President Barack Obama today appointed Health Commissioner of New York, Thomas R. Frieden, as the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) -a position that has been vacant since the departure of former director Julie Gerberding in January.
graduated from the medical school of Columbia University and its School of Public Health Mailman, Frieden worked for the CDC for a dozen years, first on tuberculosis control in New York and later loaned to the World health Organization in India, focusing on TB control it.
During his seven years as Health Commissioner of New York, Frieden has gained a reputation as an innovative defender severe public health initiatives, including tobacco control, mandatory testing HIV, reducing trans fats in restaurant meals, restrictions on salt content, and his recent call in an article the New England Journal of Medicine , for an excise tax stiff on sugary sodas. President Obama called Frieden "an expert in preparedness and response to health emergencies" who also "has been at the forefront in the fight against heart disease, cancer and obesity."
The appointment of Frieden comes at a time when CDC is still recovering from years of controversy related to political pressures and a major reorganization ordered by Gerberding. During the past month, the agency based in Atlanta has also been under enormous pressure in the treatment of H1N1 influenza epidemic of 09.
Although Frieden was on the short list of potential directors CDC since January, a dark-horse contender in recent weeks has been the director of the temp agency, Richard Besser, who was praised for his calm management of the influenza epidemic. When Frieden takes office in June, Besser will return to his former post as terrorism preparedness manager and emergency response of CDC's Office. Friday, Frieden Besser described as "a consummate innovator" in public health.
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