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As president and CEO of CARE USA, Helene D. Gayle is responsible for providing overall leadership, management, and direction to one of the world’s premier international relief and development organizations. With programs in over 60 countries, CARE helps people in poor communities expand the control they have over their own lives to advance positive, enduring social change. CARE helps people to recover from natural disasters and other acute emergencies and to gain access to healthcare, nutrition, education, safe water, and improved sanitation. Dr. Gayle was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. She received her B.A. from Barnard College of Columbia University, her M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and her M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Gayle is board certified in pediatrics, completing a residency in pediatric medicine at the Children’s Hospital National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. After completing her residency, she entered the Epidemic Intelligence Service, a training program in epidemiology, at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), followed by a residency in preventive medicine and then remained at CDC for a career that spanned 20 years and a variety of positions. She rose through the ranks at CDC to become the first director of the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, (NCHSTP), at that time CDC’s largest center. On assignment from CDC, Dr. Gayle also served as AIDS coordinator and chief of the HIV/AIDS Division for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She has served as a health consultant to international agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the World Bank, and UNAIDS, and has worked extensively in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. She also served as the director of CDC’s Washington office. Prior to assuming her current position, she was the director of the HIV, TB, and Reproductive Health Program for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, responsible for research, programs, and policies related to HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, reproductive health issues, and tuberculosis. Dr. Gayle has published numerous articles on public health, especially related to HIV/AIDS and has received many awards for her scientific and public health contributions. She attained the rank of rear admiral (assistant surgeon general) in the U.S. Public Health Service. She is also on the boards of the Institute of Medicine and the Council on Foreign Relations. |
