President-elect Joe Biden chose experts with New England ties to assume key leadership roles in the battle against COVID-19 Monday, including a doctor from Massachusetts General Hospital to be the next head of the the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Separately, Biden picked a Harvard infectious disease expert, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Walensky will assume the role currently being filled by Dr. Robert Redfield, who has headed the CDC since 2018. What I was saying is that the head of the CDC doesn't need to be the best scientist in the world with regard to infectious diseases -- you don't want that person running the CDC, you want them working for it. Rochelle Walensky, who most recently served as chief of the division of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, will become the new head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the administration of Joe Biden. House Democrats are criticizing the White House for blocking the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from testifying at a public hearing on safely reopening the nation's schools. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. The first confirmed case of COVID-19 was discovered in the U.S. on January 20, 2020, while Redfield was serving as director of the I began my medical career at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, and I've spent my life ever since working to research, treat, and combat infectious diseases.I'm honored to be called to lead the brilliant team at the CDC. Biden also said when he takes office next month, he'll urge Americans to wear facial coverings for his administration's first 100 days. Now it's Valentine's Day. A year of Covid showed us the farcical nature of dating. https://t.co/288FowGVyc pic.twitter.com/NllUqNqdpb. On April 9, 1988, the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR) sponsored a "Scientific Forum on the Etiology of AIDS". She will have the monumental task of helping lead the nation through the pandemic as vaccines are not expected to be widely available until the middle of next year. Among the health officials expected to be named are California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who would be secretary of health and human services, and Jeff Zients, who will be the White House coordinator of the coronavirus response. Separately, Biden picked a Harvard infectious disease expert, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. President-elect Joe Biden on Monday announced he’s picking Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the head of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, as his incoming director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Rochelle Walensky, chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Biden's choice to lead the CDC will be crucial as he is set to inherit a global pandemic upon assuming office on Jan. 20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centers_for_Disease_Control_and_Prevention And … Dr. Rochelle Walensky, chief of infectious diseases at MGH and a professor at Harvard Medical School, will take… President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Rochelle Walensky, chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, to by … President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Rochelle Walensky, chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Politico reported Sunday, citing two sources. Her selection comes as the nation is in the midst of a spike in coronavirus infections, with the U.S. outpacing all other nations with nearly 15 million cases and more than 282,000 virus-related deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker. Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. Infectious-disease chief at Mass. Mass General's Paul Biddinger, MD, and Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, answer questions about COVID-19 testing, how long the epidemic might last, what makes the virus so infectious and more. Though Trump had some coronavirus briefings early in the pandemic, few public health leaders —including Robert Redfield, the current head of the … The brand new Center for Global Public Health was established in China CDC in 2016.