Dr. Rochelle Walensky was the 19th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021-2023). Previously, she was a Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School (2012-2021) and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital (2017-2021). She is currently a Visiting Senior Academic Fellow and Lecturer at the Petrie Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School.
Dr. Walensky is an infectious disease clinician whose research has focused on infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS policy, including cost-effective strategies for HIV screening, treatment and prevention, both in the U.S. and around the globe. Dr. Walensky served on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts until beginning her tenure at the CDC on January 20, 2021. While at the CDC, Dr. Walensky led the nation – and the world – through unprecedented times, navigating the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic and further facing the largest density of infectious threats likely ever seen in this country.
Dr. Walensky earned her BA (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) from Washington University in St. Louis; her MD from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; and her MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. She completed her medical residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and her infectious disease fellowship in the Massachusetts General/Brigham and Women’s Hospital combined program.
