“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.”

1 in 8 people living with HIV in the United States is undiagnosed. Driven by COVID-19 lockdowns and closures, HIV self-testing increased over the past two years, and it has proven to be a cost-effective way to make HIV testing more accessible.

“Live to the Beat” is a national effort that aims to educate, equip and empower Black adults ages 34-54 with the heart-healthy information, tools, resources and messages needed to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke.

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, local artists and cultural organizations communicated essential public health information to their communities.

To assist health departments during COVID-19, the CDC Foundation, with support from CDC, created the Workforce/Vaccine Initiative, deploying professionals to fill critical roles in 95 jurisdictions around the country.

“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.

Neighborhood organizations and local health departments across the country are coming up with effective, innovative programs that are making a real difference in their local areas. And thanks to mini-grants from the CDC Foundation, they’re doing it with a comparatively modest amount of grant money and a rapid timeline to implement their ideas.

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.

For over three decades, the Center for Black Women's Wellness has been a tireless advocate for Black women and their families in the metropolitan Atlanta area. They offer affordable health care and other services to support the physical, mental, emotional and financial health needs of the women they serve. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this unwavering support became a kind of lifeline of connection for many families.

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 recent years, the already fragile health systems of Haiti have been devastated by both.

Dr. Stephen B. Thacker was extraordinarily dedicated to public health service, providing countless contributions for the betterment of others. Now his family works to continue his legacy by supporting the public health leaders of tomorrow.

Connecticut, like many states across our country, has varied demographics with urban and rural areas and different priorities for health across their 20 health districts. All the state’s communities have one overarching challenge, though: public health funding. To address public health funding challenges head on, Connecticut explored new ways of bringing funders and the community together.

Coffee and gift cards, provided by the CDC Foundation, proved crucial in recruiting participants for a CDC mpox survey among San Francisco's population of people experiencing homelessness.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC Foundation and partners launched the Severe Acute Respiratory Infections Preparedness (SARI-Prep) research consortium. The project was designed to create a network of leading scientists and researchers from varying fields of expertise who would observe the impact of severe acute respiratory infections on hospital systems and patient care, experiences and health outcomes.

Mike Melneck has led a life dedicated to strengthening the public health system. And throughout his career, he has also dedicated himself to giving back in ways often inspired by those who have helped guide his path.

A CDC Foundation team assigned to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (TMBCI)—many of whom are enrolled citizens of the tribe—are working to support the establishment of a TMBCI public health department “to offer public health services provided by tribal members for tribal members.”

Despite the heat in Houston, there was a large and joyous group of neighbors, friends and families dancing around the park’s outdoor stage as the University of Houston’s mariachi ensemble, the Mariachi Pumas, performed a tribute to the music of pop star Selena. I was excited to join the crowd and enjoy this opening act of the final installment of Come Together Houston, a four-month long series of free public arts performances hosted by the University of Houston McGovern College of the Arts in collaboration with Houston Methodist Hospital.

To better track the spread of COVID-19, scientists in the New York State Department of Health brought a new eye to a resource already at their fingertips.

Alaska’s interior is one of the most ruggedly beautiful places in the United States. But for residents in the region’s scattered rural communities, the remote and isolated wilderness also presents challenges to accessing clean water and sanitation.

Dogs are known for a sense of smell so acute they have the ability to detect cancer, monitor diabetes and screen for an array of infectious diseases. Recently, several groups around the world have demonstrated that dogs are also able screen individuals for COVID-19 infections. Beginning in September 2021, the CDC Foundation partnered with the Association of Public Health Laboratories, Early Alert Canines and the California Department of Public Health to acquire and train two Labrador retrievers to detect COVID-19 infections in congregate settings, and are already applying their skills in school settings.

“Our collective future depends on all communities having equitable opportunities for health, wellbeing and economic vitality,” says Dr. Lisa Waddell, chief medical officer. “That’s why our partnership with community-based organizations is so important.”

Health departments across the country, many with the aid of CDC Foundation Workforce and Vaccine Initiative staff and community partners, continue to develop innovative strategies to increase uptake and address relevant health equity issues in their jurisdictions.

At some point in our lives, many of us will likely be a caregiver to someone we know with an illness, injury or disease that prevents self-sufficiency. Sometimes it only lasts a few days, but many take on this role for years. With American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people ages 65 and older more pre-disposed to dementia than other racial and ethnic groups, including Alzheimer’s, this increases the likelihood of being a caregiver in tribal communities.

Throughout the current pandemic it has become clear that racial and ethnic minority groups have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. To address the gaps, the CDC Foundation and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine created a Health Equity Task Force to monitor and assess the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations.

Drs. Rose S. and Eugene “Gene” J. Gangarosa, MD, MS, EIS '65 have a long-standing passion for public health and are linked to the CDC Foundation by their dedicated support, including their two endowed funds focused on safe water.

What do wizards, wrestling and COVID-19 education have in common? Quite a bit, according to the Olympia Family Theater, an innovative nonprofit community theater in Washington State. The theater engages playwrights and performers in productions that can both entertain and inform audiences, with the goal of creating a stronger and healthier community through the arts.

COVID-19's accompanying stress, isolation and uncertainty have raised concerns about the mental health impacts of the pandemic. In response, the CDC Foundation supported the How Right Now/Que Hacer Ahora campaign.

CDC Foundation health equity project managers are providing wide-ranging support to health departments around the country to help community members live their healthiest lives, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability status and more.

In October 2021, WHO made an announcement the public health community had dreamed of for over a century and worked towards for decades: the recommendation of a malaria vaccine that could save tens of thousands of lives each year. On World Malaria Day, we celebrate this enormous achievement in malaria control and elimination.

Dr. Gary R. Noble served in pivotal roles throughout the AIDS pandemic, spending 29 years at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and 10 years at Johnson & Johnson—demonstrating a dedication to public health that has its roots in his rural community-minded upbringing. Now he maintains an active retirement, supporting his family, the CDC Foundation and other important causes.

60% of the world’s maternal deaths and 45% of newborn deaths occur in areas affected by war, food insecurity or natural disasters. Unfortunately, countries in crisis often lack accurate data about maternal and newborn health. We're filling these gaps by strengthening data collection and helping countries like Cameroon end these tragic and preventable deaths.

The threat posed by COVID-19 sparked a massive national response. When the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) put out a funding announcement for help in bolstering public health capacity across the country, the CDC Foundation was quick to apply.

Wastewater surveillance: it’s not the most glamorous-sounding job on the planet, but it has the potential to spot COVID and save lives. Read more to get the scoop on poop!

Field employees from the CDC Foundation's Workforce Initiative are working with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services on key projects boosting the state's ability to protect the public health of its diverse population.

For the Nepali community living in the Pacific Northwest, getting accurate, trustworthy health information during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a constant challenge–one made even more difficult for those who speak limited English. Recognizing this problem, one group of inspired community members decided to dive in and help.

To combat the emergence of COVID-19, the CDC Foundation partnered with Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies dedicated to reducing death from cardiovascular disease and epidemics in low- and middle-income countries.

From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, tribal communities were among the most vulnerable. To address their needs, the CDC Foundation partnered with the Afya Foundation—though COVID forced a rapid rethinking of their usual approach.

Dr. Judy Monroe is not just the CDC Foundation’s president and CEO. She’s also a committed donor, allowing her to further give back to the field of public health. But both her career and her role as a donor had to grow over time from much humbler beginnings.

Having been supported by a truly multidisciplinary group of educators and coworkers throughout her journey in public health, Dr. Marguerite Pappaioanou is now giving back in a way that will guide the journeys of the public health champions to come.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people of all ages, older adults have been particularly affected. For many, the challenges of finding and navigating resources can be overwhelming.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing was all over the news. Now, though the term is heard less frequently, contact tracers remain a vital part of the emergency response, even as job titles and functions evolve.

With more than 3,000 homes in rural Alaska lacking piped water systems, sanitation remains a serious challenge in many remote communities. So CDC, the CDC Foundation and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) coordinated to help solve the problem.

Sorority chapters around the country encourage a lifelong commitment to service and sisterhood, and for some—including Philadelphia chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority—those efforts have taken on a whole new dimension during the pandemic.

Nowhere in Vietnam has the impact of COVID-19 on TB been felt more than in Ho Chi Minh City—which is not only the epicenter of TB infections in Vietnam, but also the location of over half of the country’s total COVID-19 cases and more than 75% of the deaths thus far.

Travel epidemiologist Karuna Mary Bollam plays an unusual role in the COVID-19 Corps: she works closely with CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine to make sure those who are under isolation for coronavirus don’t leave the state of Oregon by air or sea.

What if English was your second language, and the COVID information you’re relying on to keep your loved ones safe was hard to find and poorly translated? It's one of the challenges the Latino Community Center, the NHL Foundation and the CDC Foundation teamed up to solve.

In 2019, Hurricane Dorian made landfall and was the strongest hurricane to hit the Northern Bahamas in modern records. The storm caused loss of life and devastated many parts of the island including roads, homes and medical clinics.

The Foundation has tackled the opioid crisis, tobacco use, hurricane relief, Ebola, Zika and other health challenges around the globe. But nothing compares to the scope and scale of the needs from the COVID-19 response.

Enter a new emergency workforce: the COVID-19 Corps.

A team of public health workers in Connecticut—the Community Outreach Specialists program—is working to address health disparities through a program focusing on outreach to communities of color by staff who live and work in the neighborhoods they serve.

From Alaska to the Great Plains to Puerto Rico, COVID-19 Corps communications specialists are finding creative ways to keep their diverse communities, no matter their native language, up to date on the latest coronavirus news and health department recommendations.

Around the world, coronavirus variants continue to complicate the fight against COVID. To help protect Brazil’s frontline healthcare workers from the P.1 variant, the CDC Foundation is funding a research project to gather data on infection rates among hospital workers.

Five of the CDC Foundation's public health pros are playing a major supporting role in the Navajo Nation’s model efforts to mitigate COVID-19 and get the tribe vaccinated. Meet Nicole, Larissa, Nicholas, Tori and Uly, and learn about the incredible response efforts that have taken place and the work that still needs to be done.

When the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the importance of standardized data to the public health system, surprising gaps started appearing in death certificate data. That's when these two recent grads began working directly with funeral directors to crack the case.

A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, handwashing remains a key mitigation strategy to prevent the spread of the virus...but access to clean water, effective handwashing supplies and restrooms can be challenging for people experiencing homelessness.

In the world of public health protection, technical assistance can mean something entirely different than the common understanding. Here's what it meant for 4 community organizations during their COVID-19 emergency response efforts.

When COVID-19 cases began spreading in South Dakota’s Rosebud Sioux Tribal Nation, the tribe quickly focused their prevention efforts. Though they were able to secure masks for most adults in the community, locating properly fitting masks for children was a challenge.

When the 2020 NFL draft was interrupted by COVID-19, the league wanted to support frontline organizations — and so the Draft-a-Thon was born. Read how the CDC Foundation, one of 6 benefiting nonprofits, partnered with teams like the Baltimore Ravens to make an impact.

When data showed that youth were not only often asymptomatic COVID carriers, but were taking a disproportionate blow to their mental health as well, this team came together to launch a special youth-led educational campaign on staying healthy during the pandemic.

In March 2020, American Samoa closed its borders, effectively shutting out the coronavirus...as well as more than a thousand American Samoans nationwide and abroad. Their repatriation, or safe return home, would take planning, time—and four "miracle workers."

For a team of epidemiologists at the Oklahoma City-County Health Department, the work of tracing COVID cases and exposures was at first overwhelming for their small team. Then additional staff from the CDC Foundation COVID-19 Corps arrived.

As COVID-19 began spreading in the U.S., hospitals, first responders and public health agencies scrambled to acquire enough PPE to keep their staff and the public safe. But with supplies limited and demand surging, finding it was often next to impossible.

Through rain, snow, sleet, windstorms and even unexpected visits from wildlife, a dedicated trio of COVID-19 Corps healthcare workers are battling the pandemic—and the elements—in their native Alaska to provide COVID testing to the population of Anchorage and beyond.

While a number of existing CDC public health resources were accessible for people with some disabilities, there were others who needed guidance in different accessible formats including braille, American Sign Language, and simplified text or easy-to-read materials.

Meet the Regional Coordinators of the COVID-19 Corps, who guide staff through their work on the pandemic response across the U.S. and set them up for future success in the public-health field.

“We are the bearer of bad news, but if you can show compassion and let them know they're not alone, they really appreciate it,” says contact tracer Michelle Smith. “It’s not necessarily just about treating the symptoms but also the mental health part of it.”

Influencing the behavior of college students is tough under the best of circumstances. Throw a pandemic into the mix, and you’ve got a much more challenging situation. That’s where young CDC Foundation staffers like Gabe Trotz, Jordan Mills and McKenna Deaton come in.

Meet three young associate laboratory microbiologists who have been inspired to join the fight against COVID on behalf of their loved ones and their communities. All now work at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, with support from the CDC Foundation and TikTok.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Indonesia, one of the greatest challenges was presenting a united healthcare response across 14,000 islands, 514 districts and 35 provinces. But as president of the Indonesia Epidemiological Association (PAEI), it was a challenge Dr. Hariadi Wibisono had faced before.

Public-health professionals in the Motor City are helping out their hometown and making a difference as part of the COVID-19 Corps—with support from the CDC Foundation and TikTok.

“This is my gap year,” says recent graduate Anya Bazzell, MD. But it’s certainly not a year off, as in August, Bazzell relocated to Martha’s Vineyard to serve as the case investigator/contact tracer team lead for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).

"When COVID hit," says Tena Tiruneh of Heart to Heart International, "we asked ourselves, ‘Where can we do the most good?' We decided to focus on those who were asymptomatic because they could be the main factor in the spread of the virus and didn’t even know it.”

Since starting her work at the Santa Clara County Health Department, contact tracer Karem Valenzuela has seen first-hand how much of an impact her work can have on the community.

With correctional facilities nationwide accounting for more than 80% of the largest COVID-19 outbreaks, the need for guidance was great—particularly in Detroit, one of the big cities where it hit early. Meet the groundbreaking partnership that formed in response.

Vermont has been one of the most successful states in the nation when it comes to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. That's in no small part due to the team at the Vermont Department of Health, and their quick work in stopping outbreaks in their tracks.

This tight-knit team of ten COVID-19 Corps members didn’t know each other before joining the CDC Foundation initiative—but now they’ve become known in Pennsylvania public-health circles as “The Super Tracers.”

When it comes to effective emergency response, there's no substitute for experience. Meet some of the CDC Foundation's senior advisors who were hired to bring their deep public health backgrounds to provide help wherever they were needed.

Former nurses, recent college grads, workforce returnees and longstanding public health pros—they’re all bringing their varied backgrounds and talents to bear as members of the CDC Foundation's COVID-19 Corps.

For Seattle Fire Chief Scoggins, who oversees a department of more than 1,000, the threat from COVID-19 is a daily concern—especially when it comes to keeping his people protected. So in May 2020, SC Johnson and the CDC Foundation teamed up to help.

Seattle was the first major U.S. city to be hard hit by the coronavirus. So the University of Washington's School of Nursing was faced with a dilemma: how could they find a way to get their students the safe in-clinic training they needed to graduate?

The CDC Foundation hired surge public health workers through the CDC Foundation’s COVID-19 Corps to give Houston, TX, more capacity. These staff in as well as others in some of the country’s most-impacted areas, from Detroit, MI, to Santa Clara, CA, were hired with the help of a $15 million donation provided by TikTok.

Does COVID-19 transmit through breastmilk? Can mothers pass it on during pregnancy? What is its impact on maternal and child health after birth? These questions and more are what the investigators of the Pregnancy Coronavirus Outcomes Registry, or PRIORITY, hope to answer.

In any public health crisis, time is the most critical resource. That's why MITRE and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), with the support of the CDC Foundation, knew they needed to develop a new tool to help contact tracers work faster.

While social isolation may have become the new normal, for homeless people, staying healthy during a pandemic presents a unique challenge that requires unique solutions. A look inside one city's search for answers.

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health organizations are on the front lines in the fight to save lives. But the rapid spread of the virus has stretched resources thin as public health organizations and healthcare providers combat the pandemic on multiple fronts.

Though COVID-19 has impacted communities around the world, it has not affected all communities equally. When a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team noticed that Latinx residents in parts of central Virginia were suffering disproportionately high rates of COVID-19 infection, they wanted to learn why.

Across the United States today, more than two million people have an opioid use disorder. As drug overdoses continue to increase nationwide, fewer and fewer families are left untouched by an epidemic that claims 130 lives in the United States each day.

When Dr. Evelyn McKnight was battling breast cancer in 2002, the last thing on her mind was Hepatitis C. So when she and her husband Thomas learned that she had contracted the virus from unsafe injection practices during her treatment, they were shocked.

The American Southwest is among the most ruggedly beautiful areas of the country. But for residents of the Navajo Nation, which encompasses more than 27,000 square miles of this region, the environment also brings with it an increased exposure to the deadly hantavirus.

Though the burden has drastically decreased in most industrialized nations, typhoid fever remains a serious health risk in much of the world. Spread through contaminated food and water, an estimated 26 million cases of typhoid fever occur worldwide each year, causing approximately 215,000 deaths. In countries like Zimbabwe, where the disease remains endemic, typhoid poses a recurring threat, particularly in the crowded urban areas around the capital city, Harare.

For the estimated 100,000 people in the United States who suffer from sickle cell disease, living with this potentially deadly blood disorder is a daily challenge. But in the fight against the disease, medical professionals have been hampered by a frustrating lack of data on how, when and where patients are accessing care.

The 2014 outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa moved disease preparedness into the global spotlight. Global health gaps in areas such as disease surveillance, laboratory capacity and workforce development have a direct impact on Americans’ health, safety and security.

Since Ebola was discovered in 1976, there have been 28 outbreaks worldwide and 10 in DRC alone—more than any other country. In addition to the current outbreak continuing to play out, there will be lasting consequences to this epidemic once it ends.

In the last few months, the Rhode Island Department of Health has seen a surge in staff working to tackle this public health crisis challenging states across the country.

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.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of Americans serve their country in the U.S. military. For many, their military experience becomes a building block for personal and professional development. For others, however, post-military life can bring challenges.

For many military veterans, the transition back to civilian life can be challenging. StackUp brings both veterans and civilian supporters together through a shared love of video gaming.

“A dollar spent on public health is one of the highest yielding investments possible,” says Bob Yellowlees, retired chairman of the boards of Global Payments, Inc. and NDC Health.

For the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, making a difference means getting ahead of the curve. A three-year pilot initiative seeks to provide a school-centered approach to combating the growing trend of substance use and risky sexual behavior among teens.

In September 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico. The island’s healthcare system was crippled by the storms, and electricity outages caused refrigeration to fail, destroying 90 percent of Puerto Rico’s flu vaccine.

Despite the fact that vaccination is one of the world’s most effective ways to save and protect lives, significant hurdles remain. But one collaborative team is on the verge of a breakthrough.

In the global fight against infectious disease threats, a strong first line of defense is critical. Yet in much of the developing world, community health officials and epidemiologists are under-prepared for widespread public health emergencies.

When working in the field, Dr. Karim Bougma is up early—some days rising at 3:00 a.m. to start his day. With a 3-D imaging device in hand, he joins a team each morning as they go house-to-house to collect body measurement data for children under five, which is being used to monitor and evaluate population, health and nutrition programs.

When looking back on the top news stories of 2017, one that certainly rises to the top is the record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season. Who can forget the series of hurricanes in late August and September that wreaked destruction on portions of the continental United States and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Each day headlines highlight dangerous disease outbreaks that strike fear because of their capacity to rapidly infect populations across the globe. Through the Global Health Security Agenda, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with 31 countries to accelerate their ability to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease threats. The CDC Foundation is supporting CDC's work with partners in the West African country of Burkina Faso to advance these Global Health Security efforts.

Without strong public health management and efficient organizational performance, many important global health initiatives in low-resource countries fall short of their intended goals. How can this challenge be addressed?

Did you know that sickle cell disease (SCD), is the most common inherited blood disorder in the United States, affecting an estimated 90,000 to 100,000 Americans? SCD can be extremely painful and is associated with a number of severe health complications.

With its yellow walls and simple tin roof, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (lab in Bo, Sierra Leone, would be easy to overlook. Although there were no indications that this tiny lab sat squarely on the front lines in the fight against Ebola, it was vital to efforts to turn back the epidemic in Sierra Leone.

Early on a Sunday morning in Liberia, West Africa, a small group of CDC Foundation staff, along with representatives of eHealth Africa and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, had the opportunity to see firsthand the challenges and successes that come with tracking down contacts of Ebola patients in Liberia.

Old Colony YMCA in Brockton, Massachusetts, recently discovered something startling: a single neighborhood more burdened by poor health such as asthma, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol than surrounding areas. Most surprising, however, was that this particular area had a lower prevalence of unhealthy behaviors like binge drinking than other locations within Brockton.

In 2016, Tashira, 22, of Puerto Rico got pregnant with her second child. Tashira didn’t plan to have another baby so soon, but she got pregnant when she ran out of birth control pills. During one summer visit to a health clinic in San Juan, Tashira disclosed her anxiety about the current Zika virus outbreak and the link between Zika infection during pregnancy and birth defects.

The thermometer nears 95 degrees at 8:00 a.m. in Laye, Burkina Faso, a small village about 20 miles from the capital city of Ouagadougou. Though the temperature will top 105 degrees today, the heat has not kept the mothers of a few dozen children from walking or biking to their local dispensary.