Secretary Thompson Appoints New Chairs of

CDC, ATSDR Advisory Committees

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the appointment of Patricia A. Nolan, MD, MPH, and Melissa McDiarmid, MD, MPH, as new chairs of CDC Advisory Committees advising CDC leadership about environmental issues. Dr. Nolan will chair the Advisory Committee to the Director, National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH); Dr. McDiarmid will chair the Board of Scientific Counselors, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

"These advisory groups play important roles in guiding our nation’s prevention strategies related to the potential health effects of the environment," said Secretary Thompson. "I join CDC in looking forward to their feedback on how we can continue to prevent public health effects from exposure to toxic substances or environmental factors that increase likelihood of exposure and disease."

Dr. Nolan, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, formerly was executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Dr. McDiarmid, a professor in the department of medicine, epidemiology, and preventive medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, specializes in occupational exposures and toxicology. She has served as a member of the ATSDR Board of Scientific Counselors since March 1999.

"The Advisory Committee and Board of Scientific Counselors have historically provided valuable input to our environmental policies and strategies," said NCEH/ATSDR Director Henry Falk, MD, MPH. "I am pleased to welcome these new leaders as we begin the next steps in promoting the importance of environmental public health."

Both advisory groups are scheduled to meet in the Spring of 2004.

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