One lesson she learned as North Carolina’s health secretary is that she is not always the best conduit for public health guidance. Her team sometimes turned to faith leaders, NASCAR drivers, even TikTok influencers to get scientific information to the public.
“Certainly, the science and the data is going to come from the CDC. But there are many messengers who are trusted,” she said. “This is a team effort.”
In her first few weeks, Cohen is not getting a summer break. Much of the U.S. is caught in an unrelenting killer heat wave. The country has faced its first outbreak of malaria in 20 years, and opioid-related deaths are still rising. There are also concerns about another winter surge of respiratory viruses, including Covid, flu and RSV. Whether it is about a virus, a fire or a flood of mosquito-borne illnesses, a big priority of Cohen’s is investment in data.
Already underway is a re-evaluation of the CDC’s webpages to make sure the information available to people is clear and understandable, Dr. Dan Jernigan, the director of the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said in a media briefing this week. “There are other efforts, as well, to get our data out more quickly,” Jernigan said.
Data is “hugely important,” Cohen said. “You can’t solve problems you don’t see, and having data helps you see where your problems are and then deploy resources.” In turn, it will be critical for CDC scientists to be able to translate those issues. “We have to be crisp, clear communicators so that folks have commonsense solutions to protect their health. It sounds simple, but it’s really hard.”
So far, though, Cohen makes it look simple. She greets everyone she sees at the CDC warmly — from those in leadership roles to security guards. She asks them about their families and their concerns, and she speaks openly about her own. Cohen’s husband and two young daughters plan to join her in Atlanta but have not yet made the move from North Carolina. “I miss them so much,” she said.
But she works hard to focus instead on re-infusing a spark back into the work done at the CDC. On her first day, she played Alicia Keys and other music in the lobby to greet her new co-workers. “I like my music,” she said, shrugging and smiling.
“One of my values that I bring here to work is joy,” she said. “That’s not just about parties and celebrations; it’s about connection with the mission. But you need to have a little fun at work in order to bring your A game. I really think the American people deserve everyone’s A game.”
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