Henry Falk, M.D., M.P.H.

Director
Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention (CCEHIP)

Dr. Henry Falk serves as Director, Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention (CCEHIP), which is one of four Coordinating Centers at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CCEHIP includes the critical core of the Department of Health and Human Services' work in environmental health, the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR), and also includes the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC).

He served as Director for both the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), from 2003, when these two entities consolidated to form NCEH/ATSDR, until February, 2004.

Dr. Falk arrived at the CDC in 1972. He is also a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. This service culminated with his being named Rear Admiral and an appointment as assistant U.S. surgeon general.

While at NCEH, Dr. Falk led the Center's national effort to prevent and control environment-related diseases, illness, and deaths. He also served NCEH for 14 years as Director of the Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects.

At ATSDR, which was created by the 1980 Superfund legislation, Dr. Falk led the federal agency, whose mission is to protect public health from hazardous releases of toxic substances from 1999 to February, 2005.

Dr. Falk earned his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1968. He received a master's degree from the Harvard School of Public Health in 1976, and he is board-certified in pediatrics, public health and general preventive medicine.

Throughout his career at CDC, Dr. Falk has lent knowledge and leadership to myriad public health projects around the United States and the world. His work includes contributions to the federal responses to Three Mile Island , Mount St. Helens , Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew, and the September 11th attacks. During the 1980s, Dr. Falk was instrumental in developing the injury prevention programs at CDC.

Dr. Falk has also authored or coauthored more than 100 publications in a variety of subjects, including vinyl chloride-induced liver cancer, prevention of lead poisoning, and the health effects of environmental hazards.

During his career, Dr. Falk and his distinguished work have been recognized many times. His honors include the Vernon Houk Award for Leadership in Preventing Childhood Lead Poisoning and the Homer C. Calver Award from the American Public Health Association. He has also received CDC's William C. Watson Jr. Medal of Excellence, as well as the Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Public Health Service.