What We Do

Tackling the world’s greatest public health challenges requires a strong and sustainable public health workforce. At CDC’s Division of Global HIV & TB (DGHT), our skilled workforce of clinicians, prevention specialists, epidemiologists, health economists, behavioral scientists and laboratorians work with country governments, community groups and other partners to create sustainable public health workforce capacity in more than 50 PEPFAR-supported countries. Our efforts range from:

• Supporting the credentialing and policy systems that guide health worker practices
• Developing human resource tools and information systems
• Recruiting new public health professionals
• Providing training and funding for educational institutions to improve in-service training, mentorship and supervision

Why We Do It

Effective public health systems not only require a trained workforce but also effective, sustainable healthcare and human resource systems. By sharing knowledge and expertise with Ministries of Health, non-governmental organizations, universities, and the private sector, CDC is helping to establish a sustainable public health workforce globally that can conquer both today’s epidemics and tomorrow’s public health challenges.

Results

CDC’s DGHT has helped to establish a public health workforce worldwide:

• In Botswana, CDC helped establish a school of public health and a program to strengthen laboratory services
• In Kenya, CDC worked with Emory University to establish the first Human Resource Information System (HRIS) in sub-Saharan Africa, which collects registration and deployment data on health care workers
• Seven countries in East Africa established continuing professional programs for nurses

For more information on building a sustainable healthcare workforce, see below:

Training 8,000 Healthcare Workers in Zimbabwe to Fight HIV/AIDS

CDC knows building the capacity of healthcare workers on the frontlines of the fight against HIV is essential to achieving an AIDS-free generation. Working with church hospitals across Zimbabwe, we are equipping thousands of healthcare workers with the essential skills they need to stop this epidemic in its tracks.

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