Leslyn McNabb

I never anticipated this opportunity would result in two decades of rewarding public service working for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Without the CDC, we wouldn’t be able to coordinate multi-state outbreaks for diseases like bird flu, COVID, Monkeypox, or foodborne diseases in our food supply. 

My industrial and systems engineering background gave me the skills and education needed to understand the complex infrastructure that supports our public health system. I realized that transmitting data from hospitals, laboratories, or state public health agencies to CDC is a complex and rigorous process that requires many different systems and standards. One of the systems I have contributed to is CDC’s National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS). This nationwide collaboration allows all levels of public health to share information to monitor, control, and prevent the spread of infectious diseases. That experience gave me valuable knowledge and skills and led me to where I am today. I currently lead CDC’s Enterprise Data Exchange (DEX) platform, which will modernize how data is exchanged between CDC and its data partners.

Reflecting on my career, I recognize the impact public health has on our nation. I stay in public service because I want to be a part of making our public health system stronger and more effective. Working at CDC provides me a front row seat to the impact that public health initiatives can have on the everyday lives of Americans. My work also helps me make connections between what the CDC does and how it affects my friends, family, and community daily. This work has been extremely rewarding.