The CDC Leaders

"The Center's main goal is to convey the message that injury prevention is important to the quality of life and health of Americans across the life span."

- Ileana Arias, PhD

Ileana Arias, PhD

Director, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Before her appointment as director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) in July 2005, Dr. Arias had served as acting director of the Center since June 2004. Prior to that, she was the chief of the Etiology and Surveillance Branch in the Division of Violence Prevention in CDC's Injury Center.

Doctor Arias began her career as a research associate at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and then joined UGA as an assistant professor. Prior to joining CDC in 2000, Arias was the director of clinical training and professor of clinical psychology at the University of Georgia in Athens.

She is a well-respected clinical psychologist with research expertise in intimate partner and family violence. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles in professional journals and has given presentations across the United States and in several foreign countries.

She is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma; the Review of Aggression and Violent Behavior; and Violence and Victims; and serves as a reviewer for 11 professional journals.

Doctor Arias holds a BA, from Barnard College, and a MA and PhD, both in psychology, from the State University of New York, at Stony Brook.