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Thomas R. Frieden
July 31, 2008
Dr. Thomas Frieden has served
as commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene since January 2002. One of the world's oldest
and largest public health agencies, the Department has an annual
budget of $1.6 billion and more than 6,000 staff.
The Department's top priorities
include tobacco control, HIV prevention, and the improvement
of mental health diagnosis and the quality of programs that serve
people with mental illness, developmental disabilities, and alcohol
and drug dependence. Other priorities include reducing infant
mortality, improving cancer screening, and ensuring that New
Yorkers are treated effectively for hypertension, high cholesterol,
and diabetes. Dr. Frieden also leads city efforts to address
new and emerging disease threats, including those posed by terrorism.
A leading expert in tuberculosis
control, Dr. Frieden was appointed NYC Health Commissioner after
working in India for five years, where he assisted with national
tuberculosis control efforts. As a Medical Officer for the World
Health Organization on loan from the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), he helped India develop one of
the world's most effective tuberculosis control programs.
Prior to his tenure in India, Dr. Frieden was instrumental in
stopping the tuberculosis epidemic in New York City. He began
his career at the New York City Department of Health in 1990
as a CDC Epidemiologic Intelligence Service Officer.
A graduate of Oberlin College,
Dr. Frieden received degrees in Medicine and Public Health from
Columbia University. He completed specialty training in Internal
Medicine at Columbia and subspecialty training in Infectious
Diseases at Yale University. |
