Rochelle Paula Walensky, born as Rochelle Paula Bersoff, is an American researcher and scientist working at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) as the Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases. She is also a practicing infectious diseases physician at MGH and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, a renowned expert on HIV and AIDS, and Medical Practice Evaluation Center’s Co-Director at MGH.
In December 2020, she was chosen by President-Elect Biden to be the new director of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in the new administration. She will be replacing Robert R. Redfield who is the current director. She will assume office on January 20, 2021. Unlike other appointments, this post does not require confirmation by the US Senate.
After the nomination, Walensky tweeted “I’m honored to be called to lead the brilliant team at the CDC. We are ready to combat this virus with science and facts.”
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Early Life and Education
Rochelle was born on September 16, 1969, to Edward H. Bersoff and Carol Bersoff-Bernstein in Peabody, Massachusetts.
In 1991, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology and biochemistry from Washington University located in St. Louis.
She then attended Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and received her MD in 1995. Then she received training in internal medicine till 1998 at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Walensky then took part in the Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program of MGH /Brigham and Women’s Hospital and in 2001 earned an MPH in clinical effectiveness from Harvard School of Public Health.’
Career
- Rochelle joined Harvard Medical School faculty as an instructor in 2001. She later became a professor.
- From 1998, she has been a part of the CEPAC (Cost-effectiveness of Preventing AIDS Complications) team.
- Since 2011, she has been a member of the Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents Panel of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
- She is also a member of the American Association of Physicians (AAP), the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), and the HIV Medical Association Board of Directors.
- In 2014-15, she was National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Chair of the Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council.
- She has been a member of the board of directors at MassGeneral Brigham Hospital.
- She worked as an advisor for UNAIDS and WHO.
Walensky on Covid-19
Walensky has worked on strategies to fight the coronavirus pandemic and attain herd immunity. She is for the John Snow Memorandum approach wherein vaccination along with other mitigation methods like wearing masks, etc. need to be adopted.
Rochella Walensky – Husband and Family
- Rochelle is married to Loren Walensky. The couple has 3 teenager/adult sons.
- Loren is also a scientist and physician. He works as a pediatrics professor at Harvard Medical School; as an attending physician and principal investigator in the Pediatric Oncology department at Dana-Farber-Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center’s; and as director of the MD-PhD Program at Harvard/MIT
Rochella Walensky – Net Worth
- As of 2021, Rochelle’s net worth is around $5 million. The combined net worth of the couple is estimated to be $8 million.
Trivia
- The couple attends Temple Emanuel located in Newton, Massachusetts. They are of Jewish faith.
- She is 5 feet 11 inches tall.
- In 2010, she was awarded the Harvard Medical Young Mentor Award. In 2016, she received the A. Clifford Barger Mentoring Award.