Profiles in Science: New York Times Features Dr. Donald Hopkins
Dr. Donald Hopkins, past CDC Foundation Board Member and vice president for health programs at the Carter Center, was featured in the New York Times on Monday in an article in a series on leaders in science.
Dr. Hopkins served as deputy director (1984-1987) and acting director (1985) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He is just one of many examples of CDC leaders who have gone on to share their expertise with other organizations. Dr. Hopkins helped eradicate smallpox, and as vice president for health programs at the Carter Center, Dr. Hopkins is targeting Guinea worm disease and river blindness. He is on the brink of eradicating Guinea worm disease in his lifetime, down to fewer than 600 cases worldwide, from 3.5 million in 1986.
The campaign to eliminate Guinea worm disease demonstrates how global health leaders, such as Dr. Hopkins, Dr. William Foege (CDC Director 1977-1983 and Executive Director of the Carter Center 1986-1992) and former President Jimmy Carter (founder of the Carter Center and the 2012 CDC Foundation Hero), working together, are making an impact in the world of public health.
Related Blogs:
- President Carter’s 30+ years of public health work with the Carter Center to eradicate Guinea worm is honored in President Carter Q & A with Oz Nelson (retired chairman and CEO of UPS)
- Former CDC Director William Foege’s Washington Post article on river blindness is discussed in Public-Private Partnerships Are Vital to Address Public Health Problems