Organization Chart

Dr. Bigman is the Acting Director of the Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) in CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, where she provides leadership and direction to the science and programs conducted in DDT. In her position as DDT’s Associate Director for Science, Dr. Bigman provides scientific guidance and support to improve the quality, quantity, and integrity of scientific work in the division. After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Duke University, she went on to earn a Master of Science in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan and a Doctorate in Epidemiology from Emory University. She joined CDC in 1996, and has worked in a wide variety of fields, including domestic and international immunizations, global HIV/AIDS, laboratory science, and survey research.

Mr. Betts is the lead management official for the division, and is responsible for planning and directing financial management and business operations, human resource management, and strategic planning. Mr. Betts has over 20 years of CDC experience, working in policy and program evaluation, adolescent and school health promotion, and health promotion for children and adults with disabilities. Mr. Betts was previously the Deputy Director for CDC’s Division of Human Development and Disability. During this time, he helped establish the first ever Associate Director for Disability Inclusion and Public Health (aka CDC’s Disability and Health Officer). Mr. Betts received a CDC/ATSDR Group Honor Award for leadership in promoting the potential of people with disabilities. He received his MPA from the University of Georgia.

Dr. Wright returned to CDC in December 2020 to serve as Director in the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, after a 2-year detail in the Office of the Surgeon General as the Acting Director of Science and Policy. In that role, she was charged with ensuring the scientific integrity of the Office’s projects, reports, and presentations. From 2011 to 2019, Dr. Wright served as Executive Director of Million Hearts®, a national HHS initiative that CDC co-leads with CMS to prevent a million cardiovascular events over 5 years. Prior to federal service, Dr. Wright was Senior Vice President for Science and Quality at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) from 2008 to 2011. She practiced cardiology for many years in Chico, California, serving on the ACC’s Board of Trustees, NCQA’s Physician Program Committee, and the Center for Information Therapy, a nonprofit organization committed to providing personalized health information during each health encounter. She received her MD from the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center and completed her internal medicine residency at Children’s Hospital and Adult Medical Center and her fellowship in cardiology at San Francisco General Hospital and the University of California, San Francisco.

Ms. Gilliam is the Deputy Director of the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. In this role, she is responsible for providing executive level management, programmatic, and operations leadership to the Division. Ms. Gilliam started her CDC career as an Office Automation Assistant in NCCDPHP. She then became a Program Operations Assistant and Public Health Analyst in the National Center for Injury Control and Prevention. Ms. Gilliam also served as a Public Health Advisor in the Program Services Branch in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, NCCHPHP, where she worked with grantees to administer national programs that offered breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostics services to low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women, and to develop and implement statewide cancer plans. She then went on to become the Management Officer for the Program Performance and Evaluation Office, in the Office of the Director, CDC, where she responsible for planning and directing all aspects of administration, management and operations for the office. Just prior to her assignment to the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Ms. Gilliam served as the Deputy Management Officer in the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Dr. Petersen is the Director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) in CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. DNPAO provides national leadership on nutrition, physical activity, and obesity prevention through policy and guideline development, surveillance, epidemiological and behavioral research, and technical assistance to states and communities. Dr. Petersen has a breadth of experience and leadership from multiple settings, including health care, local and state health departments, national advisory groups, academic settings, the private sector, and global health platforms. Her broad, deep, and diverse experience with populations, partners, and stakeholders are strong assets for leading DNPAO in its focused efforts to prevent chronic diseases through population-wide public health initiatives and health system innovations. Throughout her career, Dr. Petersen has drawn on her expertise in patient care, health system change, disease prevention, and community engagement to develop and guide programs, research, and policy to improve health behaviors and reduce chronic disease. Dr. Petersen received her MD and MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After training in obstetrics and gynecology in Rochester, NY, she completed the UNC Preventive Medicine Residency and a postdoctoral fellowship in health services research.

Ann O’Connor, MPA serves as the Deputy Director for the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention managing operations for a $94 million dollar budget to prevent and control obesity and chronic disease through regular physical activity and good nutrition. Prior to this position, Ann served as the CDC Chief of the Program Planning and Advancement unit leading many of the agency’s program development initiatives including direction for CDC Winnable Battles, the CDC Quarterly Program Review process, and the development of new program standards for CDC funding opportunity announcements. She also served the Associate Director for Policy in the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response leading national policy and legislative activities. Before joining CDC in August 2003, Ann worked on national policy evaluations in the Office of the Inspector General for more than 15 years in a variety of positions, including Regional Inspector General, Assistant Director and senior program analyst. In this capacity, Ann published national evaluation reports on topics ranging from child support and child welfare, to Medicaid and to public health preparedness and emergency response. She received her MPA from George Mason University and her Bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Mr. Hannan is the Director of the Division of Oral Health (DOH) in CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), where he is directs programs, and develops and implements policies and strategies to achieve the mission of the division. Previously, he was Chief of the Arthritis, Epilepsy, and Well-Being Branch in NCCDPHP’s Division of Population Health. Mr. Hannan also previously served as the Associate Director of Policy, Partnerships, and Communications in CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. Since coming to CDC in 1996, Mr. Hannan has received two HHS Secretary’s Awards for Distinguished Service for developing national health objectives and health communication materials, and three Special Act of Service Awards related to his accomplishments in accountability measures, strategic planning, and national leadership conferences. He is a 30-year veteran of the public health workforce and has worked in community-based, medical center, university, and government settings. He holds an MPH from the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan.

Mr. Thornton is the Deputy Director of the Division of Oral Health, where he oversees the division’s budget, staffing, and business operations. He joined CDC in 2015 as a Program Specialist and Management Analyst in the Center for Global Health, directly supporting the Ebola Response in the Emergency Operations Center and as the center’s Emergency Coordinator. He also served as a Center Administrative Officer, Acquisitions Lead, and Lead Program Resource Manager in the National Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases. Mr. Thornton previously served as the Division Program Management Official for the Division of Diabetes Translation. Prior to CDC, Mr. Thornton honorably served over 26 years in the United States Naval Special Warfare Community as a Senior Enlisted Leader, Combat Maritime Mobility Operator, Troop Lead, Program Manager, Acquisitions, Contracts, Budget and Human Capital Specialist. He is also an Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran with multiple deployments throughout Africa, South America, and Europe. While serving in the military, he graduated from the US Naval Senior Enlisted Academy at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and earned his BA in Criminal Justice and MA in Public Administration with a concentration in Policy Management from Troy University, Alabama.

Dr. Thomas is the Director of the Division of Population Health in CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. He directs a broad portfolio of programmatic and applied research activities focused on improving population health across the lifespan. Topic areas include aging, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, epilepsy, excessive alcohol use, healthy schools, healthy tribes, lupus, and applied epidemiology and prevention research. Dr. Thomas oversees the collection and reporting of national, state, and local population health data on chronic disease conditions and risk factors He also collaborates with national partner organizations, other federal agencies, and state and local health departments to implement program and policy strategies that drive improvements in population health and well-being. Dr. Thomas joined CDC in 1998, where has held leadership positions in the HIV and AIDS Prevention Program, the Guide to Community Preventive Services, the Public Health Preparedness and Response Program, the National Public Health Improvement Initiative, and the Preventive Health and Health Services (PHHS) Block Grant Program. Previously, he served as Director of the Division of Public Health Performance Improvement in the Center for State Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support, where he developed and led a division focused on providing guidance and strategic direction on a system of performance and accountability to improve public health performance and health outcomes. Dr. Thomas began his public health career in Southern California, where he earned a PhD in social psychology and applied research methods from Claremont Graduate University, an MS in experimental psychology from California State University Fullerton, and a BA in biological sciences from the University of California Irvine.

Ms. Tripp is the Deputy Director for the Division of Population Health, where she provides strategic leadership, management, and oversight of DPH operations. Prior to joining DPH, she was the Management Officer and Deputy Director for Program for the Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (CSELS) from 2014 to 2020. During her time in CSELS, she led the development and implementation of a strategic plan, led a programmatic review of all CSELS programs for efficiencies and performance metrics, addressed critical workforce needs including the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce, and developed and implemented a communications plan for the center. Brooke received her undergraduate degree in organizational communications and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her MPA from the University of Georgia.

Dr. Barfield is the Director of the Division of Reproductive Health (DRH) in CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. She is responsible for promoting CDC’s Safe Motherhood Initiative, which works for optimal and equitable reproductive health, maternal health, and infant health through research, surveillance, programs, and partnerships. Dr. Barfield joined CDC in 2000 as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer and became Director of DRH in 2010. As director, she has strengthened CDC’s Winnable Battle on Teen Pregnancy Prevention, global and domestic maternal mortality prevention, and maternal and infant health surveillance. She also helped produce a national action plan on infertility. Dr. Barfield’s research includes over 60 publications on racial disparities in preterm delivery, stillbirth, and infant health outcomes. She is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and an adjunct associate professor at the Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Barfield is board-certified in both general pediatrics and neonatal-perinatal medicine and continues to provide care for critically ill newborns. She received her medical and public health degrees from Harvard University and completed a pediatrics residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and a neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship at Harvard.

Ms. Wright is the Deputy Director of the Division of Reproductive Health (DRH). In this role, she is responsible for providing executive level management, programmatic, and operational leadership to the Division. She previously served as the Deputy Management Officer for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). As part of NCIRD’s leadership team, Ms. Wright advised managers and staff on a variety of management and operational issues and oversaw administrative and budget execution activities for the Office of the Director. Ms. Wright has served as the Principal Management Official for the Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Coordination & Strategy Unit with NCEZID’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP). CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance Coordination and Strategy Unit provides strategic direction and coordination of CDC’s cross-cutting antibiotic resistance activities, as well as supporting goals set forth in the U.S. National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria. In this role, she led and managed CDC’s nearly $180 million operational budget, extramural resource activities, personnel and administrative processes. Prior to her work in DHQP, Victoria served in multiple leadership roles during CDC’s West Africa Ebola response, including lead for budget formulation and execution in the Ebola Policy Unit, and Deputy Director and Director of CDC’s Global Health Security and Ebola Internal Coordination Unit.

Dr. Kittner is the Director of the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) at CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. In this position, she provides leadership and direction for OSH’s scientific, policy, and programmatic issues. Dr. Kittner has more than 20 years of public health experience with a focus on global tobacco control, tobacco and health behavior surveillance, and health policy for eliminating health disparities.
Before joining CDC in 2021, Dr. Kittner was the Deputy Director of FDA’s Office of Science at the Center for Tobacco Products, where she served as an advisor to the Director and the health equity workgroup, and oversaw the tobacco regulatory science research program that assessed the potential public health impact of tobacco products and tobacco regulatory actions. Prior to that, Dr. Kittner directed the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids’ International Research unit and held previous positions at Pinney Associates (2010-2015) and NIH’s National Cancer Institute (2000-2010) where she led research initiatives to improve tobacco surveillance and eliminate health disparities. She was NIH’s first Mansfield Fellow (2005-2007) and has served on workgroups and committees for FDA’s Emerging Sciences Council, NIH’s Tobacco Research Network on Disparities, Johns Hopkins University’s Global Tobacco Control Online Course, NCI’s Office of International Affairs, and the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Cancer Research Program. Dr. Kittner earned a PhD in toxicology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MPH in quantitative methods from the Harvard School of Public Health, and a BS in Biology from Spelman College.

Ms. Brown is the Deputy Director of the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH). In this role, she is responsible for providing for planning and directing financial management and business operations, and human resource management. Prior to joining OSH on detail, she served as Deputy Branch Chief for the Program Development and Evaluation Branch within the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. Ms. Brown has over 30 years of CDC experience, working in business operations, policy and issues management, and budget planning and execution. She joined CDC in 1989 as a Secretary in the Division of Reproductive Health. Over her career, Ms. Brown has worked in NCCDPHP’s Office of the Director and four divisions. She received her BS in Healthcare Management from Clayton State University.