Early this month, the White House named Brenda Fitzgerald as the new head of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the country’s main public health agency focused on health promotion and security. Fitzgerald is an obstetrician-gynecologist known to have strong connections with high-level Republican officials, including Tom Price, the current U.S. secretary of health and human services, who announced her appointment.
“Having known Dr. Fitzgerald for many years, I know that she has a deep appreciation and understanding of medicine, public health, policy and leadership — all qualities that will prove vital as she leads the CDC in its work to protect America's health 24/7,” Price said in a statement.
Public health experts and former CDC directors have so far given positive reviews on Fitzgerald’s leadership and public health efforts, particularly during her time as commissioner of Georgia’s Department of Public Health, a position she had held since 2011, and her support for controversial White House issues such as family planning and vaccines. Even Tom Frieden, her immediate predecessor at CDC, praised her efforts on family planning access and promoting early childhood development in Georgia.