Mandy Cohen reportedly picked to head CDC

Through the worst of the COVID pandemic, with shutdowns and case spikes, Dr. Mandy Cohen led North Carolina's response to the virus. She became the face of the state's efforts to fight the virus, guiding the state through the global health crisis.

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Now, Cohen is reportedly President Joe Biden's top pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Cohen led the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services from 2017 through 2021. Her regular televised press conferences, frequently flanked by Gov. Roy Cooper, became must-watch television for many households during the worst of the pandemic.

Over 150 press conferences later, yesterday we celebrated my last. Thank you @NC_Governor for the opportunity to serve NC & thanks to all those behind the scenes who work hard to make it all possible. pic.twitter.com/FqM8w8Kuly

Cohen held more than 150 press conferences through her time leading the state's COVID response, according to her own count. Those televised press conferences almost always included Cohen's constant reminder, "As always, don't forget your 3 Ws: wear, wait and wash."

"Mandy Cohen used a steady hand to help my administration lead North Carolina through the pandemic to be among the states with the lowest deaths and job losses per capita," Cooper said in a statement.

"She is a brilliant, talented and battle tested leader who would be a fantastic CDC Director," the governor said.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced in May that she planned to step down. Her last day will be at the end of June.

"The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency marks a tremendous transition for our country, for public health, and in my tenure as CDC Director," Walensky said in a letter to Biden last month.

"I took on this role, at your request, with the goal of leaving behind the dark days of the pandemic and moving CDC – and public health – forward into a much better and more trusted place," she wrote.

The CDC is a massive operation leading federal efforts on public health as part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

If selected for the job, Cohen would bring years of experience in government. Before leading North Carolina DHHS, Cohen worked in public health roles during the Obama administration.

Cohen is an internal medicine physician. Before taking the helm at North Carolina DHHS, she was the chief operating officer and chief of staff at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

She is currently CEO and executive vice president of Aledade Care Solutions, which works with doctors and community health clinics.

As head of North Carolina DHHS, Cohen ran a department with 17,000 employees and a $20 billion annual budget. She was in that role in March 2020 when the coronavirus reached North Carolina. COVID would become her top priority for the rest of her tenure as DHHS secretary.