Learn more about the many people and communities who are making an impact in health around the world. Below is a selection of highlights. For a full list, view all stories.
Public health analyst Amulen Wirsiy, of the Overdose Response Strategy program, has been busy visiting schools across Puerto Rico, leading discussions around dealing with peer pressure, smart decision-making and self-reliance, as well as the physical and emotional effects of various substances.
Lorenza Beati, PhD, gave us instructions as we gathered on a nature trail in Statesboro, GA.
“Don’t believe the sock theory. Ticks can bite through socks, and they can go through the mesh of socks. Use the Deet available. And tape the bottom of your pants. We have duct tape.”
Just weeks ago, Lily Rivera saved a life. On the corner of Peace and Broad in Providence, Rhode Island, Lily works at an agency that organizes outreach teams and provides education to high-risk populations struggling with opioid addiction.
In today’s interconnected world, a health threat anywhere is a health threat everywhere. In addition to the rise of drug-resistant pathogens, environmental disasters and armed conflict represent some of the biggest ongoing threats to global health security in Haiti.
A pair of "bat women" are battling rising rabies exposures in Illinois: Lab scientist Dusty Staake is testing for rabies-positive bats, and Senior Epidemiologist Chanée Massiah and her team are ensuring that community members exposed to the deadly disease are properly vaccinated.
In late August 2022, storms and flooding caused the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant in Jackson, MS to fail, leaving over 150,000 people without access to safe drinking water for weeks. During the crisis, PAI mobilized resources and support for residents.
Deandra Smith, director of the AmeriCorps Climate R.E.A.D.Y. program at Wayne State University, and her team of 11 volunteers work in Detroit to help residents remedy flooding.
Local organizations across the country are coming up with innovative programs that make a real difference. And using mini-grants from the CDC Foundation, they’re doing it with a modest amount of grant money and a rapid timeline.
A team assigned to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians are working to establish a public health department to offer public health services provided by tribal members for tribal members.
Cross-sector relationships are pivotal to ensuring the community is at the forefront of public health decisions. A systems change approach helps sustainably build these partnerships.
Connecticut, like many states, has varied demographics and different priorities across their 20 health districts. All the state’s communities have one overarching challenge, though: public health funding.
Gary Cohen has dedicated his life to serving others with compassion and ethical leadership, leading public health organizations and agencies on projects spanning the globe. He is an expert on applying knowledge gained in the business sector to achieve tangible social change worldwide and has been a close collaborator with the CDC Foundation, where he has been a donor every year since 2006 and former board of directors chair and member.
Through careers in journalism, public relations, nonprofit and executive search work, Kathy Bremer has combined her passions for public service, fostering connections and making a difference.
Throughout his career, Dr. Peter Drotman has been guided by his passion for global public health, leaving his own distinct mark on the field. As one of the last epidemiologists to see a case of smallpox, Drotman also became one of the first to see a case of HIV/AIDS.
“It’s a calling,” says Valerie Kokor about her long career in public health, “but you don’t always know your calling right away.” Valerie’s story is one of twists and turns, successes and failures, and an ongoing commitment to the field of public health—even in retirement today.
On August 7, 1998, just months after Dr. Louise Martin began work with Walt Dowdle on the Task Force Malaria Team, she was killed in the terrorist bombing of the American Embassy in Kenya. In her honor, Walt and his wife Mabel have established the Louise Martin Scholarship.
“Public health isn’t just about epidemiology; it’s about taking care of these people who volunteer to help vaccinate in places where there is the threat of true danger,” says the program manager for the Bob Keegan Polio Eradication Heroes Fund.
Dr. Stephen B. Thacker was extraordinarily dedicated to public health service. Now his family works to continue his legacy by supporting the public health leaders of tomorrow.
An estimated 58 million children still do not have access to rotavirus vaccines due to high vaccine costs and a lack of access to health care. In response, the CDC Foundation is working with 11 priority countries to protect children from this deadly virus.
It is important to honor those who have served and protected the United States. Part of that recognition is understanding and providing support for the unique challenges veterans and military families face. Suicide remains one of the most serious public health issues for veterans.
With insights from CDC and support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the CDC Foundation has developed data equity principles to create more equitable data planning and sharing processes.
Hear Her is a national campaign that supports CDC’s efforts to prevent pregnancy-related deaths. The latest phase of the program reaches out to American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) women, who are twice as likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than white women.
