Featured Programs:
Sponsored School(s)
The CDC is a federal agency that is responsible for working with health institutes in different states, as well as with the public at large in order to educate and promote prevention when it comes to illness and disease, particularly those that spread through infection, food, and through the air.
- The CDC was actually founded in 1992
- Before the founding of the CDC, there were a number of other departments and agencies that took its place.
- The CDC is the public health institute of the United States
- Each state has its own center of disease control.
- The CDC is the founding institute of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes. This is a group of national health centers that communicate to share knowledge and policy and to discuss essential issues.
- The original incarnation of the CDC was formed in 1943 in response to malaria outbreaks, though it wasn’t called the Center of Disease Control.
- The Rockefeller Foundation was an early and important sponsor of the CDC. The foundation thought that malaria prevention was the most important issue at that time and put money into health education.
- In the late 1950s, the CDC began to expand their interests. In 1957, for example, the CDC grew to include education and prevention related to sexually transmitted diseases.
- The Coca-Cola Company was another major donor to the early incarnation of the CDC.
- Even though the word Prevention is omitted from the current title of Centers of Disease Control, the concept of prevention is considered to be an important function of the CDC. Congress voted to leave out the word Prevention so that people would recognize the name of the CDC.
- Even though the CDC is a federal level agency, there are state branches all over the country where residents and connect with local CDC representatives.
- All of the information you need about contacting your local CDC center can be found online at the click of a button.
- Aside from preventing the spread of illness and disease, the CDC also concentrates on workplace injuries. The CDC works to create safer, healthier environments for workers.
- The CDC actually has a repository of smallpox, one of the only two in the world.
- The CDC regularly post videos, blogs, and articles related to important health issues on their website.
- In 2011, the CDC posted a blog about what to do during a zombie attack, creating one of the most often visited articles published by the CDC ever.
- The CDC is interested in connecting with the public on many different levels, including community outreach, sponsored contests, and commercials.
- Representatives from the CDC are locally available to visit classrooms, workplaces, and community centers to give talks and presentations, as well as to give occasional testing and prevention.
- There are currently 15,000 people who work for the CDC.
- The CDC has over 170 jobs at the present, meaning that there are over 170 positions within the federal agency alone.
- 80% of the people who work for the CDC have undergraduate degrees.
- About half of the people who are employed by the CDC have higher level degrees. For example, they might have PhDs, master’s degrees, and MDs.
- The current federal budget for the CDC is 9.2 billion dollars.
- The CDC hires professionals from many different fields, including doctors, public health advisors, chemists, information technology professionals, economists, and computer scientists.
- The CDC has a policy of growing along with the health profession, as well as with the current technologies and methods for accessing information that are popular among the public.
- The first director of the CDC in 1942, when it still concentrated solely on issues related to malaria, was L.L. Williams.
- The current director of the CDC is Thomas Frieden, who began serving in 2009.
- In 2005, the CDC went under a massive restructuring. Administrators and directors felt that the center had to me reorganized to meet new threats and health concerns.
- The CDC Foundation is a non-profit that is not officially part of the CDC, which raises money to support similar causes and to help to sponsor the federal agency.
- Among the many issues and concerns held by the CDC, environmental issues have become some of the most prominent. Everything from air pollution to water cleanliness is researched by the CDC.
- Education is a key function of the CDC. Without educational resources, including classes, pamphlets, and internet sites, the CDC wouldn’t be able to promote prevention and healthy practices.
- Data collection and analysis is another important function of the CDC. It allows them to make important, complex public health decisions.
- The CDC keeps statistics on a number of different issues regarding public health. For example, they keep data on health statistics, abortion statistics, behavioral risk statistics, and mortality medial data.
- The CDC has a base in Atlanta, Georgia, where they also keep some of their most technologically advanced and secure laboratories.
- In some laboratories, the CDC researches some of the most dangerous biological agents in the world.
- All aspects of health are considered fair game by the CDC, who even researches and prevents issues such as obesity, which often are triggered by behavioral and environmental factors.
- The CDC has global health concerns as well. Representatives from this agency travel around the world to share information with their international counterparts.
- One of the CDC’s goals is to promote optimal health nationwide. One way in which they do this is to composite the qualities and behaviors of individuals who lead healthy lifestyles.
- The CDC publishes healthy person guides and statistics, this way individuals can learn about ways they can contribute to healthier lifestyles.
- The CDC believes that information technology is an essential component of all administrative, bureaucratic, educational initiatives. For this reason, the CDC commonly develops complex interfaces that allow researchers and statisticians to collect, store, and analyze data.
- This agency also makes their raw data available to the public. In other words, the CDC provides the public with their data sets and allows it to come to its own conclusions.
- All health issues that might concern the public in general are observed by the CDC. Autism, for example, is an issue that CDC is very concerned with. The group collects data regarding risk factors and known forms of prevention and health concerning autism.
- Because the CDC understands that work health varies by profession and environment, they put together surveys that cover individual jobs, such as miners and firefighters.
- The National Committee on Health and Vital Statistics is part of the CDC. This Group advises the Department of Health and Human Services so that the latter group can make informed decisions based on statistical evidence.
- The CDC is one of the leading advisory committees when it comes to public health and policy.
- The CDC is made up of health professionals who approach the issues from a number of different angles. They have different kinds of training and use different methods to obtain and analyze information.
- One of the leading public employers of health professionals, the CDC is a common employer of the country’s shining medical and health workers, many of whom come straight from the university to work with the CDC.
- Many graduate students do research for the CDC, while others serve as interns for this organization. It is an excellent resource for those who are learning about health professions.
- The headquarters of the CDC is in Druid Hills, Georgia, though they do have a federal branch in Washington DC. The CDC also has a state center in each of the 50 American states.
- When it comes to statistics regarding health insurance coverage, the CDC is one of the principal suppliers of data that are used by private firms, government agencies, and among the public.
- One function of the CDC is to help people who might have financial troubles accessing healthcare find the insurance, subsidies, and affordable care they need. They collect data regarding access to medical care all around the country.
- Because the CDC understands the importance of keeping up with the most popular and cutting edge trends in communication and networking, the CDC does much public outreach through social network sites, such as Facebook.
- The CDC website considers a number of tools that most health conscious people can find useful. For example, did you know that the CDC offers a free BMI (Body Mass Index) calculator?
- All forms of media are important to the CDC. Recently, the development of CDC-TV, an online video feature, allows the agency to reach people in ways that are clear, informative, and entertaining.
- The common jobs and careers at the CDC are related to health and medical fields, as well as science research in fields such as biology. Most of the professionals in these fields have graduate degrees, and many hold positions in private and public health and medical institutions.
- The CDC is always looking for professionals who have experience in education, particularly in health education. As a matter of fact, Health Education Specialists are among the commonly employed CDC workers.
- Since much of the funding the CDC receives comes from state, federal, and non-profit funding, the agency depends on grant writers and accountants who specialize in this kind of work.
- The best way to get a high profile job at the CDC is to earn a degree in a field such as public health or health administration. These are professionals who study the way that health policies are written. They also get involved in the political and economic nature of many public health policies.
- Many people with a penchant for working with data and statistics can find work through the CDC.
- A good 20% of the CDC’s employees are contract workers. The CDC hires these professionals to perform functions such as data collection and information management for individual projects or for limited periods of time.
- Some of the most important professionals at the CDC are the behavioral scientists. As a matter of fact, this agency consistently looks for behavioral scientists who are ready to jump onboard, especially those who are interested in working with HIV- infected population, as well as with issues such as domestic abuse and homicide.
- The CDC has departments that work with special groups. For example, one area of the CDC might work specifically with US military veterans while another might work with disabled workers or individuals who are not citizens of the country.
- Since one of the key priorities of CDC is to educate the public, they make sure that all of their information in writing is clear. If you have problems with the clarity of one of their articles, it is easy to contact them.
- The CDC makes itself easy to follow. As a matter of fact, they even have a twitter account, and you can receive instant email alerts from the CDC as well.
- The CDC looks out to college students and recent graduates for inspiration and assistance. In return, young health professionals in training can participate in internships and fellowships that give them important job experience with a reputable organization.
- The CDC offers a Public Health Associate Program. This is a program designed to help young people with an interest in health to get their first experiences working in the field.
- There are currently over 120 associates working with the CDC at the moment. These are young health professionals in training who might one day move into management positions where they help determine the way health services are provided.
- Associates at the CDC do more than just assist seasoned health professionals. They also receive a strong public health education. They learn about health systems, research, and communications practices.
- Aside from providing great public health education and experience, the CDC Associates program also provides excellent character building skills. Associates learn team building exercises, communication methods, and ethics as they relate to health and to general public behavior.
- The CDC releases and contributes to a number of different publications each year. The subject matter of these publications often is related to health issues, such as heart disease, addiction, HIV prevention, and other public health issues.
- The CDC also provides the public with access to educational health materials that they believe the public can find beneficial.
- For each major health issue in the United States, the CDC normally has special programs set aside. For example, the problem of heart disease has five groups associated with it, each of which takes a different angle when it comes to battling this condition.
- The CDC might provide plenty of great statistics, but they also provide some great tips for how to be healthy. Their website is a great place to visit any time you have questions about your behaviors, diets, or any other health practices about which you might have questions.
- If you are the kind of person who liked to travel internationally, then you will want to check with the CDC before you leave on your trip. The CDC will be able to alert you of all potential health hazards in countries and regions all over the world and give you tips for prevention.
- It’s always a good idea to be prepared for emergencies, which is why it’s great to stay up to date with the CDC. They provide information concerning all kinds of emergencies, from the commonplace to the unusual. There are emergency plans for everything to thunderstorms to nuclear war.
- If you are interested in a free education related to health issues, you will want to get acquainted with the CDC’s online presence. They offer free online courses for issues such as disease, dealing with emergencies, and coping with illness.
- The CDC also specializes in training some of America’s most talented and braves emergency responders. Check the website for information regarding training courses, programs, and certificates.
- Another educational aspect of the CDC includes health law training. While you can’t attend CDC courses for full certificates and degrees in health law, you can certainly use the introductory 101 courses to learn the basics and get a head start in your career.
- A strong focus of the CDC is helping all levels of a community to communicate and get involved to prevent spreading illness and disasters. The CDC publishes much work in print and on their website that promotes partnership between local government, health agencies, and actual community members.
- The CDC is a big influencer when it comes to regulations. For example, you should know that the CDC has been working closely with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to put sensible and effective regulations on the tobacco industry.
- The CDC tries to be as accurate and helpful as possible, but there are always cases when someone misreads the facts or makes a simple error in judgment. This is why the CDC considers their information dissemination to be a cooperative project. In other words, if you find information distributed by the CDC that you believe is not accurate, you shouldn’t hesitate to contact the organization immediately.
- It’s also true that the CDC looks to health professionals all over the globe for the information that they distribute. Likewise, they go through extensive peer review processes in which some of the best minds on the health field analyze materials before they are distributed to the public.
- Some of the information that the CDC keeps is not necessarily available to the public. This can be information that is related to specific biological agents that are particularly dangerous, but it might also be sensitive information collected during a survey or through scientific research. If you feel you should have access to information that you cannot acquire from the CDC, you should use the Freedom of Information Act to request access to this information.
- It’s easy to submit an information request form to the CDC. As a matter of fact, they have set up an electronic submission system and form on their website.
- When you are interested in providing a good health education to your own children, don’t wait for them to get the necessary education at school. You begin any time by perusing the CDC resources for information that is created specifically to young ones. In some communities the CDC is available for private lessons and presentations.
- Even thought the CDC does receive a good amount of funding from the federal government, it’s important to remember that because of a slow economy, there have been many cuts to programs such as the CDC. If you care about preventing the spread of disease, it’s a good idea to see how you can get involved with the CDC.
- For women who are about to give birth or are who considering giving birth, the CDC is an excellent research. The organization collects information about health risks, good behaviors, and great tips for preparing for that big day.
- The CDC is not just about preventative medicine, though this is a big part of what this institution does. They also work to help individuals who are struggling with problems ranging from cancer to obesity to autism.
- If you are considering doing a little independent research about health related issues, you might find that the CDC is a great place to start, not only so you can read their official publications, but also so you can learn which books and periodicals this organization recommends. Remember that the CDC is very careful about the information they distribute, and this professionalism and caution carries over to the information they recommend.
- Health systems are another major concern of the CDC. This organization works with groups and organizations, including governments, from all over the world to help them to improve their health systems. They work on first responder communication, technological infrastructure, and basic health and medical practices.
- The CDC is one of the leading providers of vaccinations for dangerous diseases such as polio. They have representatives travel all around the world to provide these vaccinations to people in need.
- The CDC understands its position as a global organization, so it partners often with some other influential large organizations. For example, in recent years the CDC has partnered with the United Nations, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the World Bank.
- It might be easy to see the CDC as an American organization that brings its expertise to other countries, but this is not always the case. The CDC’s researchers, technicians, and educators visit other places around the world and bring back innovative ideas for dealing with health issues and promoting public health awareness.
- A seldom recognized effort of the CDC is to provide oversight of important American public health programs. They often act as supervisors and analysts of other health programs, this way they can provide useful criticism and suggest improvement.
- When you are learning about the different global functions of the CDC, it’s important to remember not to get overwhelmed. This organization has a specifically localized approach to providing health care and education, which makes the functions of the CDC unique for its far stretch and personalized approach to public health issues and policies.
- Instead of dictating standards that are written in stone, the directors and administrators of the CDC analyze the environments around the world and assess health risks. This way, their standards adapt to the situations in which they work. This allows for great adaptability.
- Many professionals who work for the CDC wish they could spend endless amounts of money to enrich populations all over the world. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. Instead, the CDC attempts to spread the money it receives evenly around to the different communities that need it. The idea is to create the greatest maximum impact with the money it receives.
- The director of the Center for Global Health is Kevin De Cock. He works independently of the CDC director, though the two communicate often.
- If you need information regarding visas and areas around the world that are seldom visited by Americans, the CDC is a great website to visit.
- For many of today’s public health superstars, the CDC was their first step into the big time during or after college.
References:
