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ATLANTA — The White House announced that President Biden will name Dr. Mandy Cohen, a former North Carolina official, to be the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Unlike the last two people to serve as head of the nation’s top federal public health agency, Cohen has experience with running a government agency. From 2017-2022, she served as secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Before that, she was the chief operating officer and chief of staff at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, where she worked on implementing Affordable Care Act programs, including the expansion of health insurance coverage, according to the White House.
“Dr. Cohen is one of the nation’s top physicians and health leaders with experience leading large and complex organizations, and a proven track-record protecting Americans’ health and safety,” Biden said in a statement.
After the announcement, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky issued the following statement:
President Joe Biden
“I congratulate Dr. Mandy Cohen on her appointment to serve as the 20th CDC director. Dr. Cohen is a respected public health leader who helped North Carolina successfully navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and has dedicated her career to improving health outcomes for all Americans. Her unique experience and accomplished tenure in North Carolina – along with her other career contributions – make her perfectly suited to lead CDC as it moves forward by building on the lessons learned from COVID-19 to create an organization poised to meet public health challenges of the future. I can think of no better hands in which to leave this agency during a critical time in its history. I wish Dr. Cohen and the dedicated people of CDC strength and the brightest successes in the next chapter.”
