CDC Policy-Focused Offices & Programs

The Office of the Associate Director for Policy and Strategy (OADPS) is the nexus for CDC’s policy and strategy activities. Contact OADPS.

The following offices and programs are the primary groups at CDC that focus on policy and deal with policy-related issues.

Public Health Law Program (PHLP)

PHLP is in CDC’s Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support (CSTLTS), and its mission is to advance the public’s health through law. PHLP has three strategic goals: 1) to improve the understanding and use of law as a public health tool, 2) to develop CDC’s capacity to apply law to achieve health protection goals, and 3) to develop the legal preparedness of the public health system to address all public health priorities.

Office of the Associate Director for Policy and Strategy (OADPS)

OADPS’s mission is to identify and advance opportunities to use policy, leverage health system transformation, and engage other sectors to improve the public’s health. OADPS’s priorities are to identify high-value prevention and public health policies and interventions; increase the understanding and use of credible evidence of prevention’s impact by policy makers, healthcare, and public health; and catalyze collaboration among public health, health care, and other sectors.

Program Performance and Evaluation Office (PPEO)

PPEO helps CDC programs and external partners achieve the greatest possible health impact. Its mission is to increase the impact and effectiveness of public health programs through innovation and sound program design and the use of performance and evaluation data for continuous improvement.

CDC’s Washington Office (CDC/W)

CDC/W designs strategies for complex public health issues and develops plans for CDC’s work with Congress and other Washington area organizations (agencies, private and nonprofit, think tanks, and associations) to advance CDC’s public health goals. Part of CDC′s Office of the Director, CDC/W acts as a liaison between CDC and the Washington policy community.