NACCHO, in partnership with the Public Health Accreditation Board, the National Coalition of STD Directors, and the CDC is working to develop a national certification program for Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS). The effort aims to strengthen and formalize the role of DIS, expand the recognition of DIS and the profession, ensure adequate training, and improve service provision outcomes.

Because DIS have diverse skills, responsibilities, and backgrounds, a critical component of developing the certification program is a comprehensive assessment of the DIS role. This assessment will be conducted through a job task analysis survey. Sharing information about what you do and how you do it will help shape the development of the certification program. The job task analysis survey takes approximately one hour to complete. If you are a DIS, we encourage you to take the survey and share it with your colleagues. If you supervise DIS, please share this opportunity with them and be supportive of the hour they need to complete it. The input provided through this survey is critical to the development of the national certification program. You can take the survey here. For questions, email [email protected].

In January, Drs. Jonathan Mermin and Gail Bolan authored a DIS-focused sidebar in NACCHO’s publication Exchange titled, “Strengthening Public Health at Its Core: A Focus on Disease Intervention Specialists.” To learn more about the vision for the DIS certification program, read the sidebar.

Thank you in advance for your time and attention to this effort.