Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Temporary Epidemiology Field Assignee program: Supporting state and local preparedness in the wake of Ebola.

Objectives: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Temporary Epidemiology Field Assignee (TEFA) Program to help state and local jurisdictions respond to the risk of Ebola virus importation during the 2014-2016 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa. We describe steps taken to launch the 2-year program, its outcomes and lessons learned.

Methods: State and local health departments submitted proposals for a TEFA to strengthen local capacity in four key public health preparedness areas: 1) epidemiology and surveillance, 2) health systems preparedness, 3) health communications, and 4) incident management.

Using Twitter Messaging to Reach and Engage Public Health Audiences about Topics Related to Obesity: A Case Study.

The purpose of this case-study is to evaluate the effectiveness of messaging, using Twitter, to reach and engage audiences on topics related to obesity. Messages (tweets) from the Twitter account, @CDCObesity, were collected during the period of May 6 - May 15, 2012. We used federally recommended metric categories (breadth, depth and direct engagement) to organize data in the assessment of user engagement.