(404) 639-3286. In early December, Dr. Katy Stephenson was watching TV with her family and scrolling through Twitter when she saw a tweet that made her shout. Her father, Edward Bersoff, was a mathematician and engineer at NASA; her mother, Carol Bersoff-Bernstein, was an executive at a. She has weighed in often and publicly about coronavirus policy and medicine, speaking to journalists with a natural candor that's contrasted with the stiffer style of some federal officials. And within communities, these cases are occurring primarily among unvaccinated individuals. Enable breaking news notifications straight to your internet browser. If you do get those symptoms, call your providers early because there are tests not just for COVID-19 but also for influenza. But through it all, as the long months became a year, Walensky had been out front, Stephenson says, sticking to the science and telling the truth. Im going to pause here, Im going to lose the script and Im going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom, she said, her eyes glistening with tears. Washington, DC 20500, MR. ZIENTS: Good morning, and thanks for joining us. Dr. Walensky and the C.D.C. So, if you are unvaccinated, please get vaccinated now. Maybe - I will say another really important one - and I'm going to guess you're going to get to this - is vaccination. And what do we do now?' And today, I want to focus on the challenge of health misinformation thats affecting millions of Americans. WALENSKY: Yeah. It wasnt until lunchtime, when everyone took out a yogurt, a root beer and a little bag of pretzels, her standard lunch, that she noticed. The incoming director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is telling her family theyll be wearing masks well into next year. "I got called during a code," she says. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh). So how to navigate this so-called tripledemic (ph) as the holidays approach? She is also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and President-elect Biden has announced that she will be the director of the new CDC. CHANG: These latest bivalent COVID boosters, I mean, how well do you think they will work given the fact that they target sub-variants that really aren't dominant anymore, right? But right now Im scared., Her impassioned speech startled many people, perhaps none more than her husband. And this week, at the request of the Nevada governor, we are deploying more than a hundred people to the state to help enhance vaccine access and support vaccine outreach efforts.And were providing CDCs technical expertise including on genetic sequencing, data analysis, and outbreak response to Missouri to help support the state in its response.We stand ready to support our state partners with the help they need to curb the spread of the virus and increase vaccinations in their states.And finally, we continue to be prepared for any and every scenario, including the possibility of booster shots, if and when the science shows they are needed.At this time, the CDC and FDA have said Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot. However, if you look at the trend on the far righthand part of that slide, theres that uptick, which somehow was reflecting what Dr. Walensky just told you about the slight uptick that were seeing in hospitalizations in our own country. Her leadership of the C.D.C. CHANG: So I want to start with what seems to be kind of just a common-sense measure against all three viruses right now, and that is masking. And then, a few years later, she saw the advent of HIV treatments that could save patients if those patients could get access to testing and care. CDC Head Rochelle Walensky Aims To Rebuild Agency With Straight Talk On Theres a lot that we are doing and well continue to do more, but this is a moment where we need technology companies to step up and do more to stop the spread of misinformation. Over the next few months, Bernstein spent hours and hours in meetings with CDC officials, including agency Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and then more time preparing presentations on education . So what Rochelle is particularly good at is understanding data about treatments and public health and costs, and putting those three sets of data together to understand, 'Well, what do we do? Eventually, she became his boss. Next slide. Therell be a lesson learned here.. Walensky has also shared her familys personal plight with the virus in urging more Americans to get the shot. Tens of millions have been infected. These days, she spends the week in Atlanta, waking up at 5:30 a.m. and working until 11 p.m. All this has led to avoidable illnesses and deaths. 524 Rochelle Walensky Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO All Sports Entertainment News Archival Browse 524 rochelle walensky stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. CDC Director Walensky's Covid-19 Rebound Raises Questions About 5 Day We are dealing with highly effective vaccines. WALENSKY: So we're going back to a lot of the trusted messengers, back to the community, making sure that those vaccines are available, working with our long-term care facilities, working with the community, doing education, working with the hospital community, the medical community to really reiterate the importance of these vaccines as well as to demonstrate the data of how well these vaccines are working. Why isn't the CDC putting out more forceful messaging about protecting older people from COVID this season? After medical school, Rochelle Walensky trained in a hospital medical unit so tough it was compared to the Marines. Transition 2021. My heart and respect and gratitude to all of our health care workers who are working hard through this season, not just for respiratory viruses in children but through - across the board. 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the administrations lead adviser on the pandemic, defended Dr. Walenskys track record and said he had full confidence in her ability to lead the C.D.C. The President, yesterday, said that he was hoping for a timeline to set a timeline for lifting some travel restrictions in the next couple of days. CHANG: Well, turning to RSV, what do you see happening with those infections? Thank you for taking my question. Why a Covid-19 vaccine doesn't mean that you can stop wearing a mask. "Every year, he comes home from camp and he writes the number of days until he returns to camp the next year. We encourage that people get vaccinated on schedule three or four weeks after your first dose. Second, unfortunately, if you have symptoms, if you are feeling unwell, we are going to ask you to stay home. Biden's CDC Chief Rochelle Walensky Keeps Changing Her StoryAnd Statement from CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH The task falls to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, 51, an infectious-diseases specialist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, who is expected to become CDC director this week a time when the viruss U.S. death toll has eclipsed 400,000 and continues to accelerate. I want to thank everybody for joining todays briefing and look forward to next week. ". He studies and treats children's blood cancers at Boston Children's Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. CDC director, under fire for confusing guidance, seeks to reshape When we look over time, we can put these increasing cases in perspective. MR. ZIENTS: So, lastly, on international travel, you know, weve made, as we talked about today, important progress on the pandemic. This is amazing!' And from the moment Walensky stepped up to lead the CDC, she has promised to keep telling the truth. White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt, right, with son Zach and wife Lana, in an undated family photo. If you look at the average daily prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant worldwide, if you look at the righthand part of the slide, you see the extraordinary surge in the dominance of this variant worldwide. And just this week, I traveled to New Mexico to meet with youth leaders, clinicians, and public health leaders from across the state. WALENSKY: The messaging that we're using in terms of protecting older people from COVID but also from other respiratory pathogens - and including influenza and RSV, both of which impact older. While public health veterans say they do not know everything that happened behind the scenes, they say Redfield apparently failed to stand up for agency scientists, declined to contradict Trump and those around him and passively allowed the Trump administration to post its messaging on CDC websites. "I said 'Oh, my God!' "I want our kids back in camp," Walensky said, describing how her teenage son counts down the days to his summer camp. The CDC has been sidelined, has been maligned, has been a punching bag for many politicians in the outgoing administration. Dr. Walensky was known as a tough-minded advocate for people with AIDS. Well, we're going to put that question now to CDC director Rochelle Walensky. Walensky is facing a historic challenge, and leading an agency where she's never worked. Back to you, Jeff. Clearly, the Delta variant is dominant in the world. If you have areas of low vaccination and high case rates, then I would say local policymakers might consider whether masking at that point would be something that would be helpful for their community until they scale up their vaccination rates because more people than not in the community are unvaccinated.SURGEON GENERAL MURTHY: And, Jeff, can I just add MR. PDF 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Dr. Rochelle Walensky Director Centers for You can see that from January to June, as you move from left to right on the slide, we made remarkable progress, where the percent of counties with high transmission decreased as shown by the decrease in red, and increases in blue and yellow. Ive heard some commentary though, suggesting that among immunosuppressed people and the elderly, they might be needed. A highway sign in Vancouver, Wash., the day after the state lifted its mask mandate for fully vaccinated adults. Dr. Rochelle Walenskys pioneering research has helped advance the national and global response to HIV/AIDS. And it is one of those important areas that we can use to protect ourselves in a layered prevention mechanism. She served on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic and conducted research on vaccine delivery and strategies to reach underserved communities. Rochelle Walensky is the daughter of Edward Bersoff and Carol Bersoff-Bernstein. Rochelle is the daughter of Carol and Edward H. Bersoff, a chief executive. That analytic skill has come in handy over the past year, as she has helped lead the pandemic response for her Boston hospital and for the state of Massachusetts. scientist, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said in April. Is there any more data you can share with us? And its great to be with all of you again today. Tenants . But very importantly, technology companies must act as well. Dr Rochelle Walensky Parents Nationality, Family and Husband: 10 Facts She had a warm, empathetic leadership style, said Dr. Kenneth Freedberg, an H.I.V. Last summer, after protests over the death of George Floyd, more than 1,200 C.D.C. ROCHELLE WALENSKY: Thanks so much for having me, Ailsa. Surgeon General Advisories are reserved for urgent public health threats. She is the daughter-in-law of Dr. and Mrs. Norman A. Walensky. Connect to the World Family Tree to find out, Walenski, Walenski, Walenski, Prominent Scientists: (i) Exact Sciences & Natural Sciences, Get to know Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Biden's CDC director pick, Parents are Carol Bersoff-Bernstein and Edward H. Bersoff. I saw professionals doing their jobs. Within the C.D.C., many scientists were relieved to have a leader who put science above politics. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post) Rochelle Walensky Bio, Age, Family, Husband, Sons, MGH, CDC - Pinoria But six months later, he still suffers from tachycardia, shortness of breath, and ongoing and frequent flu-like symptoms. Like, are we past the peak at this point? She is the daughter of Carol Bersoff-Bernstein and Edward H. Bersoff. She was brought up in Potomac, Maryland. guidance or in her tone: The viruss hold on the country is loosening, but large parts of the population remain unvaccinated and the pandemic is not yet over. She earned an MPH in clinical effectiveness from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2001 after participating in the Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Womens Hospital Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program. MODERATOR: Thanks, Jeff. It might be tough for people to hear Walenskys message that masks will still be necessary well into the new year, Schaffner noted. Dr. Kenneth Freedberg was standing at his wife's bedside in a Boston hospital's intensive care unit when an . WALENSKY: The messaging that we're using in terms of protecting older people from COVID but also from other respiratory pathogens - and including influenza and RSV, both of which impact older people with more severity as well - is prevention mechanisms such as flu vaccine and COVID vaccination, really critically important. Lets begin with an overview of the data.Yesterday, CDC reported more than 33,000 new cases of COVID-19. Misinformation robs us of our freedom to make decisions for our health based on science and facts.Addressing health misinformation is an urgent challenge, a moral and civic responsibility that we must meet together. That includes 11 million delayed pediatric vaccinations; widespread mental health problems; an uptick in opioid overdoses; and lapses in control of high blood pressure, cancer and H.I.V. So, if Walensky had a Wonder Woman superpower, it was using data to inform decisions and save lives. Based on that, you could make a reasonable assumption that the rate of transmissibility from the asymptomatic vaccinated person to an uninfected person would be less likely than if the person was unvaccinated. We want to work closely with schools and employers to get their help, increasingly, in getting people vaccinated in schools and in workplaces. But if we just let the virus run free without mitigation strategies, such as masking, our hospitals will overflow and that would mean we would no longer be able to take care of the populations health across the board. The C.D.C. She will succeed Dr. Robert Redfield, 69, who came to the CDC with a similar resume as an outsider from academia. Walensky is an expert on AIDS and HIV. She deeply felt the weight of a half a million dead.. ". Last week, Biden said he would ask for $160 billion for vaccinations and other public health programs, including an effort to expand the public health workforce by 100,000 jobs. Loren Walensky recalls coming home one day to find her sitting at the kitchen table working on extremely complex math. Walensky's family has a tradition of service, including a grandfather who served in World War II and rose to be a brigadier general. Did you encounter any technical issues? CDC wants to change 'antiquated' rules that hamper agency's ability to Walensky has said one of her top priorities will be to improve the CDCs communications with the public to rebuild trust. Born Rochelle Bersoff, Dr. Walensky grew up in Potomac, Md. After Rochelle was nominated to the position of director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention he took to Twitter to congratulate her.