Julie Gerberding

Julie Louise Gerberding, M.D., M.P.H. (born August 22, 1955, Estelline, South Dakota), an infectious disease expert, is the current director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), having assumed the positions on July 3, 2002.

Dr. Gerberding has been leading CDC's efforts to prepare for and counter terrorism. Dr. Gerberding is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) at Emory University and an Associate Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Dr. Gerberding resides in Atlanta with her husband, David, who is a software engineer. Her stepdaughter, Renada, is a law student at the University of Virginia. Dr. Gerberding relaxes by scuba diving, reading on the beach, gardening, and doting on her three cats.

Education and early career

Before becoming CDC Director and ATSDR Administrator, Dr. Gerberding was Acting Deputy Director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), where she played a major role in leading CDC´s response to the anthrax bioterrorism events of 2001. She joined CDC in 1998 as Director of the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, NCID, where she developed CDC´s patient safety initiatives and other programs to prevent infections, antimicrobial resistance, and medical errors in healthcare settings. Prior to coming to CDC, Dr. Gerberding was a faculty member at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) and directed the Prevention Epicenter, a multidisciplinary research, training, and clinical service program that focused on preventing infections in patients and their healthcare providers. Dr. Gerberding is a Clinical Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) at Emory University and an Associate Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) at UCSF.

She earned a B.A. magna cum laude in chemistry and biology and a M.D. at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Gerberding then completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at UCSF, where she also served as Chief Medical Resident before completing her fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology and Infectious Diseases at UCSF. She earned a M.P.H. degree at the University of California, Berkeley in 1990.

Dr. Gerberding is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Omega Alpha (medical honor society), American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), American College of Physicians, Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Epidemiology Society, the National Academy of Public Administration, and the Institute of Medicine.

CDC tenure

In 1998, Dr. Gerberding joined the CDC as director of the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion for the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), where she developed the CDC’s patient safety initiatives and other disease prevention programs. She rose to become the acting deputy director of NCID and helped lead the CDC’s response to the anthrax bioterrorism events of 2001. She now directs the CDC and is responsible for a budget approaching $7 billion.

On July 3, 2008, Dr. Julie Gerberding had a meeting with John Howard (Director of NIOSH) to inform him that after 6 years he would not be reappointed. The ASSE [http://www.asse.org/professionalaffairs/docs/052008howardrenom%20e.doc (Click to see letter)] , AIHA The (Click to see letter) [http://www.aiha.org/1documents/governmentaffairs/Howard%20Reappointment%20Ltr-04-23-08.pdf (Click to see letter)] , and AFL-CIO separately implored his return, along with many 9-11 responders. He received accolades administering the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program.

Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Carolyn B. Malony (D-NY), Eliot Engel (D-NY), and Edolphus Towns (D-NY) were especially critical of Dr. Gerberding's firing of Dr. Howard, and they demanded a meeting with both Dr. Gerberding and Secretary of HHS, Michael Leavitt to discuss their concerns.

CDC restructuring

Soon after her arrival at the CDC, Gerberding began an overhaul of the agency's organizational structure. Since the restructuring began, many of the CDC's senior scientists and leaders have either left or have announced plans to leave. [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/17/MNGFIL779F1.DTL&hw=CDC+julie&sn=002&sc=339]

Gerberding's leadership of the CDC has been the subject of an inquiry by the United States Senate Finance Committee. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the committee, has announced that the committee is trying to determine whether the upheaval at the agency has jeopardized its scientific mission. Among several lines of inquiry, the committee is investigating the circumstances surrounding the receipt of premium bonuses by members of an inner circle of officials at the CDC, at the expense of scientists and others who perform much of the agency's scientific work. Administrators inside Gerberding's office have benefited the most. William Gimson III, the agency's chief operating officer, received bonuses totaling $147,863 between 2002 and mid-2006.

The bonuses for administrators were part of a decision by the George W. Bush administration prioritizing transformation of CDC's management. The growing share of premium bonuses for CDC administrators has meant less money is available for scientists and other workers. The increase in large cash awards has benefited employees in the CDC's financial, computer and human resources departments.

According to the "Washington Post" and the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" disgruntled former senior scientists allege the changes have undermined the agency.

Dr. Gerberding has also come under harsh scrutiny by advocates of fighting autism, specifically actress Jenny McCarthy, a former Playboy model and porn star. McCarthy criticized Gerberding on Chelsea Lately, saying that she has not done anything for the autistic community. McCarthy then held up a sign with the phone number to the White House and called for all the watchers to ask for the resignation of Gerberding.

Professional background

In the past, Dr. Gerberding served as a member of CDC´s National Center for Infectious Diseases´ Board of Scientific Counselors, the CDC HIV Advisory Committee, and the Scientific Program Committee, National Conference on Human Retroviruses. She has also been a consultant to the National Institutes of Health, the American Medical Association, CDC, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the National AIDS Commission, the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, and the World Health Organization.

Dr. Gerberding´s editorial activities have included appointment to the Editorial Board of the Annals of Internal Medicine; appointment as an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Medicine; and service as a peer-reviewer for numerous internal medicine, infectious diseases, and epidemiology journals. Her scientific interests encompass patient safety and prevention of infections and antimicrobial resistance among patients and their healthcare providers. She has authored or co-authored more than 140 peer-reviewed publications and textbook chapters and contributed to numerous guidelines and policies relevant to HIV prevention, post-exposure prophylaxis, management of infected healthcare personnel, and healthcare-associated infection prevention.

In 2005, she was named one of Time Magazine Top 100 Innovators of the Year for her leadership in modernizing the $9 billion agency as it faced unprecedented challenges, including new and emerging infectious diseases and bioterrorism. In 2006, Dr. Gerberding gave the commencement speech at the Harvard School of Public Health. Among other things, she discussed the usefulness of wikipedia in writing commencement speeches.Fact|date=July 2007 [http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/commencement2006/address.html] Forbes Magazine listed her 32nd among the 100 Most Powerful Women in 2007 [http://www.forbes.com/2007/08/30/most-powerful-women-biz-07women-cz_em_cs_0830power_land.html] and 24th in 2008 [http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/11/biz_powerwomen08_The-100-Most-Powerful-Women_Rank.html] . In addition to serving as a delegate in the World Economic Forum, Gerberding recently received the Surgeon General’s Medallion for actions of exceptional achievement to the cause of public health and medicine.

External links

* [http://www.cdc.gov/od/dirbio.htm CDC.gov] - 'Biography for CDC Director Dr. Julie Louise Gerberding, MD, MPH, Centers for Disease Control
* [http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2002pres/20020703a.html HHS.gov] - 'Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, Named CDC director and ATSDR administrator' (press release), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
* [http://thinktwice.com/fraud.htm ThinkTwice.com] - Letter to Dr. Gerberding, from US Congressman Dr. Dave Weldon, (October, 2003)
* [http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/452337 MedScape.com] - 'Interview With Julie L. Gerberding, MD, MPH, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science', Madeline Drexler, WebMD (May 1 2003)
* [http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?display=detail&hc=1881 kaisernetwork.org] - Webcast: Public Health Grand Rounds at The George Washington University with Julie Gerberding (September 12, 2006)