Nine Experts Appointed to CDC Advisory Committee

WASHINGTON - Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the appointment of nine new members to the Advisory Committee to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The committee advises the CDC director on policy issues and broad strategies for promoting health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury and disability.

"This committee plays an important role in guiding our nation's prevention strategy and making prevention an integral part of our overall health care system," Secretary Thompson said. "We will rely on each of the doctors, researchers and other experts on this committee to give us the feedback we need to keep Americans healthier."

The new members of the committee are as follows:

· John O. Agwunobi, MD, MBA, Florida's secretary of health and state health officer in Tallahassee, Fla.

· Marilyn Maxwell Billingsly, MD, an associate professor of internal medicine at St. Louis University in St. Louis, Mo.

· Bruce E. Bradley, MBA, the director of health plan strategy and public policy at General Motors Corp. in Detroit.

· Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, the commissioner at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

· Robert L. Galli, MD, a professor and chair of emergency medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss.

· Joseph M. Hogan, MBA, president and CEO of General Electric Medical Systems in Waukesha, Wis.

· Sandra K. Mahkorn, MD, MPH, MS, the chief medical officer for health information at the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, Division of Healthcare Financing in Madison, Wis.

· Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., MD, founder and president of the Medical Institute for Sexual Health in Austin, Texas.

· Shepherd Smith, president and founder of the Institute for Youth Development in Sterling, Va.

"The committee will provide needed insights as we strive to improve our effectiveness at preventing and combating disease," said CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding. "I look forward to working with this impressive cadre of professional advisors."

The new members join six existing appointees on the 15-member advisory committee. The group is expected to meet later this year.