CDC Leadership
CDC DIRECTOR
Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, is the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
ACTING PRINCIPAL DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Debra Houry, MD, MPH, is the Acting Principal Deputy Director of CDC. Since 2014, Dr. Houry served as director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). In this role, she led innovative research and science-based programs to prevent injuries and violence and to reduce their consequences.
- Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
- Deputy Director for Public Health Service and Implementation Science (DDPHSIS)
- Deputy Director for Public Health Science and Surveillance (DDPHSS)
- Deputy Director for Non-Infectious Diseases (DDNID)
- Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases (DDID)
CHIEF OF STAFF
Sherri A. Berger, MSPH, is the Chief of Staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In this role, she serves as the principal advisor to the CDC Director by providing strategic advice and ensuring proactive coordination of agency-wide priorities and policies in direct support of CDC’s public health mission.
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Robin D. Bailey Jr., MA, is the Chief Operating Officer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of 10 major operating divisions of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this role, he oversees management, facilities, and operations at the Atlanta-based public health agency.
DIRECTOR, CDC WASHINGTON OFFICE
Jeff Reczek, MPA is the Director of the CDC Washington Office. He has a rich history of public service in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government as well as state government.
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AND WORKPLACE EQUITY (OEEOWE)
Reginald R. Mebane, MS, is currently the Director of CDC’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Workplace Equity (OEEOWE). As Director, Mr. Mebane is responsible for advising and counseling CDC′s executive leadership team on a variety of equal employment opportunity, diversity management, civil rights and human resources issues impacting the agency′s complex and diverse global workforce.
DIRECTOR OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND STRATEGIC AFFAIRS
John Auerbach, MBA, is the Director of Intergovernmental and Strategic Affairs. In this role, Auerbach oversees a range of activities as lead strategic advisor on CDC engagement with government agencies at the federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial levels, public health partners, and other external partners.
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR COMMUNICATION
Kevin Griffis is the Associate Director for Communication and Director of the Office of the Associate Director for Communication (OADC) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
SENIOR ADVISOR FOR DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY
Aletha Maybank, MD, MPH, is the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Senior Advisor for the Office of the Director. Maybank, whose work at CDC is made possible through the support of the CDC Foundation, is a national leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion and provides high-level guidance and help coordinating the agency’s strategy.
ACTING ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR LABORATORY SCIENCE AND SAFETY
Jim Pirkle, MD, PhD, is serving as the Acting Associate Director for Laboratory Science and Safety (ADLSS) and Acting Director of the Office of Laboratory Science and Safety (OLSS) at CDC. In these capacities, Dr. Pirkle provides high-level oversight and coordination of critical laboratory science policies and operations, particularly those associated with laboratory safety and quality management at CDC.
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR POLICY AND STRATEGY
Robin M. Ikeda, MD, MPH, is the Associate Director for Policy and Strategy at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In this capacity, she supports the policy, performance, and strategy across CDC.
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER
Mitchell Wolfe, MD, MPH, is CDC’s Chief Medical Officer. In this role, Dr. Wolfe provides support to the CDC Director, and interacts with key public health partners, Congress, the White House, and other government and public health officials. In addition, he leads the development of objectives and planning for CDC’s global health strategy, footprint, and budget.
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH (NIOSH)
John Howard, MD, MPH, JD, LLM, MBA, serves as the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C.
ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE AND IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE (DDPHSIS)
Debra Houry, MD, MPH, is the Acting Principal Deputy Director and the Acting Deputy Director for Public Health Service and Implementation Science (DDPHSIS) of CDC. Since 2014, Dr. Houry served as director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) at CDC. In this role, she led innovative research and science-based programs to prevent injuries and violence and to reduce their consequences.
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH EQUITY (OMHHE)
Leandris Liburd, PhD, MPH, MA, has served as the Associate Director for Minority Health and Health Equity for CDC/ATSDR since 2011. In this capacity, she leads and supports a wide range of critical functions in the agency’s work in minority health, health equity, and women’s health.
ACTING DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR GLOBAL HEALTH (CGH)
Kevin Cain, MD, is the Acting Director for the Center for Global Health (CGH) where he leads CDC’s efforts to protect and improve health globally through science, policy, partnership, and evidence-based public health action. Dr. Cain’s usual role is as the CGH Principal Deputy Director, a position which he has held since 2020.
DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE (CPR)
Henry Walke, MD, MPH, is the Director of the Center for Preparedness and Response (CPR). In this role, he supports CPR’s three divisions and the Office of the Director to prepare for, respond to, and improve performance in domestic and global public health emergencies.
ACTING DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR STATE, TRIBAL, LOCAL, AND TERRITORIAL SUPPORT (CSTLTS)
Celeste Philip, MD, MPH, is the acting director of the Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support (CSTLTS) and the Deputy Director for Non-Infectious Diseases (DDNID) at CDC. CSTLTS is CDC’s connection to health officials and leaders of public health agencies, as well as other government leaders who work with health departments.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCE AND SURVEILLANCE (DDPHSS)
Daniel Jernigan, MD, MPH, is the Deputy Director for Public Health Science and Surveillance (DDPHSS) at CDC. In this position, he is responsible for strengthening CDC’s scientific foundation by working across the Office of Science, the Office of Laboratory Science and Safety, the Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, and the National Center for Health Statistics.
DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF SCIENCE (OS)
Rebecca Bunnell, PhD, MEd, is the Director of CDC’s Office of Science. Since joining CDC in 1996 as an EIS Officer in the Division of STD Prevention, Dr. Bunnell has held key CDC positions in Atlanta, California, Uganda, and Kenya.
ACTING DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF LABORATORY SCIENCE AND SAFETY (OLSS)
Jim Pirkle, MD, PhD, is serving as the Acting Associate Director for Laboratory Science and Safety (ADLSS) and Acting Director of the Office of Laboratory Science and Safety (OLSS) at CDC. In these capacities, Dr. Pirkle provides high-level oversight and coordination of critical laboratory science policies and operations, particularly those associated with laboratory safety and quality management at CDC.
DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR SURVEILLANCE, EPIDEMIOLOGY, AND LABORATORY SERVICES (CSELS)
Leslie Ann Dauphin, PhD, is the Director of the Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (CSELS) at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where she leads CDC’s efforts to track America’s health, strengthen laboratory networks, and help public health officials identify urgent health threats.
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS (NCHS)
Brian C. Moyer, PhD, is the Director for the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which is the nation’s principal source for health statistical information to guide actions and policies to improve the health of people. In this role, he is responsible for providing leadership for a wide-range of programs, including research and analysis in health and vital statistics, epidemiology, and related health and statistical sciences.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR NON-INFECTIOUS DISEASES (DDNID)
Celeste Philip, MD, MPH, is the Deputy Director for Non-Infectious Diseases (DDNID) at CDC. In this position, she is responsible for providing leadership and guidance to CDC′s four non-infectious disease centers and helps to advance the agency’s cross-cutting, non-infectious disease priorities such as preventing prediabetes and diabetes, ending the opioid epidemic, reducing birth defects and developmental disabilities, and protecting the public’s health from environmental hazards.
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER ON BIRTH DEFECTS AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (NCBDDD)
Karen Remley, MD, MBA, MPH, FAAP, is the Director for the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD). She has more than 30 years of experience in public health and health care, with leadership roles in the public and private sectors. Her “north star” has always been children and families, and she has shaped her career around helping every family have the best opportunity for health and well-being.
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR CHRONIC DISEASE PREVENTION AND HEALTH PROMOTION (NCCDPHP)
Karen Hacker, MD, MPH, is the Director of CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), a position she assumed in August 2019. NCCDPHP has an annual budget of about $1.2 billion and more than 1,000 staff members dedicated to preventing chronic diseases and promoting health across the life span.
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH/AGENCY FOR TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND DISEASE REGISTRY (NCEH/ATSDR)
Pat Breysse, PhD, CIH, joined CDC in December 2014 as the Director of NCEH/ATSDR. Dr. Breysse leads CDC’s efforts to investigate the relationship between environmental factors and health. He came to CDC from the Johns Hopkins University where he served as Associate Chair for Educational Programs within the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Program Director for the Industrial Hygiene Training Program, and co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Childhood Asthma in the Urban Environment.
ACTING DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR INJURY PREVENTION AND CONTROL (NCIPC)
Christopher Jones, PharmD, DrPH, MPH (CAPT, USPHS), is the Acting Director for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), and a captain in the US Public Health Service. When not serving as the Acting Director, Dr. Jones is the Deputy Director of NCIPC.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES (DDID)
Jay C. Butler, MD, is the Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases. In this capacity, he provides leadership to the efforts of CDC’s three infectious disease national centers and helps to advance the agency’s cross-cutting infectious disease priorities.
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR IMMUNIZATION AND RESPIRATORY DISEASES (NCIRD)
José R. Romero, MD, is the Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, where he leads CDC’s efforts to detect, prevent, and respond to vaccine-preventable and respiratory infectious disease threats.
ACTING DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTER FOR EMERGING AND ZOONOTIC INFECTIOUS DISEASES (NCEZID)
Christopher Braden, MD, is the acting director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).
DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR HIV, VIRAL HEPATITIS, STD AND TB PREVENTION (NCHHSTP)
Jonathan Mermin, MD, MPH, is the Director of the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), and a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service. He oversees the nation’s efforts to prevent HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis.