Press Release

CDC's Global Health Odyssey Invites Public to Smithsonian Museum Day 2007

CDC museum nearly quadruples average visitor numbers in last two years

Atlanta, Georgia (September 14, 2007)— The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Global Health Odyssey opens to the public for the first Saturday ever on September 29 in conjunction with national Museum Day, sponsored by Smithsonian Magazine. Special Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission and parking are free, with driver's license or passport required for entry.

On exhibit for Museum Day, The End of Polio: Photographs of Sebastião Salgado, is an inspiring collection of images documenting the global effort to eradicate the crippling disease poliomyelitis, the largest public health initiative in history. Salgado is an internationally-acclaimed documentary photographer from Brazil.

The Global Health Odyssey, located at CDC's headquarters, features award-winning permanent and changing exhibitions that provide visitors engaging and often hands-on learning experiences in topics related to public health, science, prevention, and the history of CDC. In 2005, the Global Health Odyssey was invited to join the Smithsonian Affiliations program, which provides opportunities for affiliates to access artifacts and programming from the Smithsonian Institution. As an affiliate, the Global Health Odyssey also can showcase CDC-produced exhibits nationally. The recent exhibit, "Through the Eyes of the Eagle": Illustrating Healthy Living for Children, will be displayed in the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. beginning next spring.

Museum Attendance Multiplies In Last Two Years

Museum attendance jumped from an average of 15,000 visitors a year in 1996 to more than 50,000 visitors a year over the past two years. This increase reflects the museum's September 2005 move to a new visitor-friendly and state-of-the art building also at CDC's Headquarters in Atlanta.

With the transfer to its new space, the Global Health Odyssey added the Global Symphony, a multi-media installation highlighting the world of CDC and public health. Spanning 100 feet in length, the Global Symphony shares health promotion and disease prevention messages through a series of alternating visual vignettes. Exhibition space also expanded with updated permanent exhibits that cover CDC's history from its roots through the 1970s in pictures, media, narratives, and artifacts. The exhibits are a work in progress, and should cover all of CDC's 60-year history by the end of 2008.

"There's never been a better time to experience CDC," said Judy M. Gantt, director, Global Health Odyssey. "We're telling the story of public health and prevention in our country and worldwide through world-class exhibitions right here in Atlanta."

Upcoming exhibitions at the Global Health Odyssey include The Faces of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in December 2007, The Chemicals Within Us: Photographs of Peter Essick in January 2008, and Picturing Health: Norman Rockwell and the Art of Illustration in March 2008.

Location

Global Health Odyssey
Tom Harkin Global Communications Center
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road NE at CDC Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30333

Admission and parking are free; no reservations required. Driver's license or passport required for entry; vehicle inspection required. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/gcc/exhibit or call (404) 639-0830.

Regular Hours

Monday – Wednesday - 9 am to 5 pm
Thursday - 9 am to 7 pm
Friday - 9 am to 5 pm
Closed on federal holidays.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES