Director, Center for Global Health (CGH)

Rebecca Martin, PhD, is the Director of the Center for Global Health (CGH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Since 2012, Dr. Martin has served as the Director for the Global Immunization Division, in CGH, which leads CDC’s global polio eradication efforts, accelerated disease control for vaccine-preventable diseases, introduction of new and underutilized vaccines, and the strengthening of immunization systems.

Dr. Martin began her career with CDC in 1997 in the National Immunization Program, Epidemiology and Surveillance Division, and has held positions both domestically and globally in immunization and HIV/AIDS.   Prior to joining CDC, Rebecca worked at the Maryland Department of Hygiene and Mental Health in Baltimore Maryland as the immunization program epidemiologist leading efforts to increase vaccination coverage, conducting outbreak investigations, coordinating the development and introduction of Maryland’s immunization registry, and supporting the state’s Vaccines for Children Program.  She also has worked at the Montgomery County Health Department in Maryland in HIV/AIDS programs for high-risk populations.

Since 1991, Dr. Martin has worked in the global health arena in Haiti, and has had CDC assignments in Kenya, Tanzania, and Denmark (2002-2011).  Over the past 15 years, she has collaborated with multilateral organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, and development partners, and has worked closely with ministries of health and non-governmental organizations.

Prior to her current position as director of GID, Rebecca was detailed to the WHO European Regional Office as the Regional Advisor for Immunization (2008-2011) for its 53 member states, where she spearheaded regional efforts to strengthen immunization and surveillance systems, provide evidence for the introduction of new vaccines, achieve the goal of measles and rubella elimination, and maintain the region’s polio-free status.  From 2006-2008, Dr. Martin served as Program Director for Strategic Information and Human Resources for Health with the CDC Country Office in Tanzania.  She led and implemented studies, in partnership with the ministry of health, to measure and evaluate the HIV/AIDS epidemic and strengthen national capacity.   Rebecca was detailed to the WHO African Regional Office from 2002-2006, based in Kenya as the senior epidemiologist in the inter-country immunization program office for the eight east African countries; she served as the team lead from 2005-2006.

She received her Doctorate of Philosophy from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in international health and infectious disease epidemiology, conducting her research in Haiti on high-titer measles vaccines.  Dr. Martin serves as a technical advisor on global advisory groups to WHO and GAVI Alliance.  She has co-authored manuscripts and global guidelines on immunization strategies, vaccine-preventable diseases and surveillance methods.