A Medical Device Daily

Thomas Frieden, MD, was named Friday as the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta). Dr. Frieden has served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene since January 2002.

A leading expert in tuberculosis control, Frieden was appointed NYC Health Commissioner after working in India for five years, where he assisted with national tuberculosis control efforts. The Indian program has now treated more than 8 million patients and has saved more than a million lives.

Georges Benjamin, MD, the executive director of the American Public Health Association (of which Frieden is a member), said, "During his tenure as New York City's health commissioner, Frieden has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to protecting the public's health through his tireless work on issues ranging from implementing a ban on smoking in restaurants and bars to increasing HIV testing rates. He has not backed away from the tough public health challenges and in doing so has helped the people he served lead healthier, longer lives."

Frieden had served at the CDC from 1990 to 2002. In the early 1990s, as an epidemiologic intelligence service officer, he investigated issues such as a spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis.