NCHHSTP Experts

Gail Bolan, MD

Director, Division of STD Prevention

Dr. Gail Bolan was appointed Director of CDC's Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention (DSTDP) at the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention in December 2010.

She began her public health career in 1982 as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer in the Respiratory and Special Pathogens Branch at CDC. She gained international experience with a three month meningitis surveillance project in Burkina Faso, Africa. Following EIS, she completed an infectious disease fellowship that included bench research on the characterization of a Neisseria gonorrhoeae iron-regulating protein that was thought to be a potential vaccine antigen candidate.

In 1987, she began a life-time career in the field of STD prevention and control as Director of the STD Prevention and Control Program at the San Francisco Department of Public Health jointly with an academic appointment in the Department of Medicine at University of California San Francisco Medical School. In 1997, she became the Chief of the STD Control Branch at the California Department of Public Health as well as the Director of the California STD/HIV Prevention Training Center. In these positions, she consistently demonstrated a strong and enthusiastic commitment to the field of STD prevention.

In 2010, Dr. Bolan received the CDC Jack Spencer Award, which honors an individual for a career of exceptional contributions to excellence in STD prevention characterized by outstanding commitment to science-based programs, continuous innovation, and profound commitment to helping people.

Dr. Bolan earned her medical degree from the Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire. She completed her training in internal medicine at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, and subspecialty training in infectious diseases at the Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston and the Stanford Medical Center.

Philip LoBue, MD, FACP, FCCP

Director, Division of Tuberculosis Elimination

Dr. Philip LoBue is the Director of the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE) in CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.

Dr. LoBue received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He received postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of California San Diego Medical Center where he was subsequently a Clinical Instructor and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine from 1995 to 1999. In 1999, Dr. LoBue joined DTBE as a medical epidemiologist assigned to the Tuberculosis Control Program in San Diego County, CA. In 2004, he moved to CDC headquarters in Atlanta, GA to become Chief of the Medical Consultation Team of DTBE. Between 2006 and 2014, Dr. LoBue was the Associate Director for Science for the division.

Dr. LoBue is a fellow in the American College of Physicians and American College of Chest Physicians. He is also a member of the American Thoracic Society (ATS), in which he has served on the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Committee and the Program (chair 2008-2009), Planning, and Executive Committees of the Microbiology, Tuberculosis, and Pulmonary Infections Assembly. Dr. LoBue has authored or co-authored more the 80 publications including peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report articles. He has chaired or served on more than 10 guidelines and recommendations committees and panels for multiple organizations including CDC, ATS, the US Federal Tuberculosis Task Force, and the World Health Organization. His scholarly interests include tuberculosis diagnosis, treatment, and transmission dynamics, evidence-based guideline development, and human subjects research ethics.

Eugene McCray, MD

Director, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention

Eugene McCray, MD, is the Director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) in CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.

Prior to his appointment as Director of DHAP, Dr. McCray was Chief of the International Research and Programs Branch in CDC’s Division of Tuberculosis Elimination. He also served as Acting Deputy Director in the Coordinating Office for Global Health at CDC from 2004 to 2007 and was the Director of CDC’s Global AIDS Program from 2000 to 2004. He is a medical epidemiologist and began his career at the CDC in 1983 as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer. He has since served in various capacities throughout CDC.

Dr. McCray completed his clinical training in internal medicine at North Carolina Memorial Hospital, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1983 and an Infectious Diseases Fellowship in 1992 at University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. He earned his Medical Degree from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University and his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Morehouse College.

He has published numerous scholarly articles and has received many awards for his scientific and public health contributions, including the US Public Health Service’s Distinguished Service Medal and CDC’s William C. Watson Medal of Excellence award. He is recognized as a world expert in tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS and has dedicated most of his career to improving the health of underserved communities in the United States and globally.

John Ward, MD

Director, Division of Viral Hepatitis

Dr. John Ward is Director of the Division of Viral Hepatitis in CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.

Dr. Ward is responsible for planning and directing national and international research, surveillance and public health programs related to viral hepatitis prevention and control.

In addition to his work in viral hepatitis, Dr. Ward’s experience includes 14 years in the field of HIV/AIDS conducting early studies of AIDS transmission, natural history and diagnosis, evaluating prevention measures to protect the blood supply and directing national HIV/AIDS surveillance. Ward has also served as Editor of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), CDC’s primary health publication. As Editor, Ward created the Epidemic Information Exchange (Epi-X),a secure, moderated system for public health officials to report and discuss disease outbreaks and other health events.

Dr. Ward has authored over 100 scientific publications and recently served as Editor for Silent Victories, a history of public health in the 20th century published in 2007 by Oxford University Press. He received his medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham and completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Alabama Hospitals with additional postgraduate training at the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service and the infectious diseases fellowship program at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. He holds a clinical faculty appointment with the Department of Medicine, Emory University.

Kathleen Ethier, PhD

Director, Division of Adolescent and School Health

Kathleen Ethier, PhD is the Director of CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) in the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Dr. Ethier brings a wealth of public health experience and leadership in addressing health issues of youth and women, with a focus on HIV, STDs, and teen pregnancy, as well as supporting program improvement, strategic programs, and monitoring and evaluation. She most recently served as the Director of CDC’s Program Performance and Evaluation Office, where she contributed to advancing CDC program strategy, performance measurement, and evaluation.

Prior to joining CDC, Dr. Ethier spent six years on the research faculty at Yale University working on studies of HIV, STDs, and unplanned pregnancy prevention among women and adolescents. In 1999, she joined CDC as a Senior Scientist in the Division of STD Prevention to lead the development and evaluation of interventions to prevent HIV, STDs, and teen pregnancy. She has served in a variety of leadership and management roles at CDC, including Acting Director of the Financial Management Office and the Division of Oral Health, as well as lead for the Adolescent Health Goal Team.

Dr. Ethier’s research has included psychosocial, behavioral, organizational and clinical factors related to women’s health, maternal health and adolescent sexual and reproductive health. She has authored or co-authored numerous articles and book chapters for peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Ethier earned her PhD in social psychology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.