CDC's Organizational Improvements

CDC faces important challenges—some are obvious like H1N1 flu; others are subtle such as the agency’s ability to conduct phone surveys to ensure quality data. In order to keep pace with these challenges, the agency began a focused organizational improvement effort with an announcement of a new proposed structure in September 2009. This structure will help improve organizational functioning and support the agency’s priorities, including the following: 

Strengthen

• Surveillance and epidemiology.
• Ability to support state and local public health.

Provide public health leadership in

• Global health.
• Health policies, especially health reform.
• Better addressing the leading causes of death and disability.

While the formal process to align programs, staff and resources will take time, CDC is starting to operate to this new structure. Most recently, the acting leaders developed design plans to make recommendations about proposed functions and the best placement of resources for each of the new units. As part of those design plans, proposed critical functions were developed in support of the agency’s priorities.

CDC also announced plans to create a new National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, which would combine the National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and Enteric Diseases and the National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases (NCPDCID), under the new Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases. CDC believes this new center will further address emerging and zoonotic infections and enhance collaboration with CDC colleagues and partners.

In the coming weeks, CDC will finalize its design plans and submit them for approval. Some of the new units require only Dr. Frieden’s approval, while others may require approval from HHS. CDC looks forward to announcing the completion of the OI process in 2010.

CDC will continue to keep its partners up-to-date on major developments related to OI—including the 2009 H1N1 influenza response, which will be a major focus for the agency. Please refer to this page for future updates and submit any comments or questions to CDC’s OI mailbox.

Join CDC’s Leadership Team

CDC is seeking exceptional candidates to serve in various leadership roles throughout the agency. For more information on available positions, visit the Join CDC’s Leadership Team page.