Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD
Director (Performing the Delegable Duties)
Immediate Office of the Director
17 reports
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDC leadership and center-based organizational structure
Government · Divisional structure · 13K employees · Atlanta, GA
14
Agency head span
↑ wider than peers (avg 10)
1
Avg span
tight
2
Max depth
2 levels
Interactive org chart
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention organizational chart
Explore the agency leadership model, component structure, and reporting layers from official public sources.
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CDC is the U.S. public health agency organized around disease- and function-specific centers reporting to the Director within HHS, as of 2026-Q2 with several acting leaders and vacancies at the top level.
What to model
Use the chart to test org decisions, not just view reporting lines
Start with the public baseline, then use the scenario views and source-backed changes to ask what happens when leadership, span, or team ownership shifts.
Scenario views in the chart
- Add Chief Data and AI Integration Role Model adding a permanent Chief Data and AI Integration Officer under the Director to coordinate analytics, surveillance, and AI use across Centers.
Atlas work this supports
- Compare public operating models Use this official-source baseline to compare agencies, components, reporting layers, and field-office networks.
- Model vacancies and transitions Create planning scenarios for acting leaders, new offices, component moves, and cross-agency coordination changes.
- Keep an official source trail Track source URLs, leadership updates, and agency structure changes in one Atlas workspace for review.
The people
Key leaders and offices
12 senior leadership roles or offices from official public sources. Use this section as a current agency-leadership index, not a private-company filing table.
Open Role
Principal Deputy Director
Immediate Office of the Director
0 reports
Open Role
Deputy Director for Program and Science / Chief Medical Officer
Immediate Office of the Director
0 reports
Nina Witkofsky
Deputy Director of Public Affairs / Director of Communications
Office of Communications
0 reports
Stephen Sayle
Deputy Director for Legislative Affairs
Legislative Affairs
0 reports
Open Role
Chief Operating Officer
Office of the Chief Operating Officer
0 reports
Matthew Buzzelli
Chief of Staff
Office of the Chief of Staff
0 reports
Jason Asher, PhD
Director
Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics (CFA)
0 reports
Paige Alexandra Armstrong, MD, MHS
Director
Global Health Center (GHC)
0 reports
Suzanne Gilboa, PhD
Acting Director
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD)
0 reports
Djenaba Joseph, MD, MPH
Acting Director
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
0 reports
Christopher R. Braden, MD
Acting Director
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)
0 reports
The operating model
How Centers for Disease Control and Prevention divides the work
5 offices, branches, or components organize the agency mission. Tile size scales with estimated staff where public estimates exist.
Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics (CFA)
p8
Provides modeling, analytics, and forecasting to support outbreak preparedness and response.
Global Health Center (GHC)
p9
Leads CDC’s global disease detection, emergency response, and international partnerships.
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)
p12
Addresses emerging, zoonotic, and vector-borne infectious disease threats.
National Center for Environmental Health / ATSDR
p13
Protects communities from environmental hazards and toxic substance exposures.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
p18
Conducts research and provides guidance to prevent work-related injury and illness.
The agency brief
What this U.S. agency structure tells us
CDC is the nation’s leading public health agency and a major operating component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is led by a Director and organized primarily through mission-focused Centers and Institutes (e.g., infectious diseases, chronic disease, environmental health) supported by cross-cutting Offices (e.g., readiness and response, science, data, budget, communications). This center-based model allows CDC to combine scientific authority, surveillance, and emergency response while partnering with state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments. Structurally distinctive features include the prominence of acting leadership during transitions, the integration of ATSDR within environmental health, and a dedicated forecasting and analytics center to support outbreak decision-making.
- Multiple vacant or acting roles in the Immediate Office of the Director
- Center-based divisional structure aligned to public health missions
The comparison
Compare with related agencies
Compared with peer HHS agencies such as NIH and FDA, CDC is more operational and response-oriented, with Centers aligned to disease domains rather than grant-making institutes (NIH) or product-regulatory centers (FDA). CDC’s structure emphasizes surveillance, field deployment, and intergovernmental coordination.
Senior office count
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
18
Reporting depth
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
2 levels
3 levels
3 levels
4 levels
Current signals
What changed recently
As of 2026-Q2, CDC has several documented vacancies and acting leaders in senior roles, including Principal Deputy Director, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Director of NCHS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who leads Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?
Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, is performing the delegable duties of the CDC Director as of the current quarter.
What does Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do?
CDC protects America from health, safety, and security threats by conducting surveillance, research, guidance, and emergency response for diseases and other public health risks.
What are the major offices or components of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?
CDC is organized into mission-focused Centers and Institutes such as NCEZID, NCIRD, NIOSH, and GHC, supported by cross-cutting Offices for readiness, science, data, policy, and communications.
Who does Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report to?
CDC is a major operating component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
How can this org chart be used for planning or coordination?
The org chart helps identify responsible Centers and Offices for specific public health missions, supporting interagency coordination, emergency planning, and leadership succession analysis.
Sources
Reference
Cite this page
If you reference this page in research, analysis, or news writing, use one of the formats below. Citation includes the SEC filing source where applicable.
APA 7th
Creately. (2026). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention organizational structure. Creately. Retrieved , from https://creately.com/org-chart/us-government/centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention/MLA 9th
"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Organizational Structure." Creately, April 1, 2026, https://creately.com/org-chart/us-government/centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention/. Accessed .Chicago 17
Creately. "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Organizational Structure." Last modified April 1, 2026. https://creately.com/org-chart/us-government/centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention/.Permanent URL: https://creately.com/org-chart/us-government/centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention/ · last updated 2026-04-01