Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists

Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
Name	Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
Abbreviation	CSTE
Formation	1954
Type	Professional association
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia
Region served	United States, territories
Membership	State and territorial epidemiologists

Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists is a professional association of public health officials and specialists that represents epidemiologists working for state, territorial, and local health agencies. The organization interacts with federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and academic institutions to coordinate disease surveillance, outbreak response, and policy development. It organizes conferences, issues guidance, and advances workforce standards to align practice across jurisdictions.

History

The organization traces roots to mid-20th century meetings among state epidemiologists convened alongside Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, American Medical Association, and state health departments. Early collaboration involved partners such as World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Council on Education for Public Health, and professional societies including American Public Health Association and Infectious Diseases Society of America. Landmark activities included standardizing reporting for notifiable conditions in coordination with Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report publishers and aligning with federal statutes like the Public Health Service Act and responses coordinated after events involving HIV/AIDS epidemic, H1N1 influenza pandemic, and regional outbreaks tied to Zika virus and Ebola virus disease.

Organization and Governance

The governance model mirrors structures used by entities such as American Medical Association and National Association of County and City Health Officials, with an elected executive board, standing committees, and task forces. Leadership roles have interfaces with agencies like Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and advisory groups established under acts similar to Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act. Governance documents set bylaws, conflict-of-interest policies, and procedures analogous to those of Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded initiatives.

Membership and Representation

Membership comprises designated epidemiologists and delegated representatives from states, territories, and freely associated jurisdictions similar to delegations in National Governors Association meetings and stakeholder lists used by Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Representatives coordinate with specialists from academic medical centers such as Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, University of Washington, University of California, San Francisco, and laboratory partners like Association of Public Health Laboratories. Proxy arrangements involve collaborations with organizations like Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists Foundation and partner societies including Society for Epidemiologic Research and American Society for Microbiology.

Functions and Activities

Primary activities include developing standardized case definitions comparable to efforts by World Health Organization and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, conducting epidemiologic investigations akin to incidents handled with support from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Field Epidemiology Training Program, and advising on surveillance priorities similar to guidance from National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases and Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy. The organization convenes annual meetings, issues position statements paralleling those from American Public Health Association, facilitates emergency response coordination like protocols used by Incident Command System partners, and partners with funders such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on surveillance projects.

Publications and Guidance

It publishes model documents, surveillance position statements, and job classifications analogous to technical guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and reports cited by Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and peer-reviewed journals such as The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, American Journal of Public Health, and Emerging Infectious Diseases. Guidance aligns with standards from Council on Education for Public Health accreditation criteria and complements recommendations issued by Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and federal rulemaking processes involving Office of Management and Budget reviews.

Training, Workforce Development, and Accreditation

Training initiatives mirror curricula from Epidemic Intelligence Service programs and partner with academic programs at institutions like Columbia University, Emory University, University of Michigan, and Tulane University. Workforce development efforts include competency frameworks influenced by Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice and credentialing discussions paralleling those for Certified in Public Health and laboratory accreditation standards from Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments. The organization supports fellowships, mentorships, and practicum placements similar to arrangements used by Field Epidemiology Training Program and collaborates with certification bodies and funders such as CDC Foundation.

Impact on Public Health Policy and Practice

The organization has shaped surveillance priorities, standardized notifiable condition lists, and informed policy deliberations on vaccination, infectious disease control, chronic disease surveillance, and occupational health in forums including National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine reports and testimony before United States Congress committees. Its recommendations have influenced state reporting laws, data-sharing agreements, and coordination with agencies like Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Department of Homeland Security. Collaborative outputs have supported outbreak containment efforts during events linked to SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, H1N1 influenza pandemic, and vector-borne disease responses involving Centers for Disease Control and Prevention field operations.

Category:Public health organizations in the United States