About the NSSP CoP’s Collaborative Structure
An established structure for the NSSP CoP sets a foundation for strategic action and ensures alignment of community activities with the NSSP CoP’s mission and goals.
CDC National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP) – Executive Champion
CDC’s National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP) is a collaboration among CDC, federal partners, local and state health departments, and academic and private sector partners who have formed a community of practice. They collect, analyze, and share electronic patient encounter data received from emergency departments, urgent and ambulatory care centers, inpatient healthcare settings, and laboratories. The electronic health data are integrated through a shared platform—the BioSense Platform. The public health community uses analytic tools on the platform to analyze data received within 24 hours of patient visits to participating facilities. These timely and actionable data are used to detect, characterize, monitor, and respond to events of public health concern. Learn more about NSSP and its activities by checking out their website and/or the NSSP infographic!
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) – Facilitator/Coordinator
The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) partners with CDC NSSP to cultivate, facilitate, and maintain the NSSP CoP in accordance with cooperative agreement (CoAg) #6NU38OT000297: Strengthening Public Health Systems and Services through National Partnerships to Improve and Protect the Nation’s Health.
CSTE acts as the professional home for applied epidemiologists representing multiple levels of public health practice. Its mission is to promote the effective use of epidemiologic data to guide public health practice and improve health to fulfill the vision of using the power of epidemiology to improve the public’s health. Members are epidemiologists and informaticians who conduct public health surveillance, support public health surveillance systems, and utilize surveillance data to guide public health action. CSTE is in a unique position to encourage the existing membership base to participate and collaborate with ongoing NSSP CoP activities.
Core Committee
Comprised of the NSSP CoP’s Chair, Deputy Chair, and Subcommittee Chairs, the NSSP CoP Core Committee champions the community, encourages participation in CoP activities, and acts as a sounding board for ideas from CDC NSSP and CSTE. Additionally, the Core Committee identifies potential topics for CoP discussions, initiatives, subcommittees, or workgroups as needed.
Subcommittees
Members organizing around a specific functional area or topic (e.g., preparedness, syndrome definitions, data quality) to develop resources, share best practices, and/or discuss solutions to challenges faced.
Members
Represent state, local, and federal public health practitioners with syndromic surveillance at their jurisdictions, non-profit and for-profit organizations, healthcare, and academia. Membership is open to any person or organization interested in advancing syndromic surveillance.
