Obama Picks New York City DOH Commissioner Tom Frieden for C.D.C. Director Options

[Root Admin]

Obama Picks New York City DOH Commissioner Tom Frieden for C.D.C. Director

Gardiner Harris and Anemona Hartocollis reported on May 15 in the NY Times that President Obama announced the choice of Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the New York City health commissioner, as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
 
Dr. Frieden, a 48-year-old infectious disease specialist, has led the crusade to ban smoking in restaurants and bars, pushed to make HIV testing a routine part of medical exams, and defended a program that passes out more than 35 million condoms a year.
 
"I found he's willing to challenge the status quo in an effort to make a difference," said Dennis deLeon, president of the Latino Commission on AIDS in New York City.

At the CDC, he will inherit a host of immediate and long-term problems, including serious morale and organizational issues even as the administration struggles to overhaul the nation's health care system.
 
"I think the administration selected Tom Frieden because he can take public health to a new place," said Jeffrey Levi, executive director of Trust for America's Health, a nonprofit public health advocacy organization. "He's a transformational leader."