Office of the Director - Publications and Resources
Web, print, and other resources for partners and the public
CDC’s Surveillance Strategy Publications
CDC’s Surveillance Strategy is a call to action to improve the needed infrastructure to modernize public health surveillance systems. The Office of Public Health Scientific Services is leading this work, beginning with the creation of a Strategic Plan, overseen by an agency-wide leadership board. Learn more about the strategy by reading resources below.
NOW ONLINE! Syndromic Surveillance: The Value of Real-time Data for Public Health Action
A newly published supplemental issue of Public Health Reports advances the science and practice of syndromic surveillance. This compilation of 18+ articles promotes the value of syndromic surveillance under different circumstances—from all-hazards surveillance to targeted characterization of health events and surveillance of mass gatherings.
Learn how telephone triage is being used for influenza surveillance, how syndromic surveillance is being used to monitor drug-related issues, respond to opioid and heroin overdose, evaluate reporting of potential rabies exposure, and more. Get lessons learned and practical advice from experts who are using syndromic surveillance in innovative ways now. Plus, get a glimpse into the future by learning how syndromic surveillance is used internationally and by reading the Research Agenda for syndromic surveillance.

Select CDC Publications
- Syndromic Surveillance: The Value of Real-time Data for Public Health Action. Public Health Reports Volume 132, Issue 1_suppl, July/August 2017
- Richards CL, Iademarco MF, Atkinson D, Pinner RW, Yoon P, Mac Kenzie WR, Lee B, Qualters JR, Frieden TR. Advances in Public Health Surveillance and Information Dissemination at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public Health Reports First Published June 13, 2017
- Spencer MR, Ahmad F. Timeliness of Death Certificate Data for Mortality Surveillance and Provisional Estimates. Vital Statistics Rapid Release Special Report. Report No. 001, December 2016.
- Mac Kenzie WR, Davidson AJ, Wiesenthal A, et al. The Promise of Electronic Case Reporting. Public Health Reports 2016:131;742-746. PDF Available
- Richards, CL, Lee, B. CDC Surveillance Strategy – A Strategy for Improving CDC Activities in Public Health Surveillance, Online J Public Health Inform. 2015; 7(1): e49. PDF Available
- Update on Progress in Electronic Reporting of Laboratory Results to Public Health Agencies — United States, 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2015 Apr 3; 64(12): 328-330. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [PDF – page 16]
- Richards CL, Iademarco MF, Anderson TC. A New Strategy for Public Health Surveillance at CDC: Improving National Surveillance Activities and Outcomes. Public Health Reports / November–December 2014; 129(6):472-476. PDF Available
- CDC Surveillance Strategy, 2014 – PDF
Public Health Scientific Services Resources
The office works across CDC to foster collaboration and lead cross-cutting priorities. In many instances we begin projects in tandem with other offices that are later led by other parts of CDC. Learn more about us and some of our innovative projects.
Our Centers
- National Center for Health Statistics
- Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (CSELS)
Our Budget
Rural Health Initiative
Data Visualization
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Places & Spaces: Mapping Science Website
- Media Statement: Drawing Actionable Insights from Data
- Press Release: CDC Museum to Host Places & Spaces: Mapping Science Exhibition
- Program Flyer: Places & Spaces: Mapping Science Kickoff
- YouTube, Inaugural Lecture, “Data Visualizations – Drawing Actionable Insights from Data” Date: Feb. 4, 2016
- YouTube, Scientific Symposium, ““Seeing for Action – Using Maps and Graphs to Protect the Public’s Health” Date: Feb. 5, 2016”
- Integrated Surveillance Portal is an interactive resource for CDC and the public to discover and explore CDC’s surveillance systems, programs, registries, health surveys, and tools. The portal contains descriptive information about these resources and describes the relationships between them. NOTE: Data in the system is incomplete and not fully validated.
- Page last reviewed: August 7, 2017
- Page last updated: August 7, 2017
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