Executive Leadership & Expert Bios

Althea Grant, PhD

Chief, Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch, Division of Blood Disorders, NCBDDD

Althea Grant, PhD, is Chief of the Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch in the Division of Blood Disorders of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. She does epidemiological research and surveillance on the variety of blood disorders, with a particular focus on hemophilia, hemochromatosis, thalassemia and sickle cell disease. Dr. Grant has specifically been recognized for her contribution to developing public health programs and resources for sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait. She serves as CDC’s Project Director for the RuSH program, the first population-based public health surveillance system for sickle cell disease and thalassemia. She also received a Commendation Medal from the US Public Health Service in recognition for developing programs to improve the health of individuals affected by sickle cell disease.

She began her career at CDC as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer and as an Epidemiologist in the Division of Reproductive Health where she worked on issues such as HIV infection among adolescents in Georgia, infant health among Puerto Ricans, genetic and environmental risk factors associated with preterm birth, and the genetics of gestational diabetes.

Dr. Grant received a BS in Biochemistry from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey and a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
She has authored and coauthored more than 30 articles and book chapters and has been an invited speaker at numerous scientific conferences and events, including speaking on behalf of the State Department at both the 1st and 3rd UN World Sickle Cell Days

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