New York City Health Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden, known for his aggressive
and sometimes controversial efforts to limit smoking and consumption of trans
fats in the nation's largest metropolis, has been chosen by President Obama to
direct the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, the White House said this
morning.
Acting CDC director Richard E. Besser, who steered the Atlanta-based agency
through the first weeks of the global swine flu epidemic, will return to his
previous role as head of the CDC's Coordinating Office for Terrorism
Preparedness and Emergency Response.
In a statement, Obama called Frieden "an expert in preparedness and response
to health emergencies" who in seven years as New York City's health commissioner
has "been at the forefront of the fight against heart disease, cancer and
obesity, infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and AIDS, and in the
establishment of electronic health records."
"Dr. Frieden has been a leader in the fight for health care reform, and his
experiences confronting public health challenges in our country and abroad will
be essential" at the CDC, the statement said. Frieden will begin his work at the CDC in early June.
In announcing the appointment, which does not require Senate confirmation,
the White House said that Frieden's anti-cigarette campaign reduced the number
of smokers in New York by 350,000 and "cut teen smoking in half."
The city has increased cancer screenings, dramatically reduced deaths from
the AIDS virus and "implemented the largest community electronic health records
project in the country" under his tenure, the White House said. Frieden also
oversaw New York's response to incidents of anthrax and drug-resistant
tuberculosis.
Frieden led efforts to ban smoking in New York bars and restaurants and to
ban trans fats in food. He also pushed to require restaurants to post calorie
information on their menus in an effort to reduce obesity.
Those efforts sparked criticism from some groups that he was pushing
government interference too far. Conservatives also balked at his creation of a
program to pass out millions of condoms each year in an effort to slow the
spread of AIDS. But others applauded his zeal, hailing him as an activist health
care leader who was good for the city.
"When it comes to aggressive, innovative and effective approaches to help
people live better, longer lives, our Health Commissioner Tom Frieden really
stands in a class by himself," New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said in a
statement. " . . . Because of Tom's leadership . . . New Yorkers are living
longer."
The CDC is the nation's lead agency to prevent and address health problems
from infectious disease to unhealthy lifestyles to the threat of bioterrorism.
Frieden could also play a central role as an adviser in Obama's efforts to
reform the nation's health care system. The president has said he wants Congress
to pass health care legislation by the time members leave for the August recess.
In his own statement, Frieden said he was "sorry to be leaving one of the
greatest jobs in the world," but "deeply honored and privileged to be selected
for this position."
Some had expected Obama to permanently name Besser to head the CDC. Besser
has gotten high marks for his handling of the swine flu crisis, in particular
his effective briefings at the height of the scare. But Besser, in an e-mail to
the CDC community this morning, heaped praise on his successor.
"Dr. Frieden is a consummate innovator. He's had dramatic success in New York
City using policy approaches to reduce tobacco use and eliminate trans-fats in
restaurant meals, to name just a couple of examples," Besser wrote. "I know CDC
will be in great hands with Dr. Frieden; I look forward to working with him
during this transition and welcoming him when he arrives in early June."
In the e-mail, Besser thanked CDC employees for their dedication to public
health. "What has impressed me most is your passion and commitment -- in every
corner of CDC I have seen people passionate about their work and about what we
are all here to do: improve and protect the health of the people everywhere,"
Besser wrote.
