Grigorescu - Leadership

Violanda Grigorescu, MD, MSPH

Chief, Partnerships and Evaluation Branch

Division of Health Informatics and Surveillance

Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services

Office of Public Health Scientific Services

Violanda Grigorescu, MD, MSPH, is chief of the Partnerships and Evaluation Branch in the Division of Health Informatics and Surveillance (DHIS). In this position, Dr. Grigorescu leads the branch’s work toward meeting its mission to enhance stakeholders’ capacity and public health evidence-based decision making through technical assistance and expertise on evaluation and epidemiology, with a focus on the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, National Syndromic Surveillance Program, and Data Hub.

Prior to joining DHIS, Dr. Grigorescu served as chief of the Applied Sciences Branch in the Division of Reproductive Health (DRH), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, where she oversaw the branch’s work on key priorities including the CDC’s Teen Pregnancy Winnable Battle. In addition, she collaborated across CDC and with other partners to revamp the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), which included the implementation of the web-based integrated data collection system and open data platform. She guided and worked closely with branch staff to revise existing PRAMS questionnaires. Dr. Grigorescu also championed the use of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) through a collaboration with seven states and BRFSS colleagues on developing and implementing a module on reproductive health. In addition, Dr. Grigorescu coordinated DRH’s science to practice a strategic area of focus where she initiated collaboration with experts in the field of dissemination and implementation science. She used the knowledge translation/implementation science framework to enhance the dissemination process of scientific findings and participated in the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (HHS/ASPE) special evaluation roundtable, “Investing in What Works,” which concluded with the publication of the ASPE issue brief on readiness.

Before her position in CDC’s DRH, Dr. Grigorescu was director of the Division of Genomics Perinatal Health and Chronic Disease Epidemiology in the Bureau of Epidemiology at the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH). While at MDCH, she was nominated for the innovation award for her creative leadership strategies and guidance in achieving success on a complex panel of projects, including:

• newborn screening follow-up and cancer genomics programs;
• surveillance and epidemiology including surveys such as PRAMS and BRFSS, stroke and lupus registries, and maternal mortality surveillance;
• pilot projects such as sudden cardiac deaths in the young; and
• management of advisory committees such as the Newborn Screening Advisory Committee (by law) and Infertility Surveillance Advisory Committee.

Under her leadership, the division’s staff significantly impacted state public health policies and published multiple reports and scientific papers. In addition, Dr. Grigorescu was successful in developing standing collaboration with state and national partners and served in different stakeholder groups and advisory committees, including the University of Michigan Preventive Medicine Residency Advisory Committee. As adjunct assistant professor at Michigan State University Department of Epidemiology, she mentored PhD students, served as faculty for the T-32 post-doctoral program, and developed a public health elective course. She also served in the Michigan Alliance for the National Children’s Study.

In early 2000, Dr. Grigorescu was a senior epidemiologist fellow in CDC’s DRH and was tasked with increasing the state’s public health noninfectious epidemiology and surveillance capacity. During two state field assignments, she developed strategies to monitor the epidemiology resources and worked on projects that increased data capacity and use through data linkages and complex epidemiology studies. She also helped translate epidemiology findings into program strategies and policies.

Previously, she held an epidemiologist position at the Jefferson County Health Department in Louisville, Kentucky. She was a pioneer in linking different data sources using the Perinatal Periods of Risk and successfully evaluated federally funded programs such as Healthy Start where she initiated and led the first Fetal and Infant Mortality Review in the state. Dr. Grigorescu also significantly contributed to enhancing Jefferson County Health Department’s collaboration with CDC, healthcare institutions and providers, universities, and nonprofit organizations.

Dr. Grigorescu received her medical degree from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iasi, Romania, and her Master of Science in Public Health degree from the University of Louisville, Kentucky.