New CDC head faces questions about financial conflicts of interest

The following article by Lena H. Sun and Alice Crites was posted on the Washington Post website December 11, 2017:

Brenda Fitzgerald, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has pledged to avoid government business that might affect her financial interests. (Melissa Golden for The Washington Post)

ATLANTA — After five months in office, President Trump’s new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been unable to divest financial holdings that pose potential conflicts of interest, hindering her ability to fully perform her job.

Brenda Fitzgerald, 71, who served as the Georgia public health commissioner until her appointment to the CDC post in July, said she has divested from many stock holdings. But she and her husband are legally obligated to maintain other investments in cancer detection and health information technology, according to her ethics agreement, requiring Fitzgerald to pledge to avoid government business that might affect those interests. Fitzgerald provided The Post with a copy of her agreement. Continue reading “New CDC head faces questions about financial conflicts of interest”