The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) was organized by CDC’s first Epidemiology Division Director, Alexander Langmuir, in the early 1950’s as he realised the importance of having state input in policy decision making, and needed at least one person in each state and territory responsible for public health surveillance of diseases and conditions of public health significance. [1]
CSTE is a non-profit “professional organization of public health epidemiologists in U.S. states and territories working together to detect, prevent, and control conditions of public health significance”, in time the grew to include Canada and Great Britain in late 90s [2] The word epidemiology comes from Greek, meaning “the study of what occurs in populations”, rather than at an individual level [pg 127]
- The first fully-documented list of notifiable diseases was generated in 1951 at the first conference held by CSTE.
- Since it’s inception CSTE has had a close relationship with the CDC, particularly with public health disease surveillance. [3]
- In 1991 CSTE received funding from the CDC, and established a permanent “cooperative agreement” with CDC.
The surveillance and epidemiology of infectious diseases, chronic diseases and conditions, and environmental health concerns are priority areas for CSTE. Over 150 members serve as special topic consultants for a broad range of public health concerns such as HIV/AIDS and vaccine-preventable diseases.
CSTE were instrumental in shaping CDC’s guidelines for COVID-19, and their 2022 Data Modernization Initiative