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Press Release

For Immediate Release
November 23, 2005

Contact: CDC Media Relations
(404) 639-3286

CDC Director Announces New Center Directors

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Julie Gerberding announced today the appointment of new directors for three key organizational components of the federal agency responsible for protecting the nationā€™s health.

"These individuals are outstanding scientists and will strengthen the agencyā€™s scientific foundation on all fronts. They all bring tremendous skills that will build on the strong foundation of leadership across CDC to meet the daily challenges to make our nation safer and healthier," Dr. Gerberding said.

The announcement of these key positions marks another important step forward in the transformation of CDC that began two years ago. These new appointments will play a key role in helping to further shape the agencyā€™s Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases, and will move us closer to achieving our vision of a stronger more resilient CDC.

The appointments include Anne Schuchat, M.D., as director of the National Immunization Program. Dr. Schuchat began her career at CDC as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer in 1988 and most recently served as the Acting Director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID). She has made critically important contributions to prevention of infectious diseases in children, including her role in group B streptococcal disease prevention, where she spearheaded the development of CDCā€™s guidelines which have led to an 80 percent reduction in newborn infections and a 75 percent narrowing of racial disparity in this infectious disease. She has also been instrumental in pre- and post-licensure evaluations of conjugate vaccines for bacterial meningitis and pneumonia and in accelerating availability of these new vaccines in resource poor countries through WHO and the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization.

In a second appointment, Rima Khabbaz, M.D., was named as the director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID). Dr. Khabbaz began her career at CDC as an EIS Officer in 1980 and most recently served as Acting Deputy Director of NCID. She has worked in research and epidemiology of hospital acquired infections, viral diseases and played a leading role in coordinating CDCā€™s programs around blood safety, food safety, as well as emerging infectious diseases. She has played critical roles in CDCā€™s responses to bioterrorism, outbreaks of new diseases, and infectious disease responses to natural disasters.

In addition, Kevin Fenton, M.D., Ph.D., was named director of the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHSTP). Dr. Fenton has served as chief of CDCā€™s National Syphilis Elimination Effort since January 2005. He has worked in research, epidemiology, and the prevention of HIV and other STDs since 1995 and was previously the Director of the HIV and STI Department at the United Kingdomā€™s Health Protection Agency. Dr Fenton has spearheaded the development of a number of national HIV, STD and behavioral surveillance and research programs in the U.K and Western Europe including the National Chlamydia Screening Programme in England, the 2nd British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles and the European Surveillance of STI (ESSTI) Network.

The experienced leadership, scientific expertise, and innovative ideas these directors bring to their new roles will help ensure that CDC achieves the goal of positioning the centers for greater efficiency and even greater public health impact.