Author Archives: CDC Foundation

When Rwanda’s Ministry of Health confirmed the country’s first-ever outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in September 2024, alarm spread quickly, both within the country and across the globe. Clinically similar to Ebola, MVD has, in past outbreaks, claimed the lives of up to 88 percent of those infected. Though the virus was first identified […]

As we reflect on the life and career of Walter Reid Dowdle, PhD, EIS ’91, we are reminded of the profound impact an individual can have on the world. Few individuals have left an indelible mark as Walt. His remarkable career, characterized by unwavering dedication, innovative thinking and a commitment to improving health outcomes, stands […]

Setting the Stage for Development New parents spend much of their time staunchly attuned to every smile or plaintive cry from their newborn. Equally important to a baby’s early development, however, is their own relationship to sound. Because babies begin to learn communication, language and social skills by listening to and interacting with those around […]

The career of F. Marc LaForce, MD began in 1965 with an assignment to the United States Public Health Service at the Communicable Disease Center—now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—in Atlanta, GA. Dr. LaForce’s public health career has spanned multiple continents and changed countless lives. In his senior year of high school, […]

On 400 acres of scenic farmland in Fayetteville, Georgia, there is an inspiring organization dedicated to serving youth and veterans called Camp Southern Ground. Founded by GRAMMY award-winning artist Zac Brown, Camp Southern Ground offers residential summer camp experience for kids aged 7 to 17, and workforce and wellness transition programs to help veterans transition to […]

On tough days, Kelly Pinzon is reminded of what her boss once explained to her. “This is the worst day of a person’s life, and we’re reading their story, and we’re honoring what happened with them.” As a data abstractor in the New Jersey Department of Health, it is Pinzon’s job to log data from […]

The Oglala Lakota Sioux reservation of Pine Ridge in South Dakota is one of the largest in the country and is home to approximately 18,000 people, many of whom live in remote areas across nearly 2 million acres of land. For the past year, obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN) Ryan Duggal, MD, has been serving as a staff […]

When Jill Kingston and her husband started fostering newborns exposed to substances in 2013, they could not have imagined where that journey would lead. Through the experience, Kingston saw firsthand the impact of substance use disorder on mothers and babies and the struggles families faced when children were born into homes with mothers with substance […]

For much of history, physicians made disease diagnoses by simply using their senses. What does the skin look like? How do the lungs sound? Do any bodily fluids have a particular smell? As we have learned more about the nature of diseases and developed more advanced tools, testing has become one of our strongest defenses […]

By Adriana Dragicevic and Amaya Carthan Each year, World No Tobacco Day reminds us that protecting future generations from tobacco harms is a population health imperative because tobacco is the world’s leading cause of preventable deaths. In 2025, the campaign’s theme, “protecting children from tobacco industry interference,” rings especially urgent. An area of growing concern […]

Collecting accurate, up-to-date and accessible cause-of-death data remains a challenge in many areas throughout the world. This information is critical to allow communities to know why people are falling ill and dying, so officials can create policies and programs to address diseases at both the regional and national levels. The Data for Health initiative launched […]

Across the United States, millions of people face barriers to accessing nutritious food. Feeding America reports that 47 million individuals—including 1 in 5 children—experience food insecurity, a pervasive challenge demanding bold and unified solutions. The CDC Foundation is committed to advancing the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, which was spearheaded with bipartisan support […]

By Toni Perling  Pro football legend Jerome Bettis, the former running back better known as “The Bus,” brought a heart health message to the big game in New Orleans on behalf of the CDC Foundation and the cardiovascular health initiative Live to the Beat. Bettis spoke to several of the media outlets gathered there for […]

Provisional data indicate that drug overdose deaths dropped 17 percent in the United States between July 2023 to July 2024—the largest decrease on record. That adds up to about 19,000 lives saved. And after decades of rising fatalities, it’s heartening to those who’ve spent years diligently working to address this devastating crisis. A program similar to […]

By Judy Monroe, MD  Bernie Marcus, who passed away in early November, played a large role in the CDC Foundation and in the presence of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta as a base to help protect people in the United States and across the globe. Most people knew Marcus as […]

By Judy Monroe, MD  One of my first actions after being selected in 2016 by the CDC Foundation Board of Directors to serve as the president and CEO was to meet individually with each board member. Dikembe Mutombo had joined the CDC Foundation Board of Directors in the fall of 2014. We agreed to meet […]

By Kristen Taylor and Lily Samuel Has a play you’ve seen ever made you think differently? Has a mural stuck with you long after you’d walked away? Public art plays a vital role in spurring conversations, shifting cultural narratives and elevating awareness of critical issues in our communities in creative and unique ways. Investing in […]

The CDC Foundation is introducing a new take on its popular podcast series, Contagious Conversations. The updated show format will use a story arc in each episode to explore critical public health issues with experts from diverse fields. The latest episode—“The Costs of Getting Sick”—provides a behind-the-scenes look at a disease outbreak investigation and examines […]

By Judy Monroe, MD  Today our nation and world face incredible health challenges—costly infectious and chronic diseases and large-scale emergencies. These challenges take lives and negatively impact our economy. But by working together we have opportunities to positively impact health as well. For instance, the benefits offered by businesses to their employees, along with the […]

By April Biagioni  Peer navigators from the CDC Foundation’s Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program are on the front lines of the opioid crisis in Puerto Rico, engaging with communities across the island. Many have lived experience with substance use, so they’re not just talking the talk; they’re walking alongside individuals struggling with the issue, […]