Celebrate National Public Health Week

During the first full week of April each year, we observe National Public Health Week to recognize the contributions of the experts and professionals who play a role in protecting the public’s health as well as to highlight issues important to saving and improving lives. This week we celebrate the successes of our colleagues who conduct the vital work aimed at tackling our most pressing health challenges.

During my career, I have seen the field of public health from many different perspectives, as a physician, physician educator, hospital administrator, state health commissioner and CDC leader. In each of these roles, I interacted with the public health community, and I saw how public health truly protects all of us, ranging from guidance I used as a physician to moving forward policies in my work in both Indiana and at CDC.

Now, at the CDC Foundation, I have seen how we need all groups—government, the philanthropic and private sectors, and individuals—working together to affect change.

At the CDC Foundation, we believe that people, groups and organizations have greater positive impact and can accomplish more by partnering together versus working individually. I think it’s important to remember that partnerships can take shape in many ways. Sometimes it means funding, but it can also mean providing expertise and innovative solutions, or hosting a convening, or simply bringing others to the table for collaboration and opportunities. 

This week, I am appreciative of partners who make our work possible as well as our staff who have worked for 24 years with CDC to advance vital public health efforts. These are as diverse as helping to prevent infections in cancer patients to addressing the global burden of tobacco to responding to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

Now more than ever, your help is needed to improve public health protection. Efforts focused on protecting the public’s health make a tremendous difference in our lives every day. 

We live in a world facing many daunting challenges. Hit the news feed on your smart device any day of the week and these are staring you in the face. Any of these challenges would be overwhelming, if not impossible to address individually. With your help we are able to continue CDC’s critical public health mission to protect everyone, especially our most vulnerable populations. Please join us in celebrating National Public Health Week by helping to support nearly 300 CDC-led programs in the United States and around the world. Together our impact is greater.