Official at CDC moves up to chief

The man responsible for terrorism preparedness at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was named acting director Thursday of the Atlanta-based health agency, officials said.

Dr. Richard E. Besser confirmed that he will fill the role until the formal congressional approval of Tom Daschle as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. The secretary appoints the CDC director.

Besser, 49, the agency’s director of the Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response, oversees the CDC office that focuses on threats from biological, chemical, natural, infectious, nuclear and radiological sources.

Besser replaces Dr. Julie Gerberding, who was the agency’s first female director. During Gerberding’s six years at the CDC, critics lambasted her for sacrificing science for politics —- for carrying the Bush agenda on global warming and other issues into the world of scientific research.

Her defenders countered that she was an independent leader dedicated to science, and that she expanded the mission of the agency to include bioterrorism research, combating AIDS globally and responding to national health threats.

Besser has written and contributed to more than 100 publications, presentations and editorials and has received numerous awards for his work in public health and volunteer service.