{"id":9925,"date":"2020-12-13T14:31:38","date_gmt":"2020-12-13T19:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/?p=9925"},"modified":"2020-12-13T14:31:38","modified_gmt":"2020-12-13T19:31:38","slug":"brush-with-greatness-rochelle-walensky-to-head-cdc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/hiv-id-observations\/index.php\/brush-with-greatness-rochelle-walensky-to-head-cdc\/2020\/12\/13\/","title":{"rendered":"Brush with Greatness — Rochelle Walensky to Head CDC"},"content":{"rendered":"

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There’s an overused expression that, despite its familiarity, really does describe some people perfectly. It’s when you say someone “lights up a room.”<\/p>\n

My ID colleague and friend Dr. Rochelle Walensky certainly stands as a prime example. Right from the moment we first met during her interviews for ID fellowship in the late 1990s, I noticed Rochelle gave off this remarkable positive energy — a mix of enthusiasm, intelligence, and attentiveness that’s immediately obvious to all.<\/p>\n

Here’s someone special,\u00a0<\/em>one inevitably thinks when meeting her. Here’s someone who listens and can get things done.<\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, I write this soon after she’s been named the next head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a>, a position she takes after 3 distinguished years as Chief of ID at Massachusetts General Hospital.<\/p>\n

And while this move came as a surprise even to those who work closely with her — well played, Rochelle! — once the announcement became public, the response from the ID community has been nothing short of celebratory. I’m far<\/em> from alone in holding this high opinion of her<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What can we expect from our new CDC director? If the track record from her work to date is any indication, let’s look forward to the following:<\/p>\n