CDC’s Evaluation Efforts

Program evaluation is an essential organizational practice in public health. At CDC, program evaluation supports agency priorities, such as:

1. Strengthen surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory services
2. Improve ability to support state, tribal, local, and territorial public health
3. Increase global health impact
4. Increase policy impact
5. Better prevent illness, injury, disability, and death

When programs conduct strong, practical evaluations on a routine basis, the findings are better positioned to inform their management and improve program effectiveness in pursuit of these priorities.

Within CDC’s Office of the Associate Director for Program, the Program Evaluation Unit sets standards and expectations for agency-wide evaluation; delivers tools, technical assistance and resources to enhance evaluation efforts; and provides support for evaluation capacity-building across CDC programs.

CDC’s Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health has provided a set of steps and standards for practical evaluation by programs and partners.  While the focus is public health programs, the approach can be generalized to any evaluation effort.