Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH
Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH, is director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. She is one of the nation’s top health leaders with experience leading large and complex organizations, and a proven track-record protecting US public health and safety.
She is an internal medicine physician who led the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, where she was lauded for her outstanding leadership during the COVID-19 crisis, focusing on equity, data accountability, and transparent communication. She also transformed the North Carolina Medicaid program, through the state’s Medicaid expansion and her focus on “whole person health” with the launch of the country’s first statewide coordination platform, NCCARE360.
Prior to joining CDC, Cohen served as the executive vice president at Aledade and CEO of Aledade Care Solution, which helps independent primary care practices, health centers, and clinics deliver better care to their patients and thrive in value-based care. She previously served as chief operating officer and chief of staff of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and served as acting director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. She was involved in many aspects of the Affordable Care Act policy development and implementation, including the expansion of coverage, insurance protections, and new provider payment models.
She has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine and currently serves as an adjunct professor at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Cohen received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, her Doctor of Medicine from the Yale School of Medicine, and her Master in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. She trained in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Demetre C. Daskalakis, MD, MPH
Demetre C. Daskalakis, MD, MPH, is director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at CDC, where he leads efforts to detect, prevent, and respond to vaccine-preventable and respiratory infectious disease threats.
Most recently, Daskalakis served as director of the Division of HIV Prevention in the CDC National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. He has been recognized nationally and internationally as an expert in HIV prevention. As an activist physician and advocate for LGBTQIA+ communities, he has focused much of his career on the treatment and prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. He also served as deputy coordinator of the White House Mpox Response, where he successfully led vaccination and public education efforts that helped halt the advancement of the virus. He began his career as an attending physician at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, where he spearheaded health programs focused on community HIV testing and prevention. He also directed the public health laboratory and infectious disease control programs, including HIV, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, vaccine-preventable diseases, and general communicable diseases, for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. He served as the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene incident commander during the measles outbreak of 2018-2019 and the 2020 COVID-19 public health emergency.
Robert (Bob) H. Hopkins, Jr., MD (Moderator)
Robert H. Hopkins, Jr., MD, is medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID). In addition to serving as NFID chief medical spokesperson, he represents NFID as liaison to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and serves as an ex-officio member of the NFID Board of Directors and all Board-level committees.
As NFID medical director, he helps to advance the NFID mission through efforts to grow NFID programs, build vaccine confidence, address health equity issues, increase awareness of disease prevention and treatment, and strengthen NFID partner collaborations. He has held a number of national and local leadership positions including serving as chair of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee to the US Department of Health and Human Services (2019-2024) and vice chair of the American College of Physicians Immunization Committee. Hopkins also serves as professor of internal medicine and pediatrics and is immediate past chief of the division of general internal medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). His primary academic interest is clinical vaccinology with emphasis on education and quality improvement. He maintains board certification in internal medicine and in pediatrics, and he continues an active teaching and clinical practice providing primary and consultative care to adults and children.
Flor M. Muñoz, MD, MSc
Flor M. Muñoz, MD, MSc, is an associate professor of pediatrics, infectious diseases, molecular virology, and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, TX.
She is a physician-scientist with research activities focusing on the evaluation of vaccine safety and efficacy in special populations including pregnant women, children, and people with compromised immune systems, as well as the epidemiology and treatment of respiratory pathogens such as RSV, influenza, SARS-CoV2 and pertussis. She is a member of the NFID Board of Directors and chair of the institutional review board at Baylor College of Medicine. She actively participates in various national and international committees and research networks including the ACOG Immunization Expert Group, the AAP Section of Infectious Diseases and Outbreaks subcommittee of the Committee of Infectious Diseases, IDSA liaison to ACIP, the Committee for Research of the European Society of Infectious Diseases, the CDC National Vaccine Surveillance Network, the Global Vaccine Data Network, and the CEPI-SPEAC-Brighton Collaboration Special Populations work group. She contributes to projects supported by private and public organizations, including the World Health Organization to address infectious disease prevention to improve the health of women and children worldwide.
Reed V. Tuckson, MD
Reed V. Tuckson, MD, is co-founder of the Black Coalition Against COVID, and chair of the Board of the Coalition For Trust In Health & Science.
He is currently managing director of Tuckson Health Connections, LLC, a vehicle to advance initiatives that support optimal health and wellbeing. co-founder of the Black Coalition Against COVID, and chair of the Board of the Coalition For Trust In Health & Science which is dedicated to bringing together the entire health related ecosystem to address mistrust and misinformation. He continues to advance his work as a co-founder of the Black Coalition Against COVID, a multi-stakeholder and interdisciplinary effort working to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, DC and nationally by coordinating the 4 historically Black medical schools, NMA, National Black Nurses Association, National Urban League, and BlackDoctor.org. A recognized leader in his field, Tuckson was previously executive vice president and chief of medical affairs for UnitedHealth Group, and held leadership roles at the National Institutes of Health; National Academy of Medicine; numerous Federal Advisory Committees; and corporate, non-profit, and academic boards. He served as president of the Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, senior vice president for professional standards of the American Medical Association, senior vice president for the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, and commissioner of public health for Washington, DC.