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Georgia’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, Named to Head C.D.C. Georgia’s Health Commissioner Named to Lead C.D.C.
(about 7 hours later)
The Trump administration on Friday named Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, the public health commissioner of Georgia, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nation’s top public health post. The Trump administration on Friday named Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, the public health commissioner of Georgia, as the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nation’s top public health post.
Dr. Fitzgerald, 70, is an obstetrician-gynecologist and a two-time Republican congressional candidate. She has strong ties to two other prominent Georgia Republicans — Tom Price, the secretary of Health and Human Services, and Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, who has been an informal adviser to President Trump. Dr. Fitzgerald, who turns 71 next week, is an obstetrician-gynecologist and a two-time Republican congressional candidate. She has strong ties to two other prominent Georgia Republicans — Tom Price, the secretary of Health and Human Services, and Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, who has been an informal adviser to President Trump.
Dr. Fitzgerald takes over C.D.C. as the agency is grappling with a rising epidemic of opioid abuse; global outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Zika and Ebola; and an anti-vaccination movement with a sympathetic ear in President Trump. Dr. Fitzgerald is a moderate, however, and is likely to come as a relief to those who feared Mr. Price would name a strong conservative to the post. Her appointment follows two other selections for key health posts that have been generally well-received by Democrats: Mr. Trump’s nomination of Dr. Jerome M. Adams, a widely respected health commissioner for Indiana, to be the surgeon general; and the announcement that Dr. Francis S. Collins will remain as director of the National Institutes of Health, despite protests from conservative lawmakers.
Laura Hanen, of the National Association of County and City Health officials, said Dr. Fitzgerald understands what local health departments do, and will be a strong advocate for them. Dr. Fitzgerald takes over the C.D.C. as the agency is grappling with a rising epidemic of opioid abuse; global outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Zika and Ebola; and an anti-vaccination movement with a sympathetic ear in Mr. Trump. It is also facing budget cuts: Mr. Trump has called for a 17 percent reduction in funding for both the C.D.C. and its sister office, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which investigates environmental health hazards.
“We believe she will be a strong voice and an effective advocate for state and local health departments at this critical time, which has seen unexpected public health crises like Ebola and Zika virus over the past few years,” Ms. Hanen wrote in a statement. “It would be nice to think she would have the luxury to take her time to get to know such an incredible organization, but it’s highly unlikely that she’ll be able to do that before she is on the front line of a public health challenge,” said Dr. Julie Gerberding, who served as C.D.C. director from 2002 to 2009.
Dr. Fitzgerald replaces Dr. Tom Frieden, who was director for eight years before stepping down in January. Longtime C.D.C. official Dr. Anne Schuchat has been serving as acting director since Dr. Frieden’s departure. In Georgia, Dr. Fitzgerald is known for her work to combat infant mortality, improve language development among babies, curb tobacco use, and fight obesity. Her current position on abortion is unclear. During her 1994 campaign for Congress, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she was attacked by anti-abortion activists who accused her of performing abortions. She denied it, but has also said that the decision of whether to have an abortion should be left to the pregnant woman and her doctor.
In a statement announcing Dr. Fitzgerald’s appointment Friday morning, Mr. Price said: “Having known Dr. Fitzgerald for many years, I know that she has a deep appreciation and understanding of medicine, public health, policy and leadership — all qualities that will prove vital as she leads the C.D.C. in its work to protect America’s health 24/7.” The Trump administration has come under fire from critics who contend that the president has ignored science in pursing ideological goals. Dr. Gerberding said it would be Dr. Fitzgerald’s duty to protect the pre-eminence of scientific inquiry and data.
She was a major in the Air Force, serving at the Wurtsmith Air Force Strategic Air Command Base in Michigan and at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from Georgia State University and a medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Fitzgerald did her postgraduate training at the Emory-Grady Hospitals in Atlanta and held an assistant clinical professorship at Emory Medical Center. “I think that the most important job of the C.D.C. director is to make sure that science rules as the foundation of public health and policy decisions,” she said.
But Ruth Katz, director of the health, medicine and society program at the Aspen Institute, said maintaining the C.D.C.’s level of scientific expertise would be a challenge.
“At a time when the value of science is being questioned, particularly government science, the agencies have to make sure they hold on to the expertise they have,” Ms. Katz said.
Dr. Fitzgerald has been active in politics for many years. She ran twice, unsuccessfully, for Congress in the 1990s. She and her husband, Thomas Fitzgerald, who is also a physician, have donated more than $25,000 to Republican congressional candidates and state parties over the years, including $2,500 to the campaigns of Mr. Price, a former House member.
In a statement posted to the Georgia health department website, she said: “I am humbled by the challenges that lie ahead, yet I am confident that the successes we’ve had in Georgia will provide me with a foundation for guiding the work of the C.D.C.”
Dr. Fitzgerald is currently the president-elect of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, which represents public health agencies and their staffers. The group praised her appointment.
“Dr. Fitzgerald’s firsthand experience working at the front lines of public health and dealing with real-time health emergencies make her an ideal leader,’’ said Dr. Michael Fraser, executive director of the group.
Gary Nelson, a former C.D.C. official who worked with Dr. Fitzgerald on Georgia’s board of public health, cited her experience in winning bipartisan support for revitalizing the agency.
“During the Zika crisis she put a public face on it,” said Mr. Nelson, who is now president of the Healthcare Georgia Foundation, a nonpartisan grant-making agency. “She is remarkable at personalizing a health issue, and making it seem relevant for the entire state.”
Also, he said, “She worked extremely well with the state legislature — this can’t be overstated.”
Dr. Fitzgerald replaces Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, who was director for eight years before stepping down in January. Dr. Anne Schuchat, a longtime C.D.C. official, had been serving as acting director since Dr. Frieden’s departure. She is expected to stay on in a top role.
In an statement announcing Dr. Fitzgerald’s appointment Friday morning, Mr. Price said: “Having known Dr. Fitzgerald for many years, I know that she has a deep appreciation and understanding of medicine, public health, policy and leadership — all qualities that will prove vital as she leads the C.D.C. in its work to protect America’s health 24/7.”
Dr. Fitzgerald was a major in the Air Force, serving at the Wurtsmith Air Force Strategic Air Command Base in Michigan and at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology from Georgia State University and a medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Fitzgerald did her postgraduate training at the Emory-Grady Hospitals in Atlanta and held an assistant clinical professorship at Emory Medical Center.