A closer look at Biden’s pick for CDC director: Mandy Cohen

The next leader of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to be a doctor from North Carolina.

President Joe Biden on Friday announced his selection of Dr. Mandy Cohen as director of the organization whose mission is to “protect the public’s health.”

Biden’s appointment comes after Dr. Rochelle Walensky leaves this month after heightened pressure from how the agency informed the public about the pandemic. 

In North Carolina, Cohen led the state’s Department of Health and Human Services for five years — and had done so during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cohen’s supporters say she’s got the perfect balance of federal and state government experience to make her suited for a job that’s become very political.

Dr. Cohen became a household name in North Carolina during the early days of COVID-19. As people sheltered at home, Cohen — alongside Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper — provided over 150 regular updates on the latest numbers, warnings and restrictions.

She led the state’s Department of Health and Human Services for five years before leaving early last year for a private sector job. The state agency has more employees than the CDC, although a significantly smaller budget.

Before that, Cohen worked at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Dr. Krishnan Narasimhan got to know Cohen at the organization she co-founded: Doctors for America. The organization worked to advocate for policy changes like the Affordable Care Act, also known as the ACA. 

“The experience that Dr. Cohen is going to bring to the table is that ability to handle government, and she’s been there at both the state levels but also the highest federal levels to figure out how you take an agency and make it work for the public,” Dr. Narasimhan told Spectrum News.

The decision of Biden to appoint Cohen is being met with dissatisfaction by some.

As Cohen’s name emerged in recent weeks for the CDC post, a couple of dozen Republicans in Congress — including Sen. Ted Budd and Rep. Dan Bishop, both of North Carolina — joined in a letter saying she has politicized science and disregarded civil liberties.

They cite the state’s decision to require children to wear masks in school during parts of the pandemic. 

Spectrum News spoke with former Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris, who got to know Cohen during the height of the pandemic.

Though the job will be challenging, Harris says Cohen will enjoy the opportunity given the intense scrutiny.  

“I think she likes a challenge; I think this presents a challenge of a lifetime,” Harris said. 

Harris also says Cohen is a strong communicator; and argues that even when they both debated where resources should go in the state, Cohen was fair. 

Research shows public trust in the CDC has eroded. The outgoing director, Walensky, is regularly grilled by Republicans when she’s on Capitol Hill. 

“Folks in public health, especially in leadership positions, have either a thick skin or do not survive very long,” Harris told Spectrum News. “Mandy is a nice combination of a thick skin and can be open and compassionate with people with that balance; I think she’ll be able to manage it.” 

Fortunately for Cohen, the CDC is not a position subject to congressional confirmation.