About NCHHSTP
The National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) employs +1,700 full-time public health professionals working in various areas of public health, scientific research, public policy development, data collection, and health communication.
NCHHSTP confronts the root causes of the nation’s most prevalent infectious diseases by improving care and treatment access for the nation’s most marginalized persons. NCHHSTP employees, public health interns, fellows, and researchers-in-training collaborate directly with the public and private sectors—engaging community, state, national, and global leaders to conduct public health activities that serve the public and groups at higher risk of negative outcomes.
NCHHSTP’s activities include:
- Public health surveillance
- Disease prevention research
- Funding grassroots disease prevention programs
- Developing and promoting harm-reduction strategies
- Advancing school-based health and disease prevention programs
- Developing data and educational materials to support clinicians
- Developing communication materials to support disease prevention among highly affected groups
NCHHSTP’s Director is Jonathan “Jono” Mermin, MD, MPH (RADM, USPHS, retired). Center staff work with public, private, tribal, state, territorial, local, federal, and community partners to achieve the Center’s vision of a future free of HIV, viral hepatitis, STDs, and TB. The Center is also committed to protect and improve the health of all youth through supportive school, home, and community environments.
What Does NCHHSTP Do?
NCHHSTP is committed to a future free of HIV, viral hepatitis, STDs, and TB. The Center addresses some of the nation’s most prevalent infectious diseases with the goals to reduce incidence of infection, morbidity and mortality, and health disparities. NCHHSTP provides resources, policy guidance, funding, and support to both government and non-governmental organizations at the community, state, national, and international levels.
The Center also supports school districts to establish effective mental health, risk behavior avoidance, and violence/substance use/suicide prevention programs—especially for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning), non-binary, Black, and Hispanic student populations.
NCHHSTP activities include:
- Public health surveillance
- Prevention research
- Programs to prevent and control HIV, STDs, viral hepatitis, and TB
- Promotion of school-based health and disease prevention among youth
Reducing Infectious Disease by Achieving Health Equity
Everyone has the right to be healthy regardless of income, race, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin. As such, health equity is central to the work of NCHHSTP and is embedded in much of its programming guided by the NCHHSTP Equity Initiative.
People, Place, Policy, and Science Matter
Syndemics occur when one or more public health issues intersect in populations. Syndemic approaches improve public health by applying strategies that address the root causes of health disparities, put people first, incorporate equity, allocate resources where epidemics are, leverage policy as a public health tool, and prioritize scientific innovation. Many of the infections NCHHSTP addresses are affected by syndemics—population-level clustering of social and health problems. NCHHSTP adopts a “People, Place, Policy, and Science Matter” approach to its public health work that recognizes these syndemic interactions and appreciates the positive opportunities of a more holistic strategy:
- People Matter – Disease incidence and morbidity vary by race, ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation, and socioeconomics. Disparities naturally form in an unjust society but are preventable with science-based, proactive approaches that reach the people who would benefit the most.
- Place Matters – Health and disease vary geographically, as do the venues and opportunities to reach people with effective, holistic health interventions. By focusing resources where they are needed most, and bringing interventions to where people are, we will do better public health.
- Policy Matters – Good policy and laws can improve public health, often with a long-lasting effect. They also can address the social and economic determinants that influence health and frequently improve health beyond single diseases.
- Science Matters – New diagnostics, therapeutics, and prevention modalities have revolutionized public health. They can make accessing and using interventions easier and turn fatal diseases to manageable ones. Moving science from the bench to the field and ensuring the most impactful research is supported and equitably delivered can prevent infections and improve equity.
NCHHSTP promotes public health equity and people-first approaches to infectious disease control through various programs, partnerships, and funding opportunities.
NCHHSTP’s Office of the Director
NCHHSTP’s Office of the Director (OD) is composed of seven offices that work to achieve the Center’s mission and support its five Divisions. These offices help advance evidence-based science and public health practice to ensure better public health outcomes. The OD also provides strategic planning and oversight for the Center’s public health goals and works to foster a collaborative culture that supports innovation and informed decision-making.
Offices within the OD include:
serves as the principal advisor for NCHHSTP on policy and planning guidance—providing situational awareness and critical analysis of legislation and external policies that impact the Center’s programs and activities.
manages a wide range of activities including communication science, health and organizational communication, communication partnerships, health marketing, Web and social media channels, and news media in support of the Center and its five Divisions. HCSO also manages CDC’s National Prevention Information Network (NPIN), an information clearinghouse and resource platform for HIV, viral hepatitis, STD, and TB prevention activities.
integrates science, public health data, and information technologies to help solve the unique technical challenges facing NCHHSTP and its public health programs. It supports NCHHSTP projects and initiatives by managing a growing portfolio of information technology systems across a variety of technologies, software, and platforms.
works across the Center to measure and improve the efficiency/impact of its programs, policies, and activities. It provides consultation, evaluation, technical expertise, and other support to the Divisions and the OD.
advises and oversees scientific research within the Center and supports the publication of NCHHSTP staff-authored scientific papers in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, as well as other peer-reviewed journals. The Office also provides strategic direction, oversight, and ethical guidance for the conduct of science, develops science capacity through ongoing training and resources, and represents the Center on matters of science policy and regulation.
facilitates laboratory research within NCHHSTP and is the primary point of contact within the OD for laboratory science issues.
works in and outside of NCHHSTP to promote health equity—the absence of systematic unfair disparities in health. Through a variety of research, surveillance, policy, education, training, prevention, intervention, and capacity building activities, this Office works to reduce health disparities among populations disproportionately affected by HIV, viral hepatitis, STDs, and TB.
NCHHSTP Newsroom
The NCHHSTP Newsroom provides to the media the latest news releases, fact sheets, resources, and reports regarding HIV, viral hepatitis, STD, TB, and adolescent health. To get regular updates sent directly to your email inbox, look for the “Get Email Updates” box, enter your email address, and click the Submit button.
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