Rochelle Walensky, MD

Dr. Walensky is Chief Scientific and Policy Advisor to Madryn. Prior to joining Madryn, Dr. Walensky served as the Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2021-2023. Dr. Walensky was appointed by President Biden in the early days of the COVID pandemic. At the CDC, Dr. Walensky oversaw a $15B budget with 12,000 employees across 60 global offices. During her tenure, she led a restructuring of the CDC to optimize the agency's ability to lead the country through public health crises. Her initiatives focused on strengthening public health infrastructure, modernizing information technology systems and data management, augmenting laboratory networks, and enhancing workforce training. Dr. Walensky also regularly provided testimony to Congress.

Prior to heading the CDC, Dr. Walensky served as the Chief of the Infectious Diseases Division of Massachusetts General Hospital. During that time, Dr. Walensky was also a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She currently serves on the board of The Carter Center.