CDC Leadership

"Preparedness is a continuum rather than a state of being."

—Richard E. Besser, MD

 

Richard E. Besser, MD

Acting Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Acting Administrator, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Richard Besser, MD, took the helm as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and acting administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry on January 22, 2009.  

He began his career at CDC in the Epidemic Intelligence Service working on the epidemiology of food–borne diseases. He has served as the epidemiology section chief in the Respiratory Diseases Branch, acting chief of the Meningitis and Special Pathogens Branch in the National Center for Infectious Disease, and as the medical director of Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work, CDC′s national campaign to promote appropriate antibiotic use in the community.

Doctor Besser received his bachelor of arts degree in economics from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed a residency and a chief residency in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He has authored and co–authored more than 100 presentations, abstracts, chapters, editorials, and publications and has received many awards for his work in public health and his volunteer service.