Disability and Health Initiatives at CDC

For more than 10 years, centers, institute, and offices across the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have played an integral role in developing the science, evidence base, surveillance systems, and programs to support people with disabilities. Language in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act emphasizes the timeliness of CDC addressing the health of people with disabilities, and many of CDC’s public health partners support the Agency’s ongoing and future work in this area.

On May 24, Vince Campbell, PhD, began serving as the Agency’s Chief Disability and Health Officer, coordinating initiatives, expanding and developing partnerships, and addressing health disparities. Dr. Campbell serves as the liaison from the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities’ Division of Human Development and Disability to the Office of the Associate Director of Program. Dr. Campbell currently serves as the acting chief for CDC’s disability and health branch (proposed) and has served as the associate director for science for the division. Dr. Campbell joined CDC in 1997 as a health scientist in what was then the Office of Disability and Health in the National Center for Environmental Health. Before joining CDC, Dr. Campbell was the Director of Data Analysis and Research with the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation and a senior scientist at the Civitan International Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He earned his doctorate in educational psychology at the University of Alabama.

In addition to Dr. Campbell’s new role, CDC has formed the first Disability and Health Work Group to advance the health of people with disabilities. With cross-Agency representation, the work group is focused on incorporating disability status into CDC surveys, showcasing best practices, and ensuring relevant issues for people with disabilities are reflected in CDC programs and policies.