Protecting public health as a public service.

Now, and in the future.

The National Public Health Coalition is a grassroots organization whose mission is to advocate and educate for the protection of public health as a vital government service.

  • In conversation
  • In communities
  • In government

Our story

We started as civil servants protesting illegal terminations at CDC.

What started with a protest became a larger movement — and now a nationally recognized coalition focused on putting the public back in public health.

  1. Fired But Fighting begins

    Fired CDC professionals organize to protest illegal terminations and document the harm.

  2. A deeper problem, a broader solution

    The threat to public health goes beyond one agency, so our mission grows to meet it.

  3. Building the coalition

    We become the National Public Health Coalition and bring partners, experts, and communities together.

  4. A growing organization with big goals

    Working across conversation, communities, and government to protect and rebuild public health.

You may know us as Fired But Fighting. Our work as FBF is the foundation of our programs today. Through our joint channels, NPHC and FBF reach millions of people and work closely with reporters and creators so public health coverage is accurate and timely.

18 months in

We went from a group chat to a national voice — fast.

Reporters call us, Congress meets with us, and people across the country get their public health news from us.

300+media mentions across national, local, and international outlets
100,000+followers and millions of impressions across social media
100+meetings with bipartisan congressional staff
30 statesplus D.C. in the Seven Days in June campaign we helped organize
As seen in
  • The New York Times Magazine
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • The Guardian
  • AP
  • NPR
  • CNN
  • NBC News
  • STAT
  • TIME
  • Reuters

What guides us

Our values

Our vision: a strong, well-funded public health system that serves the needs of the American people, with a workforce protected from political interference.

Interdependence

Public health connects individuals, populations, and places.

Integrity

Data-driven decisions, free from bias, grounded in professional expertise.

Openness

Truthful, transparent health communication.

Resilience

Durable systems that keep public health from eroding again.

Community Service

Interdisciplinary, community-based approaches.

Who we are

The people who ran programs at CDC are the people powering NPHC.

We are the primary source: our work is built on insider knowledge of how public health agencies run, and it's powered by more than 100 volunteers donating their expertise.

Our people

  • Epidemiologists
  • Laboratory scientists
  • Behavioral scientists
  • Health communicators
  • Nurses
  • Data scientists
  • Policy analysts
  • Statisticians
  • Clinicians

Our partners & allies

  • American Academy of Pediatrics
  • APHA
  • AFGE Local 2883
  • CDC Alumni and Friends
  • CDC Mutual Aid
  • Defend Public Health
  • Democracy Forward
  • National Nurses Union
  • Protect Democracy
  • Southern Alliance for Public Health Leadership
  • 27 uNIHted
  • wellfed.

Abby Tighe, MPH

Co-Founder & Executive Director

A former CDC public health advisor in overdose and youth substance use prevention, Abby co-founded Fired But Fighting and grew it into NPHC. She's now a go-to voice on the federal public health workforce, quoted by The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, AP, NBC News, and STAT.

  • APHA 2025 closing general session
  • Illinois Public Health Association keynote
  • Profiled by the Partnership for Public Service

Aryn Melton Backus, MPH, CHES

Co-Founder & Deputy Executive Director

Aryn co-built Fired But Fighting with Abby and helped turn it into the National Public Health Coalition, as told in The Guardian's feature on the group.

What we do

One system, working in three places at once.

Public health is being lost in conversation, in communities, and in government. So we refuse to choose.

In Conversation

Public health protects people every day, but too often its work is invisible or misunderstood. We're changing the conversation.

In Communities

Public health starts close to home, with the people who serve communities every day. We help them lead.

In Government

Public decisions shape our health. We're getting public health expertise back in the rooms where those decisions are made.

Explore our work →

On the national stage

The field keeps asking us to take the mic.

Our leaders are invited to speak at national and international conferences on public health and democracy — from keynotes to closing sessions to rallies.

  • Sept 2025

    Illinois Public Health Association

    Keynote at the Workforce Conference on rebuilding trust in public health.

  • Nov 2025

    APHA Annual Meeting

    Closing general session: “The Campaign for the Public's Health: Activating the Movement.” Plus the session “Attacks on Science and the Public's Health: How We Are Fighting Back” and the Rally for the Public's Health.

  • APHA

    Policy Action Institute

    Featured speaker, representing the founding members of Fired But Fighting.

  • 2026

    Society for Health Communication

    “The Future of Public Health Communication: Rebuilding for a Changing Field.”

In the news

When reporters need the inside story on public health, they call us.

A few highlights from 300+ media mentions across print, radio, and podcasts.

It breaks my heart to think that people's health is going to increasingly be tied to where they live. But for now, it's going to be imperative that we have groups like the National Public Health Coalition that people feel they can trust.

Jerome Adams, MD, MPHFormer U.S. Surgeon General

The National Public Health Coalition provides an opportunity to bring expertise, communities, and partners together to educate, advocate, and help rebuild trust in the systems that protect our health.

Debra Houry, MD, MPHFormer CDC Chief Medical Officer

Help us keep the promise.

Join the coalition, support the work, or start a conversation with our team.

Support our work

Your gift funds programs that protect public health across the country. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Donate

Partner or invest

Foundations and partners: set up a meeting to talk about our work and funding needs in depth.

invest@nationalphc.org

Get in touch

Questions, media requests, or want to volunteer? We'd love to hear from you.

info@nationalphc.org