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Stakeholders’ assessment of US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s contributions to the development of National Public Health Institutes in seven countries

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Abstract

National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) can strengthen countries’ public health capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to public health emergencies. This qualitative evaluation assessed the role of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in NPHI development and strengthening of public health functions. We interviewed NPHI staff (N = 43), non-NPHI government staff (N = 29), and non-governmental organization staff (N = 24) in seven countries where CDC has supported NPHI development: Cambodia, Colombia, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Zambia. Participants identified four areas of support that were the most important: workforce capacity building, technical assistance for key public health functions, identifying institutional gaps and priorities, and funding to support countries’ priorities. Participants underscored the need for capacity building directed toward country-driven priorities during planning and implementation. Continued support for NPHI development from CDC and other partners is vital to building stronger public health systems, improving population health, and strengthening global health security.

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Change history

  • 20 December 2021

    The ORICD of Mahlet A. Woldetsadik has been omitted

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Natalie Brown and Basia Tomczyk for protocol review, Camila Florez, Dilia Ballen, and Kanha Sar for interpretation services in Colombia and Cambodia, Martha Knuth for assistance with literature reviews, and CDC country offices and NPHIs in the seven countries for logistical support and recruitment of participants. We also thank Malikah Waajid and the Division of Global Health Protection’s Science Office in the Center for Global Health at CDC for reviewing and providing constructive feedback on various drafts of this manuscript. Lastly, we greatly appreciate all the participants who agreed to be interviewed and shared their perspectives. This publication was supported in part by RTI International Contract Number # 200-2017-F-96261, funded by the US CDC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1825 Century Blvd NE, Room 3018, Atlanta, GA, 30345, USA

    Mahlet A. Woldetsadik, Kaitlin Fitzpatrick, Bridget Miller, Dennis Jarvis, Caroline Carnevale, Fatima Ravat, Cynthia H. Cassell, Alice Williams, Stephanie K. Young, Jacob Clemente, Henry C. Baggett & Shelly Bratton

  2. RTI International, Durham, NC, USA

    Lisetta Del Castillo

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  1. Mahlet A. Woldetsadik
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  2. Kaitlin Fitzpatrick
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  3. Lisetta Del Castillo
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  4. Bridget Miller
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  5. Dennis Jarvis
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  6. Caroline Carnevale
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  7. Fatima Ravat
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  8. Cynthia H. Cassell
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  9. Alice Williams
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  10. Stephanie K. Young
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  11. Jacob Clemente
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  12. Henry C. Baggett
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  13. Shelly Bratton
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Correspondence to Mahlet A. Woldetsadik.

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The contents of this paper are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Department of Health and Human Services or RTI International.

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Woldetsadik, M.A., Fitzpatrick, K., Del Castillo, L. et al. Stakeholders’ assessment of US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s contributions to the development of National Public Health Institutes in seven countries. J Public Health Pol 42, 589–601 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-021-00310-0

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