Debra Houry

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

Debra Elaine 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, having previously served as acting principal deputy director and former Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Early life and education

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, 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, Houry was elected as the president of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

In May 2013, Houry was selected as a Fellow in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program to prepare women for senior leadership roles in academic health institutions. The following year, she was appointed director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During her tenure as the Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Houry oversaw the release of "Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain," which gives providers research and academic evidence for managing patient opioid prescriptions.

As a result of her research, Houry was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine in 2019.

In 2021, she was appointed acting principal deputy director of CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting Director Rochelle Walensky. In this role, Houry advised the director on agency issues and priorities. In 2022, she was appointed as the Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science at CDC. This was a new role created to increase the speed of delivery of scientific information and improve communications to the public. The Chief Medical Officer provides overall direction to, and coordination of, the scientific and medical programs of CDC. In addition, Houry serves as the designated federal official for the Advisory Committee to the CDC Director.