Organization Chart

Dr. Albright is the 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. Before joining CDC in 2007, Dr. Albright was the Chief of the California Diabetes Program at the California Department of Health Services and held an academic appointment at the University of California, San Francisco. She was the Senior Health Policy Advisor in the Office of the US Surgeon General and led the Secretary of Health’s Diabetes Detection Initiative. Dr. Albright lectures and has published works on several topics, including exercise, nutrition, and public health practice in diabetes prevention and management. She has served in leadership roles with the American Diabetes Association, American Association of Diabetes Educators, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and American College of Sports Medicine. She received her PhD in exercise physiology from The Ohio State University and completed an National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellowship in nutrition at the University of California, Davis, and a clinical internship in nutrition at the University of California, San Francisco.

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. Thompson joined the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention as the director in January 2018. Dr. Thompson came to DHDSP from HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, where she served in several capacities, including the Deputy Regional Health Administrator, (RHA), Region IX. Among her many accomplishments there, she helped to increase departmental focus and resources on the health concerns of the U.S.-affiliated Pacific islands, served as a senior regional prevention and public health scientist, and represented RHA at state, regional, national, and international meetings. From 2009 to 2014, Dr. Thompson served as CMS’ Region IX’s Chief Medical Officer. There, she provided medical expertise and guidance on projects ranging from hospital conditions of participation and regulations for accountable care organizations to the value modifier for the physician fee schedule. Dr. Thompson received her MD and MSPH from the University of Colorado, Denver, and her DrPH from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She completed an internship and residency in primary care internal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco; an epidemiology fellowship in CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) program; and a residency in preventive medicine at CDC.

Dr. Bertulfo is the responsible for managing division operations. Since joining CDC in 2003, he has provided program and project leadership in the areas of emergency preparedness, workforce development, and partnership development. Previously, he served as the Deputy Director for the Division of Applied Sciences, home to CDC’s premier scientific fellowship programs, including the Epidemic Intelligence Service. Dr. Bertulfo has been recognized for his contributions to public health and nursing, including an HHS Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service and two US Public Health Service Chief Nurse Officer Awards. A board-certified nurse practitioner, he holds advanced degrees in nursing and public health from the University of Alabama (Sigma Theta Tau) and the University of South Florida.

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.

Ms. Petersen has served as Deputy Director of the Division of Oral Health since August 2013, providing oversight of the division’s budget, staffing, and business operations. She came to CDC in October 1999 as a Presidential Management Fellow in the Office on Smoking and Health, where she worked as a Public Health Analyst for 7 years in the Program Services and Evaluation branches. In 2006, she transitioned to the role of Special Advisor to the Chief Management Officer in the Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention. In 2010, she joined the Office for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support as Management Officer. Along the way, she was detailed to CDC’s Office of the Chief Operating Officer in 2009 and Office of the Chief Financial Officer in 2013, supporting special projects addressing, respectively, executive recruitment and Working Capital Fund implementation. Ms. Petersen received her graduate degree in public policy and management from the University of Oregon.

Dr. Thomas is the Director for the CDC’s Division of Population Health, a position he assumed in June 2018. For the previous 8 years, Dr. Thomas served as Director of the Division of Public Health Performance Improvement in CDC’s Office for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support. In that position, he provided strategic guidance and direction on a system of performance and accountability to improve public health performance and health outcomes at the state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) level. Most recently, he has served as the Associate Director for Strategy with CDC’s Center for STLT Support (proposed). An expert in continuous quality improvement, program evaluation, systems thinking, multisector collaboration, and population health improvement, Dr. Thomas has more than 25 years of experience working with STLT health departments, local communities, nonprofit organizations, national public health partners, and other federal agencies. Dr. Thomas received a PhD in applied social psychology with an emphasis in applied research methods, performance measurement, and program evaluation from the Claremont Graduate University; a master’s degree in experimental psychology from California State University Fullerton; and a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of California Irvine.

Mr. Farrell serves as the lead official for Division management of personnel, budget, contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and general operations. Mr. Farrell joined CDC in 1986 as a field Public Health Advisor in Detroit, Michigan, and remained with the National Center for Prevention Services/National Center for HIV, STD, TB Prevention until 1998. In 1998 he started his work in global health where he ultimately served as the Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Global Health through 2010. He was assigned to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from 2001-2004 working on polio eradication, measles mortality reduction, malaria, safe water, and HIV prevention and care. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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. Lee is the Acting 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. Ms. Lee has over 25 years of public health experience at CDC. Since 2015, she has served as the Deputy Branch Chief, Epidemiology Workforce Branch in the Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services. As the deputy, she managed the operations of the branch, including the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Laboratory Leadership Service, Epi-Aids and various other student and teacher fellowships. Previously, she was the Program Management Officer for the Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health (CGH). In that role, she was responsible for the management and operations of international public health-related activities and cross-cutting policies, procedures, and guidelines. Ms. Lee began her career at CDC in 1991 as a summer student in DRH. She received a BBA from the University of West Georgia.

Dr. Letitia Presley-Cantrell is the Acting Director of the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) in CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), where she is responsible for providing broad leadership and direction for all scientific, policy, and programmatic issues related to tobacco control and prevention. She has a wealth of experience in the field of public health, with over 30 years at CDC. Throughout her career, she has brought her extensive knowledge and expertise to the fore to assist both rural and urban communities at the local, state, and federal levels in developing, implementing, and promoting community-based public health programs. Her past work experiences include working on a diverse number of issues including cardiovascular disease, minority health, sleep, COPD, and mental health. Dr. Presley-Cantrell has received numerous awards for her contributions and leadership toward eliminating health disparities and advancing health equity. She holds a PhD from Clark Atlanta University and an MEd from the University of Georgia.

Dr. Cox is the Deputy Director of the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH). In this role, she is responsible for providing executive level management, programmatic, and operational leadership to the Division. Prior to joining OSH, Dr. Cox served as Director of the Division of the Executive Secretariat within CDC’s Office of the Chief of Staff. Prior to her role in Exec Sec, Dr. Cox served as the Deputy Director of the Policy Research, Analysis and Development Office within the Office of the Associate Director for Policy. During that time, she oversaw the development of the policy awareness and review process and served a 3-month assignment as OADP’s acting management officer. From 2001 to 2011, Dr. Cox served in the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control where her work focused on using the best implementation science to build capacity at the state and local levels to address violence prevention from a public health perspective. Dr. Cox received her PhD in public health from the University of Georgia, her MA in family therapy from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, and her BS in finance from the University of Tennessee.