HHS Secretary Alex Azar has named Robert Redfield, MD, director of the CDC.
Dr. Redfield replaces Brenda Fitzgerald, MD, who stepped down in January after it was revealed her financial holdings conflicted with her duties as director of the CDC. Dr. Redfield served for 20 years with the U.S. Army Medical Corps and was the founding director of the Department of Retroviral Research within the HIV Research Program at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md. He also co-founded the Institute of Human Virology at the College Park-based University of Maryland.
Mr. Azar praised Dr. Redfield's experience as an HIV/AIDS researcher in a March 21 statement.
"Dr. Redfield has dedicated his entire life to promoting public health and providing compassionate care to his patients, and we are proud to welcome him as director of the world's premier epidemiological agency," Mr. Azar said. "Dr. Redfield's scientific and clinical background is peerless: As just one example, during his two-decade tenure at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, he made pioneering contributions to advance our understanding of HIV/AIDS."