Leadership

Laboratory Science, Policy and Practice Program Office

Dr. John Ridderhof, DrPH, HCLD (ABB)
Senior Advisor for Planning

Dr. Ridderhof began his career as a Microbiologist from 1979-1984 in the Virginia State Mycobacteriology and Mycology Laboratory. After attending graduate school at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Public Health (UNC-SPH), he performed an American Society of Microbiology sponsored post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical and Public Health Microbiology from 1987-1988 at the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University. He then served from 1988-1992 as the Deputy Director of the Delaware State Public Health Laboratory. Dr. Ridderhof came to CDC in 1992 as Chief of the Laboratory Standards Branch, DLS/PHPPO, with responsibilities for developing and supporting laboratory regulations (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-CLIA).

From 1994-2000, he served as an assistant director/DLS with responsibilities for coordinating and conducting all Mycobacteriology laboratory training, performance evaluation, and research activities in addition to coordinating the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee. From 2000-2007 he was Chief of the Laboratory Systems Development Branch (LSDB), where he coordinated GAP and other international activities, international TB laboratory strengthening activities, and the National Laboratory Systems initiative. DLS developed many of the international guidelines and training materials for TB, HIV, and Quality Management Systems (QMS) in collaboration with WHO and other organizations. DLS/LSDB activities and responsibilities involved close partnerships with the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), WHO, IUATLD, and other organizations to facilitate consensus and develop programs, training products and guidelines that promote quality laboratory testing standards in support of public health in the USA and Globally.

He served as Chair of the WHO/Stop TB Partnership Global Laboratory Initiative (GLI) for the years 2006-2010. In August 2007 he was appointed as Associate Director for Laboratory Science (ADLS) for NCPDCID which had six divisions with many cross-cutting laboratory activities related to quality assurance, preparedness, hospital-acquired infections, outbreak investigation, and scientific support to all the infectious disease centers. From January to December of 2010 he served as senior advisor for global health for the Office of Infectious Diseases working to promote engagement of CDC’s infectious disease activities in the President’s Global Health Initiative, the new Center for Global Health in addition to assisting with development of scientific systems for global health activities. Since December 2010 Dr Ridderhof has been serving as a senior advisor in the Laboratory Science Policy and Practice Program Office (LSPPPO) developing a strategic planning process for CDC laboratories and laboratory programs for 2020. Dr Ridderhof is also the current Chair of the Joint Commission Laboratory Professional and Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC).

Dr. Ridderhof received a bachelor of science degree in Biology at Virginia Commonwealth University. He holds masters and doctorate degrees in Public Health Laboratory Practice from UNC-SPH and certification as High Complexity Laboratory Director (HCLD/ABB).