Antibiotic-Resistant Gonorrhea Expert

ROBERT D. KIRKCALDY, M.D., M.P.H.
Medical Epidemiologist, CDC’s Division of STD Prevention

Dr. Robert Kirkcaldy is a Medical Epidemiologist in the Division of STD Prevention at CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. As the Project Officer for the Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP), he leads CDC’s efforts to track and respond to the threat of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea.

Dr. Kirkcaldy joined CDC in 2008 as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer. In that role, he conducted research on trichomoniasis drug resistance and field investigations in U.S. cities with high rates of syphilis. He also assisted with CDC’s response to the H1N1 influenza pandemic and a multi-state salmonella outbreak.

Prior to CDC, he worked as an internist and psychiatrist at Montgomery General Hospital and Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Maryland. He also served as a physician at hospitals in Rwanda and Haiti.

Dr. Kirkcaldy regularly publishes manuscripts and presents at scientific meetings on issues related to gonorrhea antibiotic resistance, including surveillance, treatment guidelines, and the public health response.

He earned his medical degree from Tulane University and received his M.P.H. from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. He completed a combined residency in internal medicine and psychiatry at Tulane University.