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Past CDC Directors/Administrators. Español (Spanish) Print. 2021 – 2023: Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH. 2018 – 2021: Robert R. Redfield, MD. 2017 – 2018: Brenda Fitzgerald, MD.
Aug 21, 2023 · Mandy Cohen is the new director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The former health secretary for North Carolina, she led the state’s COVID-19 response and improved...
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- Overview
- Fighting vaccine misinformation
When Dr. Mandy Cohen walked into the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta less than two weeks ago, she knew trust in America's top health agency was broken.
Attacks on the agency's scientific data and sometimes confusing public policy guidance were coming from Washington lawmakers, social media and people across the country.
In her first media interview as the new CDC director, Cohen said she is refocusing the agency on rebuilding faith with more transparency and improved communication and by "bringing the best evidence that we possibly can" to the public.
"It's an everyday, tactical plan," she said.
"Trust" was the focus of the first meeting she had with CDC staff members. She said trust was the foundation of the hard work the agency faces as it moves forward from missteps made during the pandemic.
"If we want folks to trust us — and we do — we have to work together differently, and we have to trust each other as we're doing that work," she said.
That ability to communicate clearly and effectively will be key as she faces ongoing health threats of vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories about the Covid vaccines and other vaccines, as well as scathing criticisms from presidential hopefuls.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has publicly questioned whether CDC scientists should be trusted, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democrat, has accused the CDC, without evidence, of lying about Covid vaccines.
The best way to ease doubts is with clear and stable communication.
"You're going to hear us with some key messages, making sure that folks hear them over and over," she said.
The strategy: "Be accurate, be simple, and be repetitive."
One lesson she learned as North Carolina’s health secretary is that she is not always the best conduit for public health guidance. Her team sometimes turned to faith leaders, NASCAR drivers, even TikTok influencers to get scientific information to the public.
Aug 1, 2023 · NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks with Dr. Mandy Cohen, the new director of the CDC, about her vision for the agency in the wake of COVID and how to prepare for fall surges of flu and COVID. SACHA...
Jul 11, 2023 · Atlanta CNN — As scientists and staff badged into the headquarters of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday, the agency’s new director stood waiting for them, a smile on...
Jan 5, 2022 · Over the last year, Rochelle Walensky has worked to regain the trust of CDC personnel—and the nation—while facing a surging COVID-19 pandemic.
Feb 28, 2018 · In order to recognize some of the accomplishments that have occurred at CDC over the past 70 years, former CDC Directors William H. Foege, MD, MPH; James O. Mason, MD, Dr.PH; William L. Roper, MD, MPH; David Satcher, MD, PhD; Jeffrey P. Koplan, MD, MPH; and Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH will join former director Dr. Tom Frieden for this special Gran...