Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., the newly appointed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), met with members of the CDC Coalition on 15 July at the American Public Health Association in Washington, D.C. ASM is a member of the Coalition and participated in the meeting. Frieden presented his priorities for CDC, including the need to strengthen CDC's core functions, i.e., epidemiology and surveillance; the need to support state and local partners; the need to address the leading causes of illness, i.e. cardiovascular disease, HIV, particulate matter 2.5, tobacco, and obesity; global health; and health reform with respect to improving health outcomes. Other issues discussed were CDC's budget, H1N1 preparedness and response, health disparities, cancer, and public health workforce issues.