The CDC Leaders

"With rising healthcare costs, the aging of the U.S. population, and profound disparities in health, social, and economic access, we have reached the tipping point where we must make prevention a priority in this country. By making this difficult but vital commitment to prevention, we can make a real difference in the quality of people's lives at every stage of living. "

- Kathleen E. Toomey, MD, MPH

Kathleen E. Toomey, MD, MPH

Director, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion

Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H., serves as the director of the Coordinating Center for Health Promotion and is responsible for the overall direction and management of the coordinating center that comprises the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (including the National Office of Public Health Genomics) and the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.

From 1987 to 1993, Dr. Toomey worked at CDC in a number of key positions, including an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer and an Associate Director in the Division of STD/HIV Prevention. Most recently, she served as the Director for the Division of Public Health at Georgia´s Department of Human Resources from 1997 to 2005.

Dr. Toomey has led a distinguished career in the field of public health. After receiving an A.B. in biology from Smith College, she studied in Peru as a Fulbright Scholar, and subsequently attended Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, receiving both M.D. and M.P.H. degrees. After completing a residency in family medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle in 1982, she served three years as clinical director of the Kotzebue Service Unit with the Indian Health Service in Northwest Alaska. In 1985, Dr. Toomey was selected as a Pew Health Policy Research Fellow, studying at the University of California, San Francisco, Institute for Health Policy Studies. In 1991, Dr. Toomey worked in Washington as a legislative assistant on health issues for U.S. Senator John Chafee (R-RI), staffing the Senate Republican Task Force on Health.

An epidemiologist and board-certified family practitioner, Dr. Toomey has received many honors and awards, including the CDC Award for Contributions to the Advancement of Women and the Public Health Service Plaque for Outstanding Leadership. She was named to the 2000 Academy of Women Achievers by the Atlanta YWCA and received the 2001 Shining Star Award from the Atlanta Women´s Foundation. Dr. Toomey was recognized nationally as the recipient of the 2003 Public Health Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians. She was the first recipient of the Recognizing & Encouraging Aspirations in Community Health (REACH) Award from Emory University School of Medicine in 2004 and was honored by the Georgia Public Health Association, receiving the 2005 Sellers-McCroan Award for strengthening epidemiology in Georgia. Dr. Toomey is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving the understanding of U.S. foreign policy and international affairs.