News on Preconception Health and Health Care

Dr. Wood holds an appointment as Research Professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, where her work focuses on the use of scientific knowledge in public policy. She is also Director of the Jacob's Institute of Women's Health at GWU. http://www.jiwh.org/ (To see a recent posting by Dr. Wood regarding the Institute of Medicine recommendations on women's preventive services, visit: http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2011/07/21/the-womens-preventive-services-report-and-the-role-of-evidence/

Susan Wood Dr. Wood served as Director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Women's Health from November 2000 through August 2005. She championed women's health both inside and outside the FDA, and then resigned on principle over FDA's delay of approval of emergency contraception for over-the-counter sale.

Previously, Dr. Wood was the Director for Policy and Program Development at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health, where she led the development of policy for the Office. She also coordinated the activities of the Public Health Service Coordinating Committee on Women's Health. From 1990 to 1995, Dr. Wood worked on Capitol Hill for the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues. Prior to her direct role in policy, Dr. Wood was a research scientist at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, in the Department of Neuroscience. She received her Ph.D. in biology from Boston University at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. Dr. Wood has received numerous awards in recognition of her work, including the Warren H. Pearse Lifetime Achievement Award. She is married and has a daughter.

The CDC Division of Reproductive Health and the national PCHHC Initiative welcome Dr. Violanda Grigorescu, MD, MSPH, in a new role. Dr. Grigorescu is a physician and epidemiologist by training with many years of experience in both fields. She received her MD degree from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, Romania and had many years of clinical experience in her home country. She earned her Masters of Science in Public Health degree from the University of Louisville, School of Medicine. Dr. Grigorescu has made notable and substantial contributions the National Birth Defects Prevention Network, the State MCH epidemiology program, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, and CityMatCH. Her career in public health started in 1999 as a Maternal and Child Health epidemiologist at the Jefferson County (Kentucky)Health Department. In 2002 she became a senior MCH epidemiologist fellow with the CDC and was assigned to work with the Michigan Department of Public Health. In 2006 she became Director of Division of Genomics, Perinatal Health and Chronic Disease Epidemiology in Michigan. Dr. Grigorescu has been an Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Michigan State University and member of the Preventive Medicine Residency Advisory Committee, University of Michigan.

The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) has committed the time and expertise of Dr. R. Louise Floyd, who is on detail to the PCHHC Initiative. Her experience and skills in science and government will be an important addition to the Initiative. R. Louise Floyd, RN, DSN, is a Supervisory Behavioral Scientist, Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, NCBDD, CDC. Prior to joining the CDC in 1988, Dr. Floyd began her career in public health at the Georgia Department of Human Resources. At CDC she has served as Project Officer of Smoking Cessation in Pregnancy Randomized Controlled Trial; Chief and Team Leader of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Prevention Team; and CDC representative to the federal Interagency Coordinating Committee on FAS. She oversaw the development of the National Task Force on FAS/FAE, serving as its first Executive Secretary. Dr. Floyd was the CDC Primary Investigator of Project CHOICES, an innovative program shown to reduce alcohol-exposed pregnancies in high risk women. Dr. Floyd received her BS degree in nursing from Berea College, Berea, Kentucky and a masters degree in nursing from Emory University. She received a Doctorate of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Alabama.