Historic 5-Year Investment for Disease Intervention Specialist Workforce

Cross-posted from CDC Newsroom

Dear Colleagues,

As a follow-up to our May 13, 2021 letter, CDC’s Division of STD Prevention has distributed the funds for the first year of the CDC Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS) Workforce Development Supplement. With these resources, CDC will strengthen the DIS workforce so that the U.S. can respond to COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, and support 21st century disease control and prevention by expanding, training, and sustaining a response-ready DIS workforce.

This is the initial funding of the historic investment from the American Rescue Plan over the next five years. The funding supplements CDC’s “Strengthening STD Prevention and Control for Health Departments” (STD PCHD) (RFA-PS19-1901). All 59 current recipients of STD PCHD applied for and received funding for the supplement’s year one $200,000,000 award. You can find a list of each awarded jurisdiction and their award amount on CDC’s DIS Workforce Development Funding page.

For many years, DIS have provided invaluable support to prevent STDs, tuberculosis, HIV, and other infectious diseases. They have also served on the front lines to respond to emerging threats like Ebola and Zika, as well as outbreaks and clusters of hepatitis A and hepatitis C. Their unique skillset and boots-on-the-ground approach to stop the spread of diseases has been a critical component of our nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are pleased that this new funding will expand and strengthen this workforce as an essential part of our nation’s public health defense against infectious diseases.   

Thank you for your continued support.

Best regards,
/Leandro Mena/
Leandro Mena, MD, MPH
Director, Division of STD Prevention
National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

/Jonathan Mermin/
Jonathan H. Mermin, MD, MPH
RADM and Assistant Surgeon General, USPHS,
Director, National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention