Former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden to Deliver 2017 Commencement Address at Albert Einstein College of Medicine

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Apr 26, 2017, 17:41 ET

BRONX, N.Y., April 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Global health leader and former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., will deliver the keynote address at the 2017 commencement ceremony for Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Frieden, who also led the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, has worked to combat tuberculosis, Ebola, and Zika, reduce tobacco use, and protect and improve health in the United States and around the world. Einstein's 59^th graduation ceremony will be held Tuesday, May 23 at 3 p.m. at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall.

"Tom Frieden is an exceptional physician and public health leader, and a dedicated public servant," says Steven M. Safyer, M.D., president and CEO of Montefiore Medicine. "His energy, passion and commitment to improving public health are unrivaled. He is the son of a highly respected former Montefiore-Einstein cardiologist, and we are particularly honored to have him as a member of our family."

"Our students could not have a better role model as they embark on their careers as leaders in transforming healthcare" says Allen M. Spiegel, M.D., the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean at Einstein and executive vice president and chief academic officer at Montefiore Medicine. "A longtime and dedicated champion for the most vulnerable among us, he embodies the compassion and dedication to our profession that we expect our students will uphold. It is a privilege to have him join us this year."

Dr. Frieden, a physician trained in internal medicine, infectious diseases, public health, and epidemiology, spent eight years at the helm of the CDC after his appointment in 2009 by President Barack Obama. From the beginning of his tenure, he led the United States' response to the global H1N1 influenza virus pandemic. Lauded for his calm demeanor, clear communication style, and persistence in pushing for public health improvements, Dr. Frieden is credited with leading the CDC's work to combat the 2014 Ebola epidemic, accelerating progress addressing drug-resistant infections and opioid use, and preventing strokes, heart attacks, and cancer.

Prior to his CDC leadership, Dr. Frieden served as NYC Health Commissioner. He led former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's controversial push to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, and institute the nation's first ban on trans fats in chain restaurants. He also focused on smoking cessation campaigns and HIV prevention programs, and designed and launched the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, a global effort to promote tobacco control policies that has so far prevented more than 20 million deaths.

Dr. Frieden, author of more than 250 publications, received medical and public health degrees from Columbia University, and infectious diseases training at Yale University. In his first stint with the CDC from 1990 to 1996, he was an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, then led the agency's New York City program on tuberculosis control. He later served the CDC as a medical officer in India, where he worked on that nation's tuberculosis control program, which is credited with saving millions of lives.

About Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2016-2017 academic year, Einstein is home to 717 M.D. students, 166 Ph.D. students, 103 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 278 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 1,900 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2016, Einstein received more than $160 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in aging, intellectual development disorders, diabetes, cancer, clinical and translational research, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States through Montefiore and an affiliation network involving hospitals and medical centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and on Long Island. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and view us on YouTube.