Debra Houry

Dr. Debra Houry
Born	Virginia, USA
Academic background
Education	BA, biology and philosophy, 1994, Emory University MD, MPH, Tulane University
Academic work
Institutions	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Emory University

Dr. Debra Houry is an American physician. She is the Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She previously served as the acting Principal Deputy Director (2021-2023) and the Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2014-2021).

Dr. Houry is responsible for establishing, strengthening, and maintaining collaboration and coordination across CDC’s national centers including infectious diseases, chronic disease, environmental health, injury prevention, and public health infrastructure. She also provides overall direction to, and coordination of, the scientific and medical programs. Dr. Houry is also the Designated Federal Officer for the Advisory Committee to the CDC Director, working directly with private and public sector constituents to prioritize CDC’s activities and address key areas including data modernization and health disparities. As a board-certified emergency physician, she has seen firsthand the impact of infectious diseases, chronic health conditions, and injuries on individuals, families, and communities and strives to address and prevent challenges with implementable, evidence-based practices.

Early life and education

Dr. Houry was born and raised in Virginia. She completed her undergraduate degree at Emory University in 1994 with a double major in biology and philosophy. She also volunteered at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston and worked as a house staff assistant at Grady Hospital. From Emory, Houry entered the dual medical degree and MPH program at Tulane University. Following this, she trained in emergency medicine at Denver Health Medical Center and received the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors Resident Academic Achievement Award.

Career

Following her residency, Dr. Houry became an assistant professor of emergency medicine and of occupational and environmental health at Emory University, as well as associate director of Emory’s Center for Injury Control. While serving in this role, she was elected as the president of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

Dr. Houry's career at CDC began in 2014, where she served as the Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC. Under her leadership, the budget increased from $150 to $714 million with expansion of multiple programs. Other notable achievements under her leadership included releasing the CDC Opioid Prescribing Guidelines for Chronic Pain, acquiring the management of the Drug Free Communities program encompassing 700 local coalitions, expanding the National Violent Death Reporting System from 18 to 50 states, and standing up new funding lines in adverse childhood experiences, suicide, drowning, and firearm violence prevention.

Most recently, Dr. Houry served for nearly two years (2021-2023) as CDC’s acting Principal Deputy Director, overseeing improvements to lab quality, updating global health strategy and governance, and elevating cross-cutting initiatives across the agency such as social determinants and mental health. She was also a key leader in the CDC Moving Forward reorganization process for the agency.

Dr. Houry has participated on numerous public health boards and committees and is an alum of Leadership Atlanta and the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program. She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and has received numerous awards throughout her career including the APHA Jay Drotman award, US Department of Health and Human Services Group Award for Service to America, and the AMA Award for Outstanding Government Service.