These stories are based on confidential interviews conducted as part of the CDC Listening Project. Participants review and approve written summaries describing their work, their contributions, and the circumstances surrounding their separation. Stories are published without names or identifying details.
From National Partnerships to Local Impact, Strengthening Public Health With Science
This public health advisor spent over 25 years helping national organizations, states, schools, and communities implement and pass along evidence-based practices that reduced smoking and hospital infections, increased physical activity, and strengthened the public health workforce.
Communication Saves Lives: The Media Campaigns Behind Smoking Prevention
From executive correspondence at the CDC Director’s office to running the Media Campaign Resource Center, this communications pro connected states to evidence-based media strategies—supporting campaigns that helped more than a million people quit smoking.
Harnessing State-Level Epidemiological Data to Reduce Maternal Mortality
When Illinois released its first comprehensive maternal mortality report, the First Lady of Illinois and the U.S. Surgeon General stood behind it—and major policy changes followed. This CDC maternal and child health epidemiologist helped redesign the state’s maternal death review process from the ground up, translating data into actionable recommendations that expanded postpartum Medicaid coverage and strengthened systems to prevent preventable deaths.