50 Most Influential Physician Executives – 2015
Rank: 3
Thomas Frieden
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Since 2009, Dr. Thomas Frieden has served as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the nation's health protection agency. He leads initiatives that help the U.S. to reduce the impact of chronic diseases, and to prepare for, rapidly detect and respond quickly to infectious diseases, food-bourne illnesses and other potential outbreaks. He says drug-resistant bacteria are the most pressing concern today. They "threaten to turn the clock back to a time when even simple infections could be fatal," he says. A physician trained in internal medicine, infectious diseases and public health, Frieden, 54, also worked as a CDC epidemic intelligence service officer in New York City and is a former commissioner of the city's health department.