The Honorable Robert Redfield, M.D.

Dr. Robert R. Redfield is an American virologist and infectious disease physician who most recently served as Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, advising the nation during one of the most tumultuous and fast-paced scientific discovery environments of our time, the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr. Redfield has experienced three vastly unique, surprising, and scientifically complex global epidemics during his career: Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19. As such, he holds the unique perspective of someone who has played a significant role in finding, studying, and publishing some of the most important scientific discoveries and medical advancements in modern history. Redfield is passionate about teaching the body to heal itself resulting in self-limited chronic viruses.

While Director of CDC, Redfield’s accomplishments included advancing the presidential initiative to end HIV transmission by 2030, successfully responding to three Ebola epidemics, developing a new program to confront the nation’s expanding drug use disorder, identifying and responding to Acute Flaccid Myelitis, developing programs to address growing nicotine addiction in children and adolescents, and of course leading CDC’s COVID-19 response.

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  Ahead of Another Potential COVID Surge, Former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield Speaks to High School Students About the Importance of Public Health

  Senior Medical Advisor Dr.Robert Redfield visited San Bernardino City Unified School District to speak to ‘Health Career Pathways’ students about the importance of careers in science and health, his long career in medicine and research, including as Director of CDC, and lessons learned from COVID-19.

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  A test to determine COVID immunity could reshape US policy

  (The Hill) – We need to shift the focus to a greater understanding of how protected we are from it and other variants that may emerge. 

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  To end Tennessee school closures, federal government aid just isn’t enough

  (Tennesseean) – Leaders must work to keep school children in the classroom as a public health matter. Test-to-Stay is a COVID era tool that helps schools stay open.

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  How Did SARS-CoV-2 Become So Contagious among Humans So Quickly?

  (National Review) – Covid-19 is not the first major viral outbreak that the world has dealt with in recent years — but none of those naturally-occurring viruses were so spectacularly effective at jumping from one human being to the next.

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  The World Needs to Know What Happened at the Wuhan Lab

  (WSJ) – Was the coronavirus manipulated to infect humans? If so, that will inform our response.

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  Former CDC director Redfield: Masking children must be grounded in data, not CDC opinion

  (FOX) – “It’s imperative that we get the kids back to face-to-face learning and do all we can to keep them there,” Redfield says.

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  Universal Masking to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Transmission—The Time Is Now

  (JAMA) – In this issue of JAMA, Wang et al present evidence that universal masking of health care workers (HCWs) and patients can help reduce transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections.

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  Opinion: What if the former CDC director is right about the Wuhan labs?

  (Washington Post) – We have no choice but to pursue all possible theories and accept whatever truth the facts lead to.

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  Former CDC director advising Maryland on COVID-19 vaccines, variants

  (WBAL) – Hogan announced that the former director of CDC will join Maryland’s COVID-19 team as a senior adviser for public health.

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  Redoubling Efforts to Help Americans Quit Smoking — Federal Initiatives to Tackle the Country’s Longest-Running Epidemic

  (The New England Journal of Medicine) – This epidemic is entirely preventable.

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  Ex-C.D.C. Chief on Challenge of Serving Trump During Pandemic

  (NYT) – Dr. Robert Redfield predicted the “worst is yet to come” with the coronavirus and expressed frustration with the politicization of mask-wearing and mitigation efforts.

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  Outgoing CDC Director Warns Of Peak Pandemic: ‘We’re About To Be In The Worst Of It’

  (NPR) – “This has been one of the greatest crises that this nation’s had.”

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  Overdose Deaths Accelerating During COVID-19

  (CDC.gov) – “The disruption to daily life due to the COVID-19 pandemic has hit those with substance use disorder hard,” said CDC Director Robert Redfield, M.D.

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  Media Statement from CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D., in Observance of World AIDS Day 2020

  (CDC.gov) – The HIV community has remained resilient in the face of great challenges.

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  Ebola Response Priorities in the Time of Covid-19

  (New England Journal of Medicine) – This case, and the six that followed, brought the total to 3462 cases — the second-largest Ebola outbreak in history.

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  CDC director warns the next few months could be ‘the most difficult in the public health history of this nation’

  (CNBC) – Redfield, speaking at an event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said that about 90% of hospitals in the country are in “hot zones and the red zones.”

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  CDC’s Redfield: World needs 85% COVID immunity ‘to shut this down’

  (Daily Memphian) – This virus is so much more contagious, Dr. Robert Redfield expects the world is looking at 85% to 90% “to shut this down.”

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  Preventing and Responding to COVID-19 on College Campuses

  (JAMA) – At the beginning of the fall of 2020, the opening of colleges and universities poses new challenges and accompanying risks for transmission on campuses and in their surrounding communities.

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  Addressing Influenza Vaccination Disparities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

  (JAMA) – Ensuring full and equal access to influenza vaccination will ensure all people in the US are maximally protected.

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  Universal Masking to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Transmission—The Time Is Now

  (JAMA) – Public health officials and leaders need to ensure that the public understands clearly when and how to wear cloth face coverings properly and continue building the evidence base for their effectiveness.

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  CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield: CEOs Can Have Enormous Impact In COVID-19 Fight

  (Forbes) – “We want people to really encourage embracing the flu vaccine with confidence this year,” Redfield said.

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  Covid-19 – Navigating the Uncharted

  (New England Journal of Medicine) – The Covid-19 outbreak has posed critical challenges for the public health, research, and medical communities.

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  Health Care Autonomy of Women Living with HIV

  (New England Journal of Medicine) – In this period of uncertainty regarding the potential NTD risk conferred by DTG-based regimens, women’s autonomy to make their own health-related decisions must remain a central tenet of public health programs.

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  Public Health Surveillance of Prenatal Opioid Exposure in Mothers and Infants

  (PEDIATRICS) – There is an urgent need to build the evidence base and define the full spectrum of adverse infant and childhood outcomes associated with sustained prenatal opioid exposure and monitor the linkage to needed care and services.

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