February 3, 2025 –The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) is deeply alarmed by the recent removal of critical data sets from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. These vital resources, now replaced with a “Page Not Found or Temporarily Unavailable” message, are essential for academic research and frontline public health interventions. Without them, the scientific community and public health professionals are unable to develop evidence-based strategies to protect the American people.
Equally concerning is the CDC’s directive to pause or retract scientific research manuscripts under consideration by medical and scientific journals—including Public Health Reports, the journal ASPPH co-publishes with the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General. This unprecedented restriction on scientific communication directly threatens public health progress. We strongly urge the new administration to lift this mandate.
Access to reliable data is the foundation of modern public health. Blocking it hinders life-saving research, weakens disease prevention efforts, and undermines the ability of public health experts to provide accurate guidance at local, state, and federal levels. At a time when the United States faces persistent threats from infectious diseases, chronic illnesses, and emerging health crises, transparency and scientific integrity must be upheld—not suppressed.
We call on the Trump administration to restore access to these critical data sets and remove barriers to scientific research and publications to protect the health and safety of the American people.
The Association for Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) represents more than 150 accredited schools and programs of public health, including a community of more than 103,000 deans, faculty, staff, and students. ASPPH is the voice of academic public health – we train the next generation of public health professionals, convene leaders, generate evidence, and advocate for policies that improve the health and well-being of everyone, everywhere. We are guided by the principles of social justice and are committed to dismantling racism in academic public health institutions. ASPPH envisions a world where all people live in thriving communities supported by the work of strong and prepared public health professionals.
For more information contact: Tim Leshan; tleshan@aspph.org, 202-296-1099, ext.132.