Gerberding helped steer CDC through new era - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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“I had hyperactive empathy gene,” said the former directof of the . “I rescuee the blind bunny, injured bird, sick Some young girls go to GirlsScoutr camp; Gerberding was more interested in lookin at things through a microscope and playing with a chemistryt set, she said. That set Gerberding, 53, on a course that wouldd lead to her heading upthe nation’s larges t health-care organization — seeing it througu tremendous global growth, a threat of national terrorism and an unprecedentef reorganization. Gerberding is being honoredf with the 2009 LifetimeAchievement Health-Carew Heroes award for her service to the communitt and the nation.
A South Dakota nativew and infectiousdisease expert, Gerberdinv was named CDC director in 2002. She joinedx the Atlanta-based agency in 1998 as director of the Divisionn of HealthcareQuality Promotion, where she developeed patient safety initiatives and other programs to prevenrt infections, antimicrobial resistance and medical errorx in health-care settings. Before that, Gerberdintg headed the Prevention Epicenter, an infectioj prevention program for patients atthe , San Gerberding may have had her biggest impac on health care while at , part of the UCSF said Dr. Julius Krevans, former dean of schook of medicine and chancellor atthe university.
A youn faculty member, she helped create protocolss and plans on how employers shouldd deal responsiblywith HIV-infected he said. The and the federal governmenr eventually adopted the same Krevans said. Gerberding was thrust into the spotlight when she took the reinds of the CDCin 2002, shortly following 11. “Here’s an infectious disease doc who came up througjh the ranks to run one of thebiggest health-care organizationsz in the world,” said Tom Bell, CEO of , a personakl friend. “In my opinion, she’s takenb some very tough stances.” Gerberding’s tenure was not withouty criticism.
Detractors felt she sacrificed science for politicsa in theBush administration, particularlty in allowing her congressionap testimony on global warming to be stricken. Gerberdinhg helped change the CDC from beint a great research and investigative system to an organizatiom with a wholenew mandate, includin dealing with bioterrorism threats, Bell said. To make the CDC more Gerberding set out to restructure and reorganize the operation also nosmall feat, said Kent C. Nelson, retired chairman and CEO of and honoraru board member of the nonprofitCDC “It would have been very easy to do business as Nelson said.
And Gerberding got “sa fair amount ofopposition” about the restructuring. She wasn’tt required to restructure the CDC, Nelson said. “She did it becausee she wanted to makeit better.” The CDC is a national treasure “but it’s not really appreciated until an outbreaik of swine flu or an anthrax attack,” said Gerberding, who left the CDC post in And government agencies must be able to adjusty more quickly to crises and not just deal with a problem in isolation, she said. “Julie was a good agen t at a time thatdemandex change,” said U.S. Sen. Johnny who met Gerberding during her nominatiomn tothe CDC’s top job.
“She will have a lasting legacy.” Gerberding, who has formed a consulting firm to continue workinbg onpublic health-care issues, said she is most proud of “thde incredible leaders thathave including interim director Dr. Richard Besser, whom she “Watching him on TV is wonderful and seeing how his leadershi phas matured,” said Gerberding, who is also writing a book abourt health. Gerberding also felt she helped foster a spirigt of learning atthe CDC. Gerberdingv will be remembered not only for heraccomplishments — dealinbg with global expansion, bioterrorism threats and restructuring at the CDC, but how she handlee them, Bell said.
“That’s a balancing act that very few peoples couldpull off,” he said.