Georgia physician takes over at CDC
Fitzgerald guided state’s agency for public health
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has named Georgia Public Health Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of the most crucial public health positions in the U.S. government, given the agency’s role in tracking and stopping disease outbreaks.
Fitzgerald, 70, an obstetrician-gynecologist who has headed Georgia’s public health department since 2011, will succeed Tom Frieden.
He stepped down in January after serving for eight years, longer than any director since the 1970s. Anne Schuchat, a veteran CDC official, has been serving as acting director.
The new director currently is president-elect of the nonprofit group that represents the nation’s public health agencies, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
She has strong ties to Republican leaders in and from Georgia, including Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Fitzgerald, a Republican, ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1992 and 1994.
In making the announcement Friday, Price said in a statement: “Having known Dr. Fitzgerald for many years, I know that she has a deep appreciation and understanding of medicine, public health, policy and leadership — all qualities that will prove vital as she leads the CDC in its work to protect America’s health 24/7.”
She takes the helm of the Atlanta-based agency at a critical time, as emerging disease outbreaks such as Ebola, Zika and antibiotic-resistant infections pose growing threats worldwide.
Every president since Ronald Reagan has faced such threats, and experts say it is only a matter of time until at least one pandemic outbreak confronts President Donald Trump.
Fitzgerald “brings to this position decades of experience in managing public health policy and practice and a deep professional background in women’s health care,”said David Fleming, an executive at PATH, an international health technology nonprofit.