Former CDC chief medical officer and WIMS keynote speaker Dr. Debra Houry speaks with CBS news
We’re thrilled to have Dr. Debra Houry as one of the keynote speakers at the 2026 Women in Medicine Summit! Dr. Houry’s extensive background has made her a trusted voice in the medical field. She is a nationally recognized physician, researcher, and public health leader with nearly three decades of experience guiding health care and public health strategy across federal government, health systems, and academia. She has consistently stepped up to address urgent challenges, ranging from hands-on trauma care in bustling county emergency rooms to tackling major issues at the forefront of the nation’s most prominent public health agency.
At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Houry served across four presidential administrations, including as the Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science. Over her tenure at CDC, Dr. Houry guided more than $8 billion in public health programs, fostered cross-sector coalitions spanning all 50 states, and helped steer the nation through some of its most complex public health emergencies ranging from outbreaks to firearm violence. During the transition into the second Trump administration and the early RFK Jr.-led HHS era, she served as the senior-most career leader and scientist at CDC, working to safeguard the agency’s scientific integrity and continuity of mission amid political transition. In 2025, Dr. Houry publicly resigned from CDC and later testified before Congress, speaking candidly about the challenges of maintaining scientific independence and protecting the public’s health in times of deep political polarization.
Watch Margaret Brennan's full interview with former CDC chief medical officer Dr. Debra Houry, a portion of which aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on July 5, 2025. Editor's note: This interview was taped on July 1, 2026.