5 CDC high level officials are leaving
Who are they?
There are 5 key division leaders at the CDC who are leaving, which was reported by the Associated Press yesterday. The departures were described as retirements.
Already, the following people left the CDC: Kevin Griffis, head of CDC’s office of communications, left last week. Robin Bailey, the agency’s chief operating officer, left late last month. So did Dr. Nirav Shah, a former CDC principal deputy director who last year was the agency’s primary voice about an evolving bird flu epidemic in animals that has also sickened at least 70 people in the U.S.
Who are they?
Dr. Leslie Ann Dauphin serves as the Director of the Public Health Infrastructure Center at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In this role, she leads a team dedicated to ensuring that the United States' public health infrastructure possesses the necessary personnel, services, and systems to promote and protect health across all communities, including states, territories, tribes, and freely associated states. Prior to this position, Dr. Dauphin held several leadership roles within the CDC, notably as the director of the Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services. Her leadership was pivotal during the 2014 laboratory safety events, leading to the establishment of the Office of Laboratory Science and Safety, where she served as deputy director. Dr. Dauphin earned her doctoral degree in microbiology from North Carolina State University and is a U.S. Army veteran, having served as a paratrooper during Operation Desert Storm.
Karen Remley, MD, MBA, MPH, FAAP
Dr. Karen Remley is the Director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) at the CDC. With over 30 years of experience in public health and healthcare, she has held leadership roles in both the public and private sectors. Before joining NCBDDD, Dr. Remley served as a senior advisor for the COVID-19 response at the Virginia Department of Health, where she played a crucial role in expanding COVID-19 testing across the state. Her previous positions include Chief Executive Officer of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Commissioner of Health for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Dr. Remley holds an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, an MPH from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and an MD from the University of Missouri in Kansas City.
Dr. Sam Posner serves as the Director of the Office of Science (OS) and as the CDC's Chief Science Officer. In this capacity, he is instrumental in advancing the strategic and programmatic priorities that support the agency's scientific endeavors. Dr. Posner has previously held roles such as acting director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and principal deputy director in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). During the COVID-19 response, he co-led the development of a Scientific Agenda to guide the implementation of scientific activities related to understanding COVID-19 transmission dynamics and prevention strategies. Dr. Posner completed his doctoral studies in quantitative psychology at the University of Southern California.
Debra Lubar, PhD
Dr. Debra Lubar has held various leadership positions within the CDC, including serving as the Deputy Director for Management and Operations at the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. In this role, she was involved in overseeing management and operational aspects of the center.
Dr. Leandris Liburd is the Acting Director for the CDC's Office of Health Equity (OHE). In this role, she leads efforts to integrate health equity into the agency's policies and programs, ensuring a rigorous and evidence-based approach to addressing health disparities. Dr. Liburd has been instrumental in building capacity across the CDC and public health agencies to address social determinants of health. She has received numerous accolades for her leadership, including the Harriet Hylton Barr Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Final Thoughts
There is a lot of restructuring going on at federal health agencies and it is unclear who will replace these accomplished experts. I am not surprised by these departures given what has been going on recently. It is unclear what the CDC will look like in the near future.
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This is so ridiculous. They all look amazing so I expect this will be somebody else's gain and the United States loss. They will fill the positions with less qualified people who have whacko beliefs like the morons Kennedy and Oz. This is such an embarrassment. Thank all of them for their service.
These are key people with expertise that will be missed - too late.