Rochelle Walensky

Rochelle Paula Walensky (née Bersoff) is an American physician-scientist who is the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.[1] Prior to her appointment at the CDC, she was the Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Walensky is an expert on AIDS and HIV.[2]

Rochelle Walensky
19th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Assumed office
January 20, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
DeputyAnne Schuchat
Preceded byRobert Redfield
Personal details
Born
Rochelle Paula Bersoff

Peabody, Massachusetts U.S.
Spouse(s)Loren D. Walensky
Children3
EducationWashington University (BA)
Johns Hopkins University (MD)
Harvard University (MPH)

Early life and education

Walensky was born in Peabody, Massachusetts to Carol Bersoff-Bernstein and Edward H. Bersoff.[3] She was raised in Maryland.[4]

In 1991, Walensky received an AB in biochemistry and molecular biology from Washington University in St. Louis. In 1995, she received an MD from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. From 1995 to 1998, she trained in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Walensky then became a fellow in the Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women's Hospital Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program. In 2001, she earned an MPH in clinical effectiveness from the Harvard School of Public Health.[5]

Academic career

Walensky had been on the faculty of Harvard Medical School since 2001, first as an instructor, then as a professor.[6] Walensky served as chief of the division of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital from 2017-2020 and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School from 2012-2020. She served on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic and conducted research on vaccine delivery and strategies to reach underserved communities. Walensky has worked to improve HIV screening and care in South Africa, lead health policy initiatives, and researched clinical trial design and evaluation in a variety of settings.[7]

Walensky was Chair of the Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council at the National Institutes of Health from 2014 to 2015 and has served as a member of the US Department of Health and Human Services Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents since 2011.[8] She serves on the board of directors of Mass General Brigham.[9] She has been co-director of the Medical Practice Evaluation Center at Massachusetts General Hospital since 2011.[8]

COVID-19

In a paper published in Health Affairs in November 2020, Walensky and her co-authors showed that the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine will be strongly affected by:

  • The speed that the vaccine is produced and administered. Some of the potential vaccines have logistical challenges including the need for ultra-cold storage, or requiring two doses.
  • The willingness of people to be vaccinated.
  • The pandemic's severity when the vaccine is introduced.[10]

CDC Director

The Biden transition announced Walensky's presumptive appointment as CDC director on December 7, 2020.[11] Doctors and public health experts widely praised the choice.[12] As the position of director of the CDC does not require Senate confirmation to take office,[13] Walensky's tenure at the CDC began on January 20, 2021.

Personal life

Walensky is married to Loren D. Walensky, a physician-scientist. They have three sons.[14] They are Jewish and members of Temple Emanuel in Newton, Massachusetts.[15]

Selected works and publications
  • Paltiel, A. David; Weinstein, Milton C.; Kimmel, April D.; Seage, George R.; Losina, Elena; Zhang, Hong; Freedberg, Kenneth A.; Walensky, Rochelle P. (February 10, 2005). "Expanded Screening for HIV in the United States — An Analysis of Cost-Effectiveness". New England Journal of Medicine. 352 (6): 586–595. doi:10.1056/NEJMsa042088. PMID 15703423. Wikidata ()
  • Walensky, Rochelle P.; Paltiel, A. David; Losina, Elena; Mercincavage, Lauren M.; Schackman, Bruce R.; Sax, Paul E.; Weinstein, Milton C.; Freedberg, Kenneth A. (July 2006). "The Survival Benefits of AIDS Treatment in the United States". The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 194 (1): 11–19. doi:10.1086/505147. PMID 16741877. Wikidata ()
  • Schackman, Bruce R.; Gebo, Kelly A.; Walensky, Rochelle P.; Losina, Elena; Muccio, Tammy; Sax, Paul E.; Weinstein, Milton C.; Seage, George R.; Moore, Richard D.; Freedberg, Kenneth A. (November 2006). "The Lifetime Cost of Current Human Immunodeficiency Virus Care in the United States:" (PDF). Medical Care. 44 (11): 990–997. doi:10.1097/01.MLR.0000228021.89490.2A. PMID 17063130. Wikidata ()
  • Dugdale, Caitlin M; Anahtar, Melis N; Chiosi, John J; Lazarus, Jacob E; McCluskey, Suzanne M; Ciaranello, Andrea L; Gogakos, Tasos; Little, Brent P; Branda, John A; Shenoy, Erica S; Walensky, Rochelle P; Zachary, Kimon C; Hooper, David C; Turbett, Sarah E; Hyle, Emily P (November 24, 2020). "Clinical, laboratory, and radiologic characteristics of patients with initial false-negative SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification test results". Open Forum Infectious Diseases: ofaa559. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofaa559.
  • Sacks, Chana A.; Dougan, Michael; McCoy, Thomas H.; Zheng, Amy; Buonomo, Giancarlo; North, Crystal M.; Metlay, Joshua P.; Walensky, Rochelle P. (December 2020). "The Association Between Symptoms and COVID-19 Test Results Among Healthcare Workers". Annals of Surgery. 272 (6): e329–e332. doi:10.1097/SLA.0000000000004483. PMC 7668333. PMID 32941277. Wikidata ()
  • Goldstein, Robert H.; Walensky, Rochelle P. (December 1, 2020). "The Challenges Ahead With Monoclonal Antibodies: From Authorization to Access". JAMA. 324 (21): 2151. doi:10.1001/JAMA.2020.21872. PMID 33175110. Wikidata ()

References
  1. CDC (January 20, 2021). "New CDC Director". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  2. Pager, Tyler (December 6, 2020). "To rebuild CDC, Biden picks Rochelle Walensky". Politico. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  3. "Loren Walensky engaged to marry Rochelle Bersoff" (PDF). The Item of Millburn and Short Hills. October 20, 1994. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  4. "Mass General's Walensky to lead CDC". Jewish Journal. December 10, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  5. "Dr. Rochelle Walensky – Mass General Brigham Infectious Diseases Fellowship". Harvard Medical School. Archived from the original on October 15, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  6. "Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH" (PDF). United States House of Representatives. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  7. CDC (January 20, 2021). "CDC Director". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 6, 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. "Rochelle Walensky". DCP-3 Disease Control Priorities. University of Washington. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  9. "Leadership, MassGeneral Brigham". Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  10. Massachusetts General Hospital (November 19, 2020). "COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness to be affected heavily by infrastructure, public attitudes". EurekAlert. AAAS. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  11. "President-elect Joe Biden Announces Key Members of Health Team". Biden transition. December 7, 2020. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  12. Dwyer, Dialynn (December 7, 2020). "How doctors are reacting to Biden picking Rochelle Walensky to head CDC". Boston.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  13. McKay, Betsy (December 7, 2020). "Biden to Select Rochelle Walensky to Lead the CDC". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  14. "Rochelle Walensky, MD". World Medical Innovation Forum. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  15. Tenorio, Rich (April 8, 2020). "'It's a little bit like being in a tunnel looking at an oncoming train'". Jewish Journal. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
Government offices
Preceded by
Robert R. Redfield		 Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
2021–present		 Incumbent
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