Leadership

Public Health Surveillance and Informatics Program Office (proposed)

Pam S. Diaz, MD
Acting Deputy Director

Pamela S. Diaz, MD, is acting deputy director of the Public Health Surveillance and Informatics Program Office (proposed) (PHSIPO).

Prior to this position, Dr. Diaz served as director of PHSIPO’s Biosurveillance Coordination Activity (BCA) and led PHSIPO’s work to further the National Biosurveillance Strategy for Human Health (NBSHH). The NSBHH articulates a vision for enhanced national biosurveillance that integrates and efficiently manages health data and information across multiple information systems for timely and accurate population-health situation awareness. In this role, she advanced biosurveillance collaborations across all levels of government and among key public health associations and other stakeholders.

While in BCA, Dr. Diaz served as the designated federal official for the National Biosurveillance Advisory Subcommittee (NBAS). The NBAS, through the CDC Advisory Committee to the Director, provides counsel to the federal government on developing and implementing a national biosurveillance strategy for human health. She also oversaw the National Public Health Surveillance and Biosurveillance Registry for Human Health, a comprehensive electronic registry cataloging CDC surveillance activities pertinent to human health.

In 2006, Dr. Diaz was deployed to New York City to assist with an environmental investigation into an inhalation anthrax case involving an African drum maker. She later was deployed to Mexico City in April 2009 as part of CDC’s clinical team investigating the early deaths from influenza H1N1. Dr. Diaz has represented CDC at numerous international bioterrorism training workshops sponsored by Interpol and the U.S. Department of State. On these occasions, she provided expertise in conducting joint public health–law enforcement investigations.

Before joining CDC, Dr. Diaz was assistant commissioner of infectious disease and public health preparedness for the Chicago Department of Public Health. During 11 years with the department, she conducted numerous foodborne-outbreak investigations, developed and conducted surveillance for emerging infections such as West Nile Virus, oversaw implementation of the post-2001 public health smallpox vaccination program, and led the state’s response to a meningococcal outbreak that resulted in the vaccination of more than 14,000 persons.

Dr. Diaz completed a fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases at Stanford University and is board certified in pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases.