CSTE works to advance public health policy and epidemiologic capacity. We also provide information, education, and developmental support of practicing epidemiologists in a wide range of areas as well as expertise for program and surveillance efforts.

CSTE is an organization of member states and territories representing public health epidemiologists. CSTE works to establish more effective relationships among state and other health agencies. It also provides technical advice and assistance to partner organizations and to federal public health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CSTE members have surveillance and epidemiology expertise in a broad range of areas including occupational health, infectious diseases, environmental health, chronic diseases, injury, maternal and child health, and more. CSTE supports effective public health surveillance and sound epidemiologic practice through training, capacity development, and peer consultation.

CSTE acts as the professional home for applied epidemiologists representing multiple levels of public health practice. Active members are engaged in the practice of epidemiology for a governmental public health authority at the state, local, tribal, or territorial level. Associate members are former active member or those practicing epidemiology in federal, military, or international settings, as well as at academic institutions or corporate settings. Student members are currently enrolled full-time in an undergraduate or graduate program pursuing a degree in public health or a related field.

Advance the field of applied epidemiology to maximize health.

Thriving and healthy people and communities everywhere.

Applied public health epidemiology is crucial to protecting and improving health to ensure everyone is able to obtain the highest level of well-being through the effective and timely collection, analysis, interpretation, and sharing of health and community health-related data. CSTE’s 2024-2026 strategic plan embraces innovation, builds the workforce, drives data modernization, and strengthens collaboration with partners to recognize and advance the effectiveness of applied epidemiology to enable people and communities to thrive. 

Building on the successes of the last strategic plan, the 2024-2026 Strategic Impact Plan reflects the desire to be inspirational, actionable, and forward-thinking—and to show what the future holds for the field of applied epidemiology and CSTE's unique role in it. As part of this new plan, CSTE developed new vision and mission statements, developed and added a North Star, and identified five strategic priority areas and outcomes. CSTE members, State Epidemiologists, Tribal partners, other public health partners, the CSTE Executive Board, and CSTE staff provided feedback and input throughout the development of the plan.

Additional Resources

• 2024-2026 CSTE Strategic Impact Plan

In the 1950s, Alexander Langmuir, CDC’s first Epidemiology Division Director, recognized the importance of state input in decision making and asked ASTHO to convene the State Epidemiologists and charge them with the responsibility of deciding which diseases should be reported nationally. The first fully-documented list of notifiable diseases was generated by this conference of state and territorial epidemiologists, held in 1951. CSTE has continued to hold the responsibility for defining and recommending which diseases and conditions are reportable within states and which of these diseases and conditions will be voluntarily reported to CDC. Since this beginning, CSTE has grown into a national organization for state, local, tribal, and territorial epidemiologists across disciplines and disease categories.

In August 1992, CSTE opened its national headquarters office in Atlanta, Georgia with two employees. CSTE is governed by a twelve-member Executive Board, which includes four officers and eight Members-at Large. The CSTE Executive Board meets regularly to provide a forum at which federal and state programs can collaborate on topics of mutual interest.