All Becauseof You.

An estimated 90 percent of deaths caused by malaria occur in sub-Saharan Africa, and most of these deaths occur in children under five years of age.

Quick and accurate diagnosis of malaria is important for treatment and helps prevent further infection in the community. However, as the parasite that causes malaria continues to evolve, rapid diagnostic tests must also evolve to provide accurate diagnosis of this fatal disease. The malaria specimen bank evaluation project, a collaboration between the CDC Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), maintains a specimen bank of malaria-infected blood samples to evaluate and improve new and existing rapid diagnostic tests. WHO has developed a list of tests that meet a minimum set of criteria for accurately diagnosing malaria, and the malaria specimen bank evaluation ensures this list of tests remain accurate as it is shared with countries around the world.

In addition to the CDC Foundation’s successful initiatives to add more than 4,000 field employees to the understaffed public health workforce as part of the COVID-19 response, the State-Funded Projects team was established in 2021 to assist departments across the country in quickly mobilizing jurisdictional resources and support workforce capacity needs by recruiting, hiring, training and managing staff.

By offering competitive salaries, benefits and growth opportunities, the Foundation continues to attract high-quality candidates, enabling health departments to boost their ability to respond to their communities’ needs in several key areas. In June 2023, there were 700 CDC Foundation field staff working in a variety of different roles within these organizations, ranging from traditional public health positions like epidemiologists, disease investigators and emergency response specialists, to data scientists, legal professionals, health policy experts, school liaisons, overdose coordinators, vaccine demand strategists and many more across all departments.

Today, some health departments still rely on fax machines to send and receive health-related data. These outdated processes slowed down the flow of information during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to delays in decision making. But the CDC Foundation is helping health departments plug into modern, secure public health data and surveillance systems that can alert communities to health threats, like increases in maternal mortality rates or outbreaks of communicable diseases, in real time.

As one aspect of this data modernization effort, the CDC Foundation reached across sectors to bring together experts from CDC, other government agencies, research and private industry for a new Health Data and Innovation series. The initiative kicked off with a two-day gathering featuring more than 60 major tech companies to share the latest information and advances.

Young people are keenly aware of the significant implications long-term, climate-related health issues have for their future, and they have become important contributors to efforts to find solutions.

To encourage these young leaders, the CDC Foundation through the support of a private donor provided funds to 11 organizations across the United States focused on engaging young people in raising awareness about the connections between climate and health and helping their communities respond to environment-related health challenges. These groups are engaging their communities through student events, teacher trainings and more. The Foundation also established a Youth and Climate Council, comprised of young adults from around the country who come together to share experiences and ideas for building community resilience to the health impacts of climate change.

In the fall of 2022, a unique theater performance cast a spotlight on the life and accomplishments of Sir Alexander Fleming, discoverer of penicillin, and the fragile future of antibiotics in our society. Launched in 2018 in Edinburgh, UK, The Mold That Changed the World was brought to the United States by the CDC Foundation in partnership with the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Charades Theatre Company and the British Government.

With support from Merck, Becton Dickinson, the AMR Action Fund, The Rockefeller Foundation and UPS Foundation, performances were hosted in Washington, DC, and Atlanta, GA. Focusing on the life of Dr. Fleming, the musical highlights the impact of antibiotics and warns of the risks posed by the rise of antimicrobial resistance. In all its performances, The Mold That Changed the World recruited local scientists and healthcare professionals to perform alongside professional actors in the show’s chorus, showcasing the valuable role of public health in today’s society. As part of the initiative, the CDC Foundation hosted Atlanta’s opening night event, which featured CDC and CDC Foundation staff alongside the musical’s creative team in a panel discussion on the impacts of antibiotics.

A globally recognized fellowship program whose officers serve on the frontlines of public health, the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) remains an integral part of America’s investigative and global emergency response capacity. The CDC Foundation administers the EIS Alumni Association (EISAA).

In 2023, EIS officers and alumni got a boost when members of EISAA raised more than $36,000 to promote the welfare of the EIS program. To help spread the word, EISAA promoted the Race to the Rescue: May the Best EIS Class Win! campaign through a new website and online community portal established to connect EIS alumni, build networks in public health and support the EIS program’s role as the premier public health training program in the world. Comprised of more than 4,000 alumni working in all levels of public health, EISAA was established in the mid-1960s by a group of alumni who recognized the importance of fostering a sense of loyalty to the growing EIS program. Outside of the groups’ annual end-of-year giving campaign, the Race to the Rescue campaign was the most successful fundraiser in the EISAA’s history.