WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden intends to appoint Dr. Mandy Cohen, the former state health director for North Carolina, as the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"Dr. Cohen is one of the nation’s top physicians and health leaders with experience leading large and complex organizations, and a proven track-record protecting Americans’ health and safety," Biden said in a statement released on Friday.
WCNC Charlotte first reported on Cohen's possible appointment in early June, after sources told The Washington Post that Cohen was congratulated that week by federal Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Outgoing director Rochelle Walensky is set to step down at the end of June.
Cohen helmed the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) for five years. The last two years of her tenure involved navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, during which she became a household name for North Carolinians.
“At every turn trying to make really, really hard decisions that changed the way people lived their lives. It was really, really challenging,” Cohen told WCNC Charlotte in 2021, prior to her stepping down from the role.
In early June, Gov. Roy Cooper offered a statement to WCNC Charlotte in light of the reports:
Mandy Cohen used a steady hand to help my administration lead North Carolina through the pandemic to be among the states with the lowest deaths and job losses per capita. She is a brilliant, talented and battle-tested leader who would be a fantastic CDC Director.
Biden agreed with Cooper's assessment, saying:
As Secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Cohen developed innovative and nationally recognized programs that improved the health and lives of families across the state. Her leadership through the COVID-19 crisis drew bipartisan praise, as did her successful transformation of North Carolina’s Medicaid program and pivotal role in the bipartisan passage of Medicaid expansion. Before serving in North Carolina, Dr. Cohen held senior roles at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services where she helped implement Affordable Care Act programs, including expanding insurance coverage and protections.
Cohen left NCDHHS in 2021 to become the CEO and executive vice president of Aledade Care Solutions, which touts itself as a company that helps health centers and doctors with workflows, support, and data management.
Cohen notably brings experience both in medicinal practice and in federal healthcare leadership to the CDC, having previously worked under the Obama administration as a senior official at the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services.
"Dr. Cohen has been recognized by leaders from both parties for her ability to find common ground and put complex policy into action," Biden said in the statement released Friday. "I look forward to working with Dr. Cohen as she leads our nation’s finest scientists and public health experts with integrity and transparency."
Additionally, she earned her medical degree from Yale and her Master's degree in public health from Harvard, and also trained in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She's also an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina's Gillings School of Global Public Health in Chapel Hill.
While the role of CDC director does not require confirmation in the Senate, Cohen is likely to face scrutiny in Congress nonetheless. Notably, Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) co-authored a letter to Biden opposing Cohen's nomination, saying, in part:
Dr. Cohen is unfit for the position. Dr. Cohen has politicized science, disregarded civil liberties, and spread misinformation about the efficacy and necessity of COVID vaccinations and the necessity of masks, during her time as the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. She also has a history of engaging in partisan left-wing politics.
The letter was signed by 22 members of the House and six members of the Senate. The full letter can be read online.
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