Rebecca Martin, PhD - Director, Center for Global Health
Rebecca Martin, PhD, is the Director of the Center for Global Health (CGH) at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr Martin has worked both domestically and internationally in immunization, HIV, and health system strengthening and now leads CDC’s global efforts to protect and improve health globally through science, policy, partnership, and evidence-based public health action.
Dr. Martin has over 18 years of experience working in international health. Since 1991, Dr. Martin has worked in the global health arena and has had CDC assignments in Kenya, Tanzania, and Denmark (2002-2011). She was detailed to the WHO African Regional Office from 2002-2006, based in Kenya as a senior epidemiologist in the inter-country immunization program office for eight east African countries. From 2006-2008, Dr. Martin served as Program Director for Strategic Information and Human Resources for Health with the CDC Country Office in Tanzania. She led and implemented studies, in partnership with the ministry of health, to measure and evaluate the HIV/AIDS epidemic and strengthen national capacity to respond.
Between 2008 and 2011, Dr. Martin was detailed to the WHO European Regional Office as the Regional Advisor for Immunization where she spearheaded regional efforts to strengthen immunization and surveillance systems, provide evidence for the introduction of new vaccines, achieve the goal of measles and rubella elimination, and maintain the region’s polio-free status. Most recently from 2012 to 2016, Dr. Martin served as the Director of the CGH Global Immunization Division, which leads CDC’s global polio eradication efforts, accelerated disease control for vaccine-preventable diseases, introduction of new and underutilized vaccines, and the strengthening of immunization systems.
Dr. Martin began her career with CDC in 1997 in the National Immunization Program, Epidemiology and Surveillance Division. Prior to joining CDC, she worked at the Maryland Department of Hygiene and Mental Health in Baltimore Maryland as the immunization program epidemiologist leading efforts to increase vaccination coverage, conducting outbreak investigations, coordinating the development and introduction of Maryland’s immunization registry, and supporting the state’s Vaccines for Children Program.
Dr. Martin received her Doctorate of Philosophy from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in international health with a focus in infectious disease epidemiology. Over the past 15 years, she has collaborated with multilateral organizations and development partners and has worked closely with ministries of health and non-governmental organizations. She has co-authored manuscripts and developed strategic plans, normative guidance and guidelines on immunization strategies, vaccine-preventable diseases and surveillance methods for both immunization and HIV.
Follow Dr. Martin on Twitter at @DrMartinCDC.
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Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health (CGH), delivers opening remarks to CDC staff at the 2017 CGH Annual Meeting.
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, visits partners from the Democratic Republic of Congo Ministry of Health, Mutombo Hospital, and ICAP.
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, discusses CDC’s work in health security, Ebola, and Zika with Take As Directed host J. Stephen Morrison. Photo credit: Amy Rowland/CDC Link to podcast
Former CDC Center for Global Health (CGH) Directors, Dr. Tom Kenyon and Dr. Kevin De Cock, pose with current CGH Director, Dr. Rebecca Martin and Africa CDC Director, Dr. John Nkengasong. Photo credit: Amy Rowland/CDC
In Vietnam, Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, visits partner clinics working to reduce HIV infection rates. Photo credit: Zara Ahmed/CDC
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, speaks at the inauguration event for the National Public Health Training Center in Ethiopia. Photo credit: U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, speaks at an event celebrating 15 years of CDC’s work in Rwanda. Photo Credit: Malick Kayumba/CDC
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, with Elias Durry, AFRO Team Lead for CDC’s Global Immunization Division, at the 2016 World Polio Day event in Atlanta. Photo credit: Rotary International
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, discusses the launch of Africa CDC’s strategic plan and U.S. CDC’s work in Africa on the radio program Talk USA 105.3 AFRO FM. Photo credit: Amy Rowland/CDC
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, and Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, Director-General of the DRC National Institute for Biomedical Research, examine malaria sporozoites under the lens. Photo credit: Jacquelyn Lickness/CDC
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health (CGH), delivers opening remarks to CDC staff at the 2017 CGH Annual Meeting.
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, visits partners from the Democratic Republic of Congo Ministry of Health, Mutombo Hospital, and ICAP.
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, discusses CDC’s work in health security, Ebola, and Zika with Take As Directed host J. Stephen Morrison. Photo credit: Amy Rowland/CDC Link to podcast
Former CDC Center for Global Health (CGH) Directors, Dr. Tom Kenyon and Dr. Kevin De Cock, pose with current CGH Director, Dr. Rebecca Martin and Africa CDC Director, Dr. John Nkengasong. Photo credit: Amy Rowland/CDC
In Vietnam, Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, visits partner clinics working to reduce HIV infection rates. Photo credit: Zara Ahmed/CDC
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, speaks at the inauguration event for the National Public Health Training Center in Ethiopia. Photo credit: U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, speaks at an event celebrating 15 years of CDC’s work in Rwanda. Photo Credit: Malick Kayumba/CDC
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, with Elias Durry, AFRO Team Lead for CDC’s Global Immunization Division, at the 2016 World Polio Day event in Atlanta. Photo credit: Rotary International
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, discusses the launch of Africa CDC’s strategic plan and U.S. CDC’s work in Africa on the radio program Talk USA 105.3 AFRO FM. Photo credit: Amy Rowland/CDC
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, and Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, Director-General of the DRC National Institute for Biomedical Research, examine malaria sporozoites under the lens. Photo credit: Jacquelyn Lickness/CDC
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health (CGH), delivers opening remarks to CDC staff at the 2017 CGH Annual Meeting.
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, discusses challenges like patient retention, stigma, and other barriers to treatment with CDC staff and partners from the Democratic Republic of Congo Ministry of Health, Mutombo Hospital, and ICAP. Photo credit: Jacquelyn Lickness/CDC
On August 17, 2017, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) featured Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, (right) in their podcast series Take As Directed. In the episode, Dr. Martin discusses CDC’s work in health security and recent experiences with Ebola and Zika with the host J. Stephen Morrison (left), Director of the Global Health Policy Center at CSIS. The episode is titled "Why CDC Must Work Globally to Protect Americans' Health and Security." Photo credit: Amy Rowland/CDC
CDC Center for Global Health (CGH) former directors Dr. Tom Kenyon and Dr. Kevin De Cock pose with current CGH Director Dr. Rebecca Martin and Africa CDC Director Dr. John Nkengasong. L-R: Dr. John Nkengasong, Dr. Tom Kenyon, Dr. Rebecca Martin, and Dr. Kevin De Cock. Photo credit: Amy Rowland/CDC
In Vietnam, Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, visits partner clinics working to reduce HIV infection rates through interventions like pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. Photo credit: Zara Ahmed/CDC
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, speaks at the inauguration event for the National Public Health Training Center in Ethiopia. Photo credit: U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa
In Kigali, Rwanda, Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, speaks at an event celebrating 15 years of CDC’s work in the country. Photo Credit: Malick Kayumba/CDC
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, with Elias Durry, AFRO Team Lead for CDC’s Global Immunization Division at the 2016 World Polio Day event in Atlanta. The event, hosted by Rotary International and CDC, raised awareness for the eradication of polio. Photo credit: Rotary International
Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, shares her thoughts on the launch of Africa CDC’s strategic plan and U.S. CDC’s work in Africa on the radio program Talk USA 105.3 AFRO FM. Photo credit: Amy Rowland/CDC
In Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, and Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, Director-General of the DRC National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB), check out new lab equipment and examine malaria sporozoites under the lens. Mosquitoes carry these parasites, which can cause infections of malaria in humans. So far 5,000 lab techs have been trained in malaria diagnostics and surveillance through a partnership between DRC’s Ministry of Health and CDC. Photo credit: Jacquelyn Lickness/CDC
