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Aug 1, 2023 · 7-Minute Listen. Playlist. Download. Embed. Transcript. 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 ...
Jul 11, 2023 · Dr. Mandy Cohen was beaming Monday as she was sworn in as the 20th director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the age of 44, the internist becomes the head of one of the ...
- 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.
1944 – 1946: *Mark D. Hollis, ScD. 1942 – 1943: *L.L. Williams, MD. (MCWA Director) *Malaria Control in War Areas (MCWA) Executive Officers; MCWA headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. CDC continued the work of MCWA and grew to become the nation’s lead public health agency. Last Reviewed: July 3, 2023. Source: Centers for Disease Control and ...
Jan 5, 2022 · Soon after joining the CDC, Walensky launched the COVID-19 Data Tracker, a comprehensive dashboard for all things related to pandemic, that she pressured her team to keep updated in near-real time ...
Feb 28, 2018 · CDC Director 1977-1983 James O. Mason, MD, DrPH CDC Director 1983-1989 William L. Roper, MD, MPH CDC Director 1990-1993 David Satcher, MD, PhD CDC Director 1993-1998 Jeffrey P. Koplan, MD, MPH CDC Director 1998-2002 Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH CDC Director 2002-2008 Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH Former Director, Centers for Disease Control and ...
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention timeline. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, formed in 1946, is the leading national public health institute of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Its main goal is to protect public health and safety ...
