There is good news for NCEH and ATSDR Staff! Dr. Howard Frumkin has been moved out of his role as Director of NCEH/ATSDR as of Friday January 15, 2010. In his place, Dr. Henry Falk will assume the role of Acting Director until a permanent replacement can be found. Dr. Frumkin has been put in a face saving position directly under the CDC Administrator, and will likely be looking for outside employment in the near future. (Dr. Frumkin's email to staff follows)
From: Frumkin, Howard (CDC/CCEHIP/NCEH)
Sent: Friday, January 15, 2010 10:30 AM
To: CDC CCEHIP NCEH *All; ATSDR *All
Subject: Change of NCEH/ATSDR Director

Dear friends and colleagues:

I am writing to inform you that I am leaving my position as Director, NCEH/ATSDR, effective today, and will assume a new role as Special Assistant to the CDC Director for Climate Change and Health. This will enable me to advance CDC’s work in the public health dimensions of climate change, an increasingly vital area for the agency.

My 4.5 years at NCEH/ATSDR have been more than a privilege; they have been a gift. I cannot imagine a more expert, dedicated, and hard-working staff than you. Our Center’s portfolio is extraordinarily broad, from chemical toxins to cruise ships, from climate change to chemical demilitarization, from healthy community design to biomonitoring, and you do it all well. I am proud of so many of your accomplishments over these last few years, more than I can enumerate, but the following stand out:

Release of the Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, which sets the standard for biomonitoring.
Strengthening our tobacco laboratory, which will play a key national role in the new tobacco legislation.
Release of the National Report on Biochemical Indicators of Diet and Nutrition, a unique national resource on nutritional status.
Strengthening the Newborn Screening Laboratory, which serves an essential public health role.
Creation of our Climate Change and Health program, supported by a new Congressional appropriation, reflecting CDC’s national leadership position on this important issue.
Establishment of a water program, based in our Center and extending to the infectious disease side of CDC, to help assure safe drinking water both domestically and internationally.
Strengthening of our Healthy Community Design program, providing extensive technical assistance, research, and other support to communities across the nation.
Transformation of our childhood lead poisoning prevention program into an expanded Healthy Housing program, in recognition of the broad public health impact of this broader approach.
Launch of the Environmental Public Health Tracking portal, and expansion of the tracking network.
Reasserting our commitment to Environmental Justice through statements and actions.
Establishment of a highly successful summer training program for college students interested in environmental health, helping to prepare the next generation of leaders.
Launching the National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposures, to help advance not only our own agency’s approach to protecting people from dangerous chemicals, but the larger national approach.
Completing a large body of work in Libby, Montana, and helping launch both an external research program and a health care program there.
Creation of a Brownfields program to help incorporate healthy design principles into urban land re-use decisions.
Two highly successful National Environmental Public Health Conferences, invigorating the field with cutting-edge science and related issues.
Revision of standard language used in ATSDR’s public health products, to make our conclusions more clear and balanced for communities.
Establishment of a computational toxicology program, in close collaboration with colleagues at NIEHS, EPA, NCTR,and other agencies.
A proud record of Commissioned Corps achievements, including two new flag rank officers, and no fewer than four chief professional officers: the Chief Veterinarian Officer, Chief Engineer Officer, Chief Sanitarian Officer, and Chief Environmental Health Scientist Officer.
Successful completion of dozens of emergency responses.
A broad set of initiatives to improve management across the Center, ranging from Human Resource issues to issues tracking and follow-up to peer review and clearance procedures.
Management training for existing and rising leaders across the Center.

There is still much to do. ATSDR leaders are working hard to analyze and rebalance the community-based work portfolio, to develop ways to serve communities more holistically and effectively, to modernize the Toxicological Profile program, and to update the science of MRLs. NCEH will soon issue many important public health reports, from a guide to Safe and Healthy Use of Manufactured Structures to the latest set of pesticide biomonitoring results. Strategic planning will yield promising directions for work on PM2.5, water, and other priority areas. Our Center’s work needs to support Dr. Frieden’s goals, including epidemiology and surveillance, state and local health department support, supporting global health, addressing key diseases, and contributing to health policy, even more than it already does. I know you will succeed in all these challenges.

Dr. Henry Falk will serve as Acting Director, NCEH/ATSDR, while a search for a permanent replacement is carried out. Many of you know Dr. Falk, who previously held leadership positions in both NCEH and ATSDR, including as ATSDR director and NCEH/ATSDR director, and most recently was Director of CCEHIP. Dr. Falk has a deep understanding of the issues across our center and across CDC, and an extraordinary track record as a leader, mentor, and friend to many of us.

I thank you for the privilege of serving you as Center director. Like many of us, I view public service, and especially work to advance public health, not as a job, but as a calling. My time as Director of NCEH/ATSDR has been precious. I look forward to continuing to work with you as we control and eliminate environmental hazards, and promote healthy, safe, and sustainable environments for all people.

With respect and gratitude,
Howie


--------------------------

Howard Frumkin, M.D., Dr.P.H., Director
National Center for Environmental Health /
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
4770 Buford Hwy,, MS F-61
Atlanta GA 30341-3717
Tel 770-488-0604
Fax 770-488-3385
E-mail haf6@cdc.gov