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
Title bar with portrait image of Jonathan Mermin, MD, MPH (RADM, USPHS)

NCHHSTP’s Director is Jonathan “Jono” Mermin, MD, MPH (RADM, USPHS). Center staff work with public, private, tribal, state, territorial, local, federal, and community partners to achieve the Center’s vision of 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.

NCHHSTP Vision:
A Future Free of HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STDs, and TB
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A young child wearing a facial covering in an indoor school setting
A clinician speaks with a patient who is seated in a wheelchair

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 drives much of its programming including through the NCHHSTP Equity Initiative.

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:

Policy, Planning, and Partnerships

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.

Health Communication Science Office

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.

Informatics Office

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.

Program and Performance Improvement Office

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.

Office of the Associate Director for Science

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.

Laboratory Science

facilitates laboratory research within NCHHSTP and is the primary point of contact within the OD for laboratory science issues.

Office of Health Equity

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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