DHDD Strategic Plan: About the Division

The Division of Human Development and Disability (DHDD) works to promote health, reduce health inequities, and help people living with disabilities fully participate in all aspects of daily life. DHDD plays a unique and important role as a public health leader in the human development and disability space, striving to provide inclusive and effective public health services to those with, or at risk for, disabilities. DHDD’s public health strategy includes the application of data, surveillance, research, partnerships, communications, and policy to advance its goals. DHDD deploys this strategy in all its work across the lifespan for addressing human development and disability needs (see Figure 1).

Based on its FY2020 appropriations, DHDD is funded to advance a variety of areas in human development and disability, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), health among people with mobility or intellectual disabilities, Tourette syndrome (TS), Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and fragile X syndrome (FXS).

Figure 1: Lifespan Graphic

DHDD’s work, goals, and objectives strive to provide equity to people with, or at risk for, disabilities throughout their lives by leading inclusive programs, surveillance, and research in the key milestone areas listed below

DHDD Organization Structure

CDC is the country’s leading public health agency and one of the major operating components of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). CDC comprises work units that focus on a set of specific public health missions given their unique capabilities and areas of expertise.

DHDD is part of CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), which was established in April 2001 as a result of the Children’s Health Act of 2000 to address gaps in public health resources. The Center includes three divisions: the Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders (DBDID), the Division of Human Development and Disability (DHDD), and the Division of Blood Disorders (DBD).

NCBDDD and its three divisions work to address the public health needs for particularly vulnerable populations. DHDD includes two branches led by the Office of the Director (OD) as seen in Figure 2. The two branches and OD work collaboratively to advance the goals of the Division. For more information on CDC’s mission and organizational structure, visit the website www.cdc.gov/about.

Figure 2: DHDD Organizational Chart

DHDD staff is composed of public health experts that sit within the Division’s branches and its OD