Dr. Benedict Truman on Being a Medical Officer at the CDC

JPHMP presents Public Health Perspectives, a podcast series targeted towards strengthening the future public health workforce. We will explore the narratives of public health care professionals and gain insight on career paths that shape the profession. 

Benedict Truman podcast

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In this episode of Public Health Perspectives, Dr. Benedict Truman discusses his role as a Medical Officer at the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). His work includes systematic review of literature to find evidence to support the community service efforts of his organization. He is currently doing a systematic review on housing interventions to prevent homelessness and improve the lives of homeless individuals that may suffer from mental illness or substance abuse. Another one of his analytical projects includes identifying attributes of federal employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that are associated with outstanding performance. Benedict Truman podcast

Benedict I. Truman, MD, MPH, FACPM, is the Associate Director for Science (ADS) in the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He directs the Office of the Associate Director for Science, oversees the assurance of science quality, integrity, and ethics in NCHHSTP; and he provides second level supervision of the Extramural Research Program Office in NCHHSTP that serves CDC’s 3 infectious disease centers. Dr. Truman earned the BS (Chemistry: 1975) and MD (Medicine: 1979) degrees at Howard University in Washington DC; and the MPH (Public Health: 1981) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore Maryland. He completed Residency in Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he served as Chief Resident (1982-83). Since joining CDC as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer in 1983, Dr. Truman has served as a field epidemiologist at The Monroe County Health Department (Rochester New York: 1983-85), medical epidemiologist (infectious diseases) at the New York State Health Department (1985-1989) and in leadership positions at the CDC (1989-present). He is board certified in preventive medicine and public health and is a Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine (FACPM).  Benedict Truman podcast


Camelia Singletary, MPH

Camelia Singletary, MPH, received her master’s degree in public health from the University of South Carolina in 2015. Her research interests include exploring the implementation of school physical activity programs in combination with nutritional components. She is also interested in analyzing the adoption of physical activity and healthy eating skills from a social-cognitive perspective. As a public health communicator at JPHMP Direct, she hopes to create linkages between evidence-based research, public health coursework, and health certification competencies.