Untitled Document Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Topic: "Public Health and Emergency Medicine: Working Together to Protect People and Save Lives"
Thursday, May 16, 2013, 2:00 - 3:00 pm
Plaza Ballroom ABC
Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, the keynote speaker for the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, was appointed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by President Barack Obama in May 2009. He is also the administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). In announcing Dr. Frieden’s appointment, the president said that “Dr. Frieden is an expert in preparedness and response to health emergencies, and has been at the forefront of the fight against heart disease, cancer and obesity, infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and AIDS, and in the establishment of electronic health records. Dr. Frieden has been a leader in the fight for health care reform, and his experiences confronting public health challenges in our country and abroad will be essential in this new role.”
Dr. Frieden’s career, leading up to and including his tenure as CDC director, has been dedicated to promoting and improving public health in diverse settings both in the United States and around the world, working to control communicable and noncommunicable diseases. He is trained in internal medicine, infectious diseases, public health, and epidemiology, with special expertise in tuberculosis control. Dr. Frieden previously worked for the CDC, beginning as an Epidemiologic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer at the New York City Department of Health in 1990, and working for the Centers until 2002. From 2002 to 2009, he was commissioner of the NYC Health Department, and also provided pro bono assistance to Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his global health philanthropic efforts.
Dr. Frieden is a graduate of Oberlin College, and earned medical and master of public health degrees from Columbia University. He completed infectious disease training at Yale University. A recipient of numerous awards and honors, he has published more than 200 scientific articles.