DGHP - Kashef Ijaz, MD, MPH

Kashef Ijaz is the Principal Deputy Director for the Division of Global Health Protection in the Center for Global Health. The division includes some of CDC’s primary global health programs such as Global Disease Detection, Field Epidemiology Training, Global Health Security and humanitarian emergencies and recovery work. Dr. Ijaz is a member of division’s senior leadership and oversees the science and research agenda for the division and ensures that the scientific projects, protocols and epidemiologic investigations are conducted based on established scientific/epidemiologic methods. He also provides consultation and guidance on programmatic aspects to the branches in the division as well as the policy, communications and partnerships offices in the division.

Previously he was the Deputy Director for Science and Programs in the Division of Global Disease Detection and Emergency Response. In the recent past, he has served as the Senior Regional Advisor for Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program for the Middle East and North Africa Region in the Division of Public Health Systems and Workforce Development. During his tenure at CDC, he has also served the Chief of the Outbreak Investigations team in the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, and then as Chief of the Field Services and Evaluation Branch in the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination. As the lead for the outbreak investigations team, he trained numerous Epidemic Intelligence Service Officers and also responded to numerous TB outbreak investigations both in the United States and internationally. In his appointment as the Chief of the Field Services and Evaluation Branch, he led one of the largest branches (with a budget of over $100 million) at CDC with staff of over 70 people including public health advisors, epidemiologists and medical officers. He was responsible for the TB control activities in the entire United States and its territories (including funding support and technical assistance). He helped update a data-driven formula for funding of TB control programs in the country as well as developed capacity to conduct program evaluation, including a program evaluation network to build evaluation capacity at state and local levels.

Prior to coming to CDC, Dr. Ijaz was the Research Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. He is a physician trained in internal medicine and has a Masters degree in Public Health from University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. He is also the adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University. His research involves prevention and control of infectious diseases, molecular epidemiology and genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Dr. Ijaz has more than 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals and a book chapter.