Dr. José F. Cordero is a pediatrician and maternal health researcher whose expertise is improving diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Zika. In addition to serving as head of the UGA College of Public Health’s Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Cordero co-directs the PROTECT Center in Puerto Rico, which studies how exposure to environmental contamination has contributed to the high rate of preterm birth in Puerto Rico. This center assists the CDC with Zika surveillance and prevention efforts in Puerto Rico and helps educate Puerto Rico’s medical community about the disease.

For 27 years, Cordero served in the U.S. Public Health Service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During his time at the CDC, he attained the rank of assistant surgeon general and held a number of leadership positions focused on improving the health of mothers and children. His  most prominent roles were deputy director of the National Immunization Program and founding director of the National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.

In the video below, Dr. Cordero talks about “keeping informed” as the key to protecting oneself and others against Zika virus infection.  Or click here to view the entire Zika series on the College’s YouTube Channel.

– Rebecca Ayer

Posted March 15, 2017.