Where We've Been Lately

Anthony Davis, MSA, MPA, Emergency Management Specialist, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response recently spoke with the city of Jonesboro Neighborhood Watch. He was asked to discuss CDC and its role in the community. Davis shared CDC’s 24/7 message of saving lives and protecting people in addition to how communities could keep each other safe and the importance of being prepared in the event of an emergency.

Monica Ponder, MS, MSPH, Health Communications Specialist, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recently spoke at Tau Omicron’s Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. World AIDS Day event. She presented on how to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS on an international scale, particularly in predominately black countries, and challenged common myths, stigmas, and stereotypes surrounding the disease. The audience was a mixture of Nursing, Education, Pharmacy, and Theology students.

Jim Schwendinger, MSN, MPH, NP, Health Communications Specialist, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response was recently invited by Pfiedler Enterprises of Colorado to update a group of nurses and infection control/preventionists regarding the prevention and management of healthcare acquired infections. The talk was well received and the audience was able to expand their knowledge on the challenges of C. difficile & MRSA.

Andrew Kroger, MD, Medical Officer, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, recently spoke to a group of health care professionals at Washington County Public Health- Iowa. The focus of the conference was vaccines and immunizations. Dr. Kroger was asked to discuss recent vaccine recommendations, the storage and handling of vaccines, and to dispel myths related to vaccines. The lecture was well received by clinical staff that was in attendance.

Dawn Smith, MD, MS, MPH, Medical Officer, The National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention was a panelist at the annual State of Black Gay America Summit. She was asked to speak on the latest science including behavioral science towards the progress in both prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. The timeliness of the event- Black Gay Pride weekend allowed for a greater reach for CDC to share important health information on this issue.

Lisa Wiggins, PhD, Epidemiologist, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, was a panelist at the recent Autism Society of American Conference in Atlanta. The focus was to describe current CDC autism activities. Dr. Wiggins provided an update on Study to Explore Early Development (SEED), the largest study in the U.S. to help identify autism risk factors for children.