Patricia M. Griffin, MD

Acting Associate Director for Science

In January 2017, Dr. Patricia M. Griffin began her service as Acting Associate Director for Science at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Griffin came to CDC as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer and is now chief of the epidemiology branch that conducts surveillance and investigation of illnesses in the United States caused by enteric bacteria. She is a leading expert on Shiga toxin-producing E. coli such as O157. She has overseen surveillance, analytic studies, and investigations of illnesses caused by Campylobacter, Clostridium botulinum, E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, and other enteric bacteria. She oversaw most CDC-led investigations of outbreaks caused by bacterial enteric pathogens for 20 years. She oversaw creation of FoodNet (Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance System) and the human epidemiology component of NARMS (National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System) and has continued to shepherd their work. She has been closely involved in developing models to estimate the true number of U.S. foodborne illnesses, and the percentage that can be attributed to various food categories.

Dr. Griffin attended medical school and trained in internal medicine residency at the University of Pennsylvania, and trained in gastroenterology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is an author of over 225 peer-reviewed publications. She received the CDC Shepard Award for best scientific paper in 1990, the Joseph E. McDade Citation for Lifetime Scientific Achievement in 2013, and the CDC Shepard Lifetime Scientific Achievement Award in 2015. She is an adjunct professor in the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health and a member of the International VTEC/STEC Symposium Steering Committee.