CDC Leadership

"Preparedness is a continuum rather than a state of being."

- Richard E. Besser, MD

Richard E. Besser, MD

Director, Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response

Richard Besser, MD, serves as director of the Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response (COTPER). He is responsible for all of CDC's public health emergency preparedness and emergency response activities. COTPER is the primary CDC/ATSDR organization tasked with oversight of terrorism preparedness, response and protection for the nation from biological, chemical, radiological, and naturally occurring emergencies.

He began his career at CDC in the Epidemic Intelligence Service working on the epidemiology of foodborne diseases. He has served as the epidemiology section chief in the Respiratory Diseases Branch, acting chief of the Meningitis and Special Pathogens Branch in the National Center for Infectious Disease, and as the medical director of Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work, CDC's national campaign to promote appropriate antibiotic use in the community.

Doctor Besser received his bachelor of arts degree in economics from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed a residency and chief residency in pediatrics at The John Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

He has authored and coauthored more than 100 presentations, abstracts, chapters, editorials, and publications and has received many awards for his work in public health and volunteer service.