The head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under George W. Bush has been hired to head up the vaccines unit of pharma giant Merck & Co.

Julie Gerberding, who was director of the CDC during 2002-09, stepped down from the agency when US President Barack Obama took office at the start of this year.

“I’ve had the privilege in my previous work in academia and in the federal government to be a passionate advocate for public health priorities such as vaccines, which are an imperative component of global health development,” says Gerberding (press release). “I am very excited to be joining Merck where I can help to expand access to vaccines around the world.”

Gerberding didn’t have an entirely smooth ride as the first female head of the CDC. She was in charge during the 2001 anthrax attacks and came under fierce criticism for allegedly toning down testimony to congress on global warming at the behest of Bush.

As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote after her resignation/ousting:

During Dr. Julie Gerberding’s six years directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, critics lambasted her, accusing her of sacrificing science for politics and carrying the Bush agenda on global warming and other issues into the world of scientific research.

Her defenders countered that she kept the agency above political concerns and expanded its mission to include bioterrorism research, combating AIDS globally and responding to national health threats.

Noting her appointment to Merck, Reuters says – perhaps harshly – “she had led CDC from one crisis to another”.

Interestingly, Reuters points out that Gerberding will now be in charge of pushing Merck’s underperforming HPV vaccine Gardasil. This is opposed by many who might be considered traditional Bush supporters over fears that vaccinating against sexually transmitted diseases might promote promiscuity.

Image: Wikipedia