That sound you hear is celebratory fireworks all across Atlanta.
CDC Director Julie Gerberding’s controversial tenure will end Jan. 20 — after Barack Obama is sworn in as president, employees of the Atlanta-based agency were informed in an email sent late Friday evening.
snip . . .
Gerberding’s six years 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.
Gerberding had been angling to stay on, and the public health community was very, very frightened that she might pull the wool over the Obama transition team's eyes. Those of us in public health have been anxiously awaiting this. This is the value of an electoral victory.
Update 1: This is my favorite part . . .
Leavitt explained his move this way: "The next phase of Transition involves the departure of our team on January 20, and the arrival of President-elect Obama's team later that day," his e-mail said. "In order to create a clear path for leadership transition, I am attaching a list of senior leaders who will become the acting heads of their respective agencies and offices (or in some cases, remain as heads of their respective agencies and offices) until the new administration appoints individuals to various leadership positions."
The implication being that there are some HHS personnel who Team Obama finds competent/inoffensive enough to stay on but she aint one of them.
Update 2: Thank you pkbarbiedoll for the link to CDC Chatter. CDC Chatter is the official unofficial web site for discontented CDC employees. Check it out, fun reading. If you like the link, show pk some love with a recommend.
Just back from the gym and delighted to see the community recognize this as an important story.
For the record, my friends at the AJC say that they and not CNN "broke" this story and they will be providing ongoing coverage of the story today, and especially in tomorrow's Sunday edition. Grab your popcorn and get ready for some juicy quotes.
Also (why not), wanted to take this opportunity to highlight a past diary I wrote on categorizing and understanding good and bad electronic surveillance as well as another describing how likely voter models in the absence of good data can lead to highly inaccurate poll results. that actually required thought on my part. I love that this diary on CDC is recommended, but its certainly nothing I can take credit for.
Update 3: 9:31 pm EST - breaking removed from title (not breaking anymore).
New story up at the AJC by CRAIG SCHNEIDER and JEFFRY SCOTT
A little uninspiring and short of juicy quotes. First, a few goodies from the rumor mill:
Among the candidates for CDC director whose names have surfaced in the public health community, according to advocates, are CARE president Gayle, New York City health commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden, Baltimore health commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, and Los Angeles health director Dr. Jonathan Fielding.
Gayle is probably the inside choice for infectious disease folks, and as an African American Woman would be something of an historic choice. She also has CDC experience as former director of CDC's National Center for HIV, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. Frieden has done amazing things in NYC wrt smoking and transfats and likely is the top choice among chronic disease folks. He does have a reputation for having an explosive temper and being difficult to deal with (I personally don't know if this is true or not so take it with a grain of salt), but he has gotten along splendidly with Bloomberg so he must be doing something right.
Don't know anything about the other two candidates.
Read more with limited quotes here.here.
I am hoping one of the authors might find a way to forward all the stuff their overly conservative editors wouldn't allow them to print.