CDC Director Announces New Center Directors

[Guest guest]

Press Release

For Immediate Release

July 7, 2005 Contact: CDC Media Relations

404-639-3286

http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r050707.htm

CDC Director Announces New Center Directors

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr.

Louise Gerberding announced today new directors for four of the

agency's national centers, including the newly created National

Center for Health Marketing.

" I am excited about the leadership team we are assembling at CDC.

These individuals are leading scientists in their fields and will

strengthen our scientific foundation on all fronts. With their

unique skills and abilities, the agency is certainly in good hands

and in terrific position to meet the daily challenges to protect the

nation's health, " Dr. Gerberding said.

The announcement of these key positions marks another important step

forward in the transformation to a " new CDC " that began two years

ago. Since that time, CDC has worked with hundreds of employees,

other agencies and organizations to strengthen the agency and

prepare for the public health challenges ranging from SARS and

pandemic flu to obesity and traumatic brain injury. Two months ago,

Congress accepted CDC's new strategic orientation, which includes

the creation of four new coordinating centers and two national

offices.

The new directors announced today include Jay Bernhardt, PhD, as

director of the National Center for Health Marketing (NCHM), one of

two new national centers created during the reorganization. Dr.

Bernhardt is the Founding Director of the Center for Public Health

Communication and an Assistant Professor of Behavioral Sciences and

Health Education in the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory

University. Before coming to Emory, he was an Assistant Professor of

Health Promotion and Behavior at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Building CDC's capacity for health marketing is a key strategic

imperative. A health marketer well respected in the marketing field

and a leader in web-based health communication, Dr. Bernhardt will

help expand CDC's influence in shaping the way its vital health

protection information reaches the public.

" Dr. Bernhardt's outstanding knowledge and experience in health

communications, e-health, consumer research, and mentoring of health

professionals will make him an invaluable addition to CDC, " Dr.

Gerberding said.

In a second announcement, Frumkin, M.D., Dr.P.H., was named

director of the National Center for Environmental Health. Dr.

Frumkin is Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental

and Occupational Health at the Rollins School of Public Health of

Emory University, and Professor of Medicine at Emory Medical School,

in Atlanta. He is an internist, environmental and occupational

medicine specialist, and epidemiologist. He founded the

Environmental and Occupational Medicine Consultation Clinic at The

Emory Clinic and directed it from 1991 to 2000.

" We're privileged to have Dr. Frumkin move down the street from

Emory to CDC. We have a long and rich history of successful

collaborations with Dr. Frumkin, who as a world renowned leader in

environmental health, will serve our country well, " Dr. Gerberding

said.

In addition, Janet , PhD, was named director of the National

Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

(NCCDPHP). Dr. previously served as the Acting Director for

the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention where she worked

closely on the integration of that center into the Coordinating

Center for Infectious Diseases. She is a behavioral scientist with a

Ph.D. in educational psychology from Stanford University and a

Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from San Diego State

University.

" Dr. Collin's wealth of knowledge and experience at CDC are

invaluable for this key position charged with battling some of our

nation's biggest health challenges including obesity, diabetes, and

other chronic conditions, " Dr. Gerberding noted.

Filling the position of the director of the National Center for

Injury Prevention and Control is Ileana Arias, PhD, who has been

acting director at the center since June 2004. Before being named as

the acting center director in June 2004, Dr. Arias was the Chief of

the Etiology and Surveillance Branch in the Division of Violence

Prevention in CDC's Injury Center. A clinical psychologist by

training, Dr. Arias had been on the faculty of the Psychology

Department at the University of Georgia since 1985 before coming to

CDC.

" Dr. Arias has brought vision and strength to the center at a time

when it confronts the increasingly important issues of family

violence, child maltreatment, quality of life for seniors, and acute

care injury and disability, " Dr Gerberding said.

More announcements about the appointments of additional center

directors are expected soon.