Spokesperson Portfolio - Jennifer McQuiston, DVM, MS (CAPT, USPHS)

Deputy Director, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

Video: Families and Pets – Staying Healthy

Video: Families and Pets - Staying Healthy

As a disease detective and veterinarian, Dr. Jennifer McQuiston specializes in diseases that can be transmitted from animals or insects to people; she is constantly vigilant to the potential for an outbreak. As a mother of two young children, keeping people healthy and preventing disease are top priorities. When children started dying from Rocky Mountain spotted fever on American Indian reservations in the U.S. Southwest, McQuiston helped lead a program to eliminate disease-carrying ticks from homes and yards, helping protect the kids and families who lived there. Because her work helps thousands of people at once, McQuiston is convinced she has the best job in the world.

Information

Contact
CDC Public Affairs
404.639.3286
media@cdc.gov

Biography
Jennifer McQuiston, DVM, MS (CAPT, USPHS) [301 KB]

Expertise

Bioterrorism preparedness
Disease surveillance
Epidemiology
Outbreak investigations
Veterinary medicine
Zoonotic diseases (tick-borne diseases, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Q fever, typhus)

Current Position

Deputy Director, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

Photos

Jennifer McQuiston, DVM, MS (CAPT, USPHS)

Spokesperson Resources

Past Positions

Science Advisor, Division of Public Affairs, Office of the Associate Director for Communications
Epidemiology and Diagnostic Activity Leader, Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases
Epidemiology Team Leader, Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infections
Zoonoses Team Leader, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine
Staff Epidemiologist, Disease Assessment Team, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases
Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases

Education

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (BS/cum laude) Biology
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (DVM/honors)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (MS) Molecular Microbiology
Diplomate American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine

Honors and Awards

American Veterinary Epidemiology Society Honorary Diplomate
USPHS Crisis Response Service Awards for Hurricane Katrina, anthrax and World Trade Center responses
USPHS Foreign Duty Service Award
HHS Secretary’s Awards for Distinguished Service
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Shepherd Award
National Association of Federal Veterinarians Daniel E. Salmon Award
James H. Steele Veterinary Public Health Award
National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians Partner’s Award
Tucson Area Indian Health Service Merit Award
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine Outstanding Young Alumna of the Year

Zientek J, Dahlfren FS, McQuiston JH, Regan J. Self-reported treatment practices by healthcare providers could lead to death from Rocky Mountain spotted fever. J Pediatr 2013, Nov 16 (E-pub ahead of print)
Anderson A, Bijlmer H, Fournier PE, Graves S, Hartzell J, Kersh GJ, Limonard G, Marrie TJ, Massung RF, McQuiston JH, et al. Diagnosis and management of Q fever–United States, 2013: recommendations from CDC and the Q Fever Working Group. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2013 Mar 29;62 (RR-03):1-30.
Regan J, Matthias J, Green-Murphy A, Stanek D, Bertholf M, Pritt BS, Sloan LM, Kelly AJ, Singleton J, McQuiston JH, Hocevar SN, Whittle JP. A Confirmed Ehrlichia ewingii Infection Likely Acquired Through Platelet Transfusion. Clin Infect Dis. 2013 Jun;56(12):e105-107
Bjork A, Holman RC, Callinan LS, Hennessey TW, Cheek JE, McQuiston JH. Dog bite injuries among American Indian and Alaska Native Children. J Pediatr. 2013 Jun;162(6):1270-5.
Mosites E, Carpenter LR, McElroy K, Lancaster MJ, Ngo TH, McQuiston J, Wiedman C, Dunn JR. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding Rocky Mountain spotted fever among healthcare providers, Tennessee, 2009. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2013, 88(1): 162-6.
Day M, Breitschwerdt E, Cleaveland S, Karkare U, Khanna C, Kirpensteijn J, Kuiken T, Lappin M, McQuiston J, et al. Surveillance of zoonotic infectious disease transmitted by small companion animals. Emerging Infectious Diseases, http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/18/12/12-0664_article.htm
McQuiston JH, et al. Afebrile spotted fever group Rickettsia infection following a bite from a Dermacentor variabilis tick infected with Rickettsia montanensis. Vectorborne Zoonotic Diseases, Dec;12(12):1059-61
Folkema AM, Holman RC, Dahlgren FS, Cheek JE, McQuiston JH. Epidemiology of Ehrlichiosis and Anaplasmosis among American Indians in the United States, 2000-2007. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Sep;87(3):529-37.
Adjemian J, Weber IB, McQuiston J, et al. Zoonotic infections among employees from Great Smoky Mountains and Rocky Mountain National Parks, 2008-2009. Vectorborne Zoonotic Diseases, Nov;12(11):922-31.
Dahlgren FS, Holman RC, Paddock CD, Sinden LL, McQuiston JH. Fatal Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the United States, 1999-2007. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2012, 86:713-719.
Dahlgren FS, Moonesinghe R, McQuiston JH. Race and Rickettsiae: A United States perspective. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2011, 85:1124-1125.
Folkema AM, Holman RC, McQuiston JH, Cheek JE. Trends in clinical diagnoses of Rocky Mountain spotted fever among American Indian/Alaska Native People, 2001-2008. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2012, 86:152-158.
Pritt BS, Sloan LM, Johnson DKH, Munderloh UG, Paskewitz SM, McElroy KM, McFadden JD, Binnicker MJ, Neitzel DF, Liu G, Nicholson WL, Nelson CM, Franson JJ, Martin SA, Cunningham SA, Steward CR, Bogumill K, Bjorgaard ME, Davis JP, McQuiston JH, et al. Emergence of a novel pathogenic Ehrlichia sp., Wisconsin and Minnesota. NEJM 2011; 365:422-9.
Dahlgren FS, Mandel EJ, Krebs JW, Massung RF, McQuiston JH. Increasing incidence of Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in the United States, 2000 to 2007. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2011; 85:124-31.