Wharton: How the CDC Plans to Regain Public Trust

The CDC must learn from the mistakes it made during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic if it wants to win back public trust, according to Wharton health care management professor Ingrid Nembhard. She thinks CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is on the right path to do just that. Walensky has announced a major overhaul to modernize the agency and get the public messaging right. Walensky’s plan includes creating an executive team to set spending priorities for the $14 billion agency, speeding up the delivery of data with an emphasis on “data for action” rather than publication, and delivering clear, concise messaging that anyone can understand and access without digging deeply through the CDC website.