Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will speak at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business on Thursday, Dec. 1.
Gerberding's speech, "Beyond Katrina: Scaling Up For Pandemic Flu," will focus on how the CDC is leading preparedness efforts and how businesses are key partners in today's public health efforts.
The public is invited to attend the speech, which begins at 6:15 p.m. in Fuqua's Geneen Auditorium and is part of Fuqua's Distinguished Speaker Series and the Health Sector Management seminar series.
A physician specializing in infectious diseases, Gerberding was selected to head the CDC following her leading role in the CDC's response to the anthrax bioterrorism events of 2001.
The CDC is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and is charged with the prevention and control of infectious and chronic diseases, injuries, workplace hazards, disabilities and environmental health threats. The agency is also responsible for protecting people in all U.S. communities against illness and injuries caused by infectious, occupational, environmental and terrorist threats.
"Hosting Dr. Gerberding at Fuqua is a great honor and a wonderful learning opportunity," said Dr. Kevin Schulman, director of Fuqua's Health Sector Management program. "Dr. Gerberding is managing challenges few of us could imagine, including public health, identifying and responding to emerging diseases on a global basis, and now biodefense, all while transforming the CDC to help the organization meet its expansive mandate. By all accounts, she is skillfully managing all of these multiple roles."