The David J. Sencer Center for Disease Control (CDC) Museum is located in its own building on the CDC campus near Emory University in Atlanta.
Security here is very strict, as there are very bad things stored here that need to stay here. Each adult needs a valid government-issued ID, and no outdoor photography is allowed (so no picture of the museum building). There are more security checkpoints inside the building, and each visitor must wear a CDC-issued clip-on badge after their ID is scanned. However, once you get inside the museum, it's endlessly fascinating.
When Blasterz were here, the "Ebola: People + Public Health + Political Will" exhibit was on display. Being from Dallas, we were very interested in the larger story of the epidemic that generated so much fear in our home city in 2016.
From the CDC Museum website: (
visit link)
"Ebola: People + Public Health + Political Will
June 19, 2017 – May 25, 2018
Ebola: People + Public Health + Political Will is an investigation of the historic 2014-16 Ebola Fever Virus epidemic in West Africa, the United States, and around the world. As the crisis unfolded in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone in 2014, it evolved into both a health and humanitarian crisis. When it became clear that Ebola could potentially spread exponentially, threatening global health security, there was a coordinated, massive response."
About the David J. Sencer CDC Museum
The David J. Sencer CDC Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, uses award-winning exhibits and innovative programing to educate visitors about the value of public health, and presents the rich heritage and vast accomplishments of CDC. The museum hosts about 90,000 visitors each year, and provides popular educational programs for students and teachers.
Originally called the Global Health Odyssey Museum, the facility was established in 1996 in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 50th anniversary and to coincide with the Centennial Olympic Games. In 2011, the museum was re-named the David J. Sencer CDC Museum, in honor of the longest serving director of CDC.
Mission
The CDC Museum’s mission is to educate visitors about the value of prevention–based public health, while collecting, preserving, and presenting CDC’s rich heritage and vast accomplishments through engaging museum exhibitions, dynamic educational programming, and web archives.
Strategic Objectives
Support CDC’s mission to prevent disease, injuries and disability and to encourage healthy lifestyles through all stages of life.
Inform and educate people about public health, demonstrating its relevance and impact on their lives.
Educate middle–and high–school students and families about epidemiology and the science of public health; encourage young people to consider careers in the many disciplines that comprise the field of public health.
Serve as CDC’s “public” face to promote the past, present and future work of the agency.
Make the case for CDC’s commitment to participate in global solutions to international public health challenges."