R.O. Valdiserri Community Engagement Endowed Fund

Promoting Community Involvement in Public Health Decision-Making

In 1989, Dr. Ronald Valdiserri left a career in academic medicine at the University of Pittsburgh to become part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) workforce, dedicated to promoting health and preventing disease, especially the burgeoning AIDS epidemic. After a two-year stint as the director of the Division of Public Health Laboratory Systems, Valdiserri became the deputy director for HIV in the National Center for Prevention Services. In that position, he was responsible for overseeing HIV counseling and testing programs and other HIV prevention services provided by state and local health departments and community-based organizations across the nation. 

Throughout his career at CDC, which lasted some 17 years, he was a strong advocate for incorporating the voices of community—including those with lived experience—in all aspects of public health decision making. His commitment to this principle was most evident in his efforts, working alongside colleagues, to develop and implement HIV Prevention Community Planning, which represented a substantial advance in CDC’s approach to planning HIV prevention services and allocating federal HIV prevention funding. In 1995, he received the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service in recognition of his contribution to the development and implementation of the Community Planning Program. 

The R.O. Valdiserri Community Engagement Endowed Fund will be used to support the active participation of community members, especially those with lived experience, and other non-federal partners in discussions related to a broad range of public health issues affecting population health. Engaging with and including community voices will help assess threats to population health, develop strategies to address current health problems and evaluate the effectiveness of publicly funded public health programs.