Leadership

Hank Tomlinson, Ph.D., serves as the Director of the Division of Global HIV & TB at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In this role, he guides the management of CDC’s global TB and HIV treatment, care and prevention programs and the division’s 1,800 staff in 45 country offices and headquarters in Atlanta. Prior to being named Director of the Division of Global HIV & TB, Dr. Tomlinson served as the Division’s Principal Deputy Director, and he also served as Country Director and Division of Global HIV & TB Program Director for the CDC field office in Nigeria. Dr. Tomlinson began his career at CDC in 2008 in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, where his work focused on strengthening the capacity of the HIV workforce to implement science- and evidence-based interventions for HIV prevention, care and treatment. Dr. Tomlinson earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Emory University and his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Duke University. He completed his residency in clinical psychology at the University of Maryland Medical Center and Baltimore VA Hospital. His published work addresses the epidemiology of HIV among men who have sex with men; the development, evaluation, and dissemination of interventions to reduce sexual risk behavior for acquisition and transmission of HIV; and the diffusion of innovations.

Surbhi Modi, M.D., M.P.H., is a Commander in the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service. Commander Modi is the Principal Deputy Director for CDC’s Division of Global HIV & TB. She previously served as Chief of the Maternal and Child Health Branch from May 2018 to June 2020. In her role as Maternal and Child Health Branch Chief, Commander Modi led work to improve outcomes for children, adolescents and pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV. Commander Modi also led the Division’s work to address global concerns about the safety of dolutegravir in women of reproductive potential. Commander Modi has worked at CDC since 2007 and in the Division of Global HIV & TB since 2008. In her 12 years with the Division, Commander Modi has worked as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer with the TB/HIV Team in the HIV Care and Treatment Branch, a Medical Officer with the Pediatric and Adolescent HIV Team, and as Lead of the Maternal and Infant HIV Team. Commander Modi earned her Master of Public Health degree in International Health Policy from the George Washington University and completed her M.D. and Preventive Medicine residency training at Emory University’s School of Medicine.

Courtney Emerson, MPH, is the Acting Deputy Director for Management and Overseas Operations in CDC’s Division of Global HIV & TB. Prior to her temporary appointment, Courtney served as Deputy Agency Lead of activities of the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) at CDC within the Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria. Courtney’s prior experience with DGHT includes working on PEPFAR-supported programs for TB/HIV integration, maternal and child health, and in-country technical assistance in 15 countries. She served for three years as Deputy Branch Chief of the DGHT Maternal and Child Health Branch where she focused efforts on managerial, operational, and administrative activities to enhance the Branch’s contributions to PEPFAR. Courtney earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Beloit College with a minor in Biology and African studies. She received her Master of Public Health degree in Global Health from Emory University.

Josef Amann, M.D., M.P.H., is the Associate Director for Program in CDC’s Division of Global HIV & TB. Dr. Amann first came to CDC to serve in the Epidemic Intelligence Service in 2002. After completion of the fellowship, he served as Clinical Technical Advisor in the Sustainable Management Development Program. In this position, he worked with Ministries of Health in Africa and Asia to strengthen the performance and management capacity of HIV/AIDS, TB, and neglected tropical disease control programs to deliver effective and efficient programs and services. He joined CDC’s Division of Global HIV & TB in 2009 as a member of the HIV Care and Treatment Branch. Dr. Amann completed medical school at the University of Ulm in Germany and holds a Master of Public Health degree from Emory University.

Laura Porter, Ph.D., serves as the Associate Director for Data Integration and Analysis in CDC’s Division of Global HIV & TB. Dr. Porter has 20 years of experience in domestic and global public health, with technical leadership in monitoring and evaluation, surveillance, and survey design and analysis. She began working at CDC’s Global AIDS Program in 2004 as an epidemiologist on the surveillance team. She served as lead of the Monitoring and Evaluation team from 2007 to 2010, and chief of the Epidemiology and Strategic Information Branch from 2010 to 2016. Dr. Porter earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988, with a major in Behavioral Biology, from the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University and holds a Ph.D. from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at the Johns Hopkins University with concentrations in demography and epidemiology.

Robert Swayzer III, DrPH, serves as Senior Advisor for Workforce Equity and is responsible for championing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in DGHT. He is focused on enhancing strategies to promote a DGHT workplace that is fair and inclusive. Dr. Swayzer began his career at CDC in 2006 as an Education Program Specialist in the Division of Adolescent and School Health where he supported the nation’s schools in the implementation of HIV, STD, and pregnancy prevention efforts. In 2008, he joined the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention serving as a Project Officer and Team Lead in the Prevention Program Branch (PPB). Dr. Swayzer’s efforts in PPB focused on working with public and private partners to strengthen science-based HIV prevention efforts in states and local communities. In 2011, Dr. Swayzer was selected as Senior Advisor for Program to the PPB Branch Chief and provided leadership and guidance in the administration of the branch’s domestic HIV/AIDS prevention activities with an annual budget of $375 million. In 2016, he joined CDC Namibia as Extramural Lead and provided technical assistance to establish and expand HIV treatment programs in Namibia. Dr. Swayzer also served as the Deputy Director of Management and Operations for CDC Namibia for four years prior to his return to headquarters. Dr. Swayzer is a graduate of Xavier University where he received a B.S. in Chemistry and Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine where he received both his DrPH and MPH degrees in Health Education and Communication.