CSIS Report: Building the CDC the Country Needs

The CDC, a long-heralded national public health asset, has suffered a sharp decline in popular trust and confidence. The CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security launched a working group on the CDC in August 2022 to conduct a rapid review of critical CDC capabilities related to epidemic preparedness and response. This CSIS report enumerates the essential, concrete, near-term steps that will return CDC to a pathway of high performance: clarifying and better integrating CDC’s core domestic and global missions; enhancing CDC’s leadership and transparency by bolstering its communications and federal engagement capacities; creating a much stronger competency in Washington; and bolstering its operational and surge capabilities through updated frontline engagement, workforce development, data analysis, and budget flexibility. Across all reforms, greater attention to equity and accountability will be essential.