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 more than 100,000 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.