Ex-CDC chief joins ABC News

By SHELIA M. POOLE

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dr. Richard Besser, former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will join ABC News as its senior health and medical editor.

Besser led the Atlanta-based agency during the spring outbreak of H1N1 flu, also known as swine flu. He is currently director of the Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response.

“This represents a pretty big career move for me,” said Besser, who joined the CDC in 1991. “But, as I explored it, I believed this was a way that I could still have an impact on public health.”

In his new role, Besser said he is interested in tackling major issues such as obesity, health disparities and HIV. During the fall, he also will focus on efforts to combat swine flu, which health officials expect to be more virulent than before.

Besser said ABC approached him about joining its expanding medical team after he made several national media appearances during the flu outbreak. He said he had considered other possibilities, “but this is the one that will allow me to move forward in my career and have the most impact.”

He joins the ABC News medical team headed by Dr. Timothy Johnson, who becomes the chief medical editor.

In an announcement to CDC employees, Director Thomas Frieden praised Besser’s work at the agency.

Besser “drew on his many varied experiences when leading COTPER and CDC during events from Hurricane Katrina to the current H1N1 outbreak,” the memo said. “... Rich also has been improving the science behind preparedness work — ensuring that our practice is informed by science. Not content to address current public health emergencies, he also concentrated on building infrastructure at the state and local levels for better effectiveness in emergencies.”

Dr. Daniel Sosin will serve as acting director of the Coordinating Office of Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response.