Stephen Thacker presents the history of CDC during the most recent new health official orientation.
• Stephen Thacker, MD, MSc, (RADM (Ret) USPHS), CDC Deputy Director and Director for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, presented the history of CDC. 

The second day began with Carmen Villar, MSW, CDC’s Chief of Staff, who welcomed the new health officials to CDC.  Next, Dr. Frieden introduced CDC’s new organizational structure and offered personal anecdotes of lessons learned during his own tenure as a health official. His presentation titled, “CDC’s Public Health Priorities,” was a favorite among all participants. 

“There was outstanding response from our CDC colleagues, who did a wonderful job setting the stage for fruitful discussion and ongoing collaboration in each area,” said Lynn Gibbs Scharf, MPH, Chief of the Knowledge Management Branch in OSTLTS, who coordinated the orientation and facilitated several of the sessions. “The health officials were awed by Dr. Frieden’s commitment to them, the visible partnership with them, and his participation in the orientation.”

Seasoned state health officials were also given the opportunity to share their experiences with the new health officials and CDC staff during a panel discussion on the changing public health landscape. They discussed challenges faced at the STLT levels, including political pressures, budget issues, healthcare reform, and competing priorities.

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Collaborating on CDC Public Health Priorities

A major focus of the orientation was to promote federal, state, tribal, local and territorial collaboration on winnable battles as outlined by CDC. The winnable battles represent diseases and conditions with a large public health burden; making progress in these areas could result in a big economic pay-off. “One of the outcomes of this meeting was the alignment of the national associations, both the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), with CDC on the winnable battles,” said Dr. Monroe.

Winnable battle sessions centered on teenage and unintended pregnancy prevention, healthcare-associated infections, tobacco control, motor vehicle injuries, and nutrition, physical activity, obesity, and food safety. Presentations often began with CDC speakers describing the health problem (i.e., incidence, prevalence, and burden) and discussing promising prevention strategies, which included policy, law, behavioral changes, media, communications, and working with partners. A seasoned state, tribal, local or territorial health official followed each winnable battle presentation to discuss his/her own experience and to highlight a particular approach, its health impact, how it was measured, and lessons learned.

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Orientation a Success

The overall success of this year’s orientation sets the stage for the new health officials’ orientation to become a regular occurrence at CDC. “The vision is for CDC and for health officials to be effective. We need a dynamic relationship and this was a great start,” said Dr. Monroe. “We achieved that [dynamic relationship] this first time around, and we will only improve over time.” 

Participating health officials expressed their appreciation for the chance to interact with key CDC subject matter experts on critical health issues. “This hands-on visit was an enlightening experience,” remarked one new health official. “It’s been invaluable to interact with some of the world’s best scientists and public health leaders.  I wish all public health professionals could have this opportunity.”