About CDC

The CDC Leaders

Linda C. Degutis, DrPH, MSN

Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Dr. Degutis has been the Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since November 2010. Prior to this, she was Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Public Health at Yale University. She was the Research Director for the Department of Emergency Medicine, and also served as Director of the Yale Center for Public Health Preparedness at the Yale School of Public Health. In addition, she directed the Connecticut Center for Public Health Workforce Development.

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Degutis received her BS from DePaul University in Chicago, and her MSN and DrPH from Yale University. She was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow, and worked in the office of the late Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN). Dr. Degutis’ research interests have focused on injury and violence, alcohol and other drug problems, and trauma, with a particular interest in policy issues.

Recently, she collaborated on projects related to developing a research agenda for public health systems and services research, and initiatives with HHS in the area of quality improvement in public health. Her research has been funded through several federal agencies and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She was President of the American Public Health Association, a member of the APHA Executive Board, and served two terms as chair of the Executive Board.

Currently, Dr. Degutis serves on the Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowship Advisory Board, and the editorial boards of the journals Injury Prevention, and Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. In addition, she served as the Co-Chair of the Connecticut Coalition to Stop Underage Drinking, and worked on a number of community-based efforts focused on improving public health through coalition development and action.