The AP (1/9, Stobbe) reported Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Julie Gerberding, M.D., M.P.H., "is stepping down, according an email sent Friday night to federal employees." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (1/10, Young) reported that Dr. Gerberding's tenure "leading one of the nation's most trusted institutions were marked by numerous controversies, from allegations that she allowed politics to interfere with science to concerns that her strategic decisions incapacitated the agency's ability to respond in a public health crisis." Despite the criticism, she "maintained that the changes she initiated at the agency had made it stronger and better able to do its job in a post-9/11 world."
The Wall Street Journal (1/12, A4, McKay, Mundy) reports Dr. Gerberding will be replaced by William Gimson III, "the agency's chief operating officer, until a permanent successor is named." Among the names being considered by the Obama team to head up the CDC are James Marks, "a former senior CDC official who is now a senior vice president at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Helene Gayle, former CDC director for HIV/AIDS and president and chief executive officer of CARE; and Thomas Frieden, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene." During her tenure at the CDC, Gerberding "elevated the CDC's profile, improved coordination to respond to public-health crises, and led other public-health achievements," though "critics claim that she allowed politics to intrude on the agency's scientific work and that an agency reorganization prompted an exodus of high-level scientists."
UPI (1/12) notes Gerberding was "the first woman to head the agency" and held the post for six years, during which she weathered "allegations she allowed politics to become entangled with science and that under her watch the agency's ability to respond to public-health crises was diminished."
In a more detailed summary of the criticisms that have been levied against Dr. Gerberding, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (1/12, Schneider, Scott) reports that in the days since resigning, "her admirers and detractors have been arguing about her legacy and the future of the Atlanta-based research facility." In 2007, Dr. Gerberding came under fire "after it was alleged she let the White House censor her congressional testimony on climate change," specifically "a deleted section of the testimony included the statement that 'catastrophic weather events such as heat waves and hurricanes are expected to become more frequent, severe, and costly.'" Francesca Grifo, a director of the Union of Concerned Scientists, "said she spoke to CDC researchers who were 'cheering' the departure of the director." Other critics of Dr. Gerberding pointed to "her 2003 reorganization of the CDC." which "prompted an exodus of key scientific staff." CNN (1/12) also reports the story.
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