Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

Dr. Carrie Reed, CDC Influenza Division

Dr. Carrie Reed, Team Lead of the Applied Research and Modeling Team in the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch of the Influenza Division, has been selected to receive the 2016 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. This is the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their research careers. This year, 104 people are being recognized with this award. President Obama said, "These early-career scientists are leading the way in our efforts to confront and understand challenges from climate change to our health and wellness. We congratulate these accomplished individuals and encourage them to continue to serve as an example of the incredible promise and ingenuity of the American people."

Dr. Reed is being recognized for her creative and practical application of epidemiologic methods and mathematical modeling to address key questions in the epidemiology of seasonal and pandemic influenza relevant to the mission of CDC and the US Government (USG). She has been able to translate abstract models into practical uses, providing a bridge between mathematical/statistical modelers and public health stakeholders. Dr. Reed has worked estimating seasonal and pandemic influenza disease burden, measuring the impact of annual influenza vaccination, developing the framework to characterize the severity of an influenza pandemic, and demonstrating the benefit of adding a second influenza B lineage to the influenza vaccine. "Dr. Reed has made concrete and substantial contributions to seasonal and pandemic influenza prevention and control. Her work has gained her recognition in the national and international scientific community as a leader in the field of influenza epidemiology”, Joseph Bresee, Chief, Epidemiology and Prevention Branch, Influenza Division.

Dr. Reed joined the Influenza Division as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer in 2007. She completed the EIS Program in 2009 during the height of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic and has been employed in the Division since that time. Dr. Reed is the second person in the Influenza Division to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. In 2012, Dr. Jessica Belser received the award for her work developing novel in vitro and in vivo models in the laboratory to study the ability of influenza viruses in general, and H7 subtype viruses in particular, to replicate in ocular tissue and use the eye as a portal of entry to establish a respiratory infection.

The Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, established by President Clinton in 1996, are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President. Awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach. To see the announcement from the White House, please visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/02/18/president-obama-honors-extraordinary-early-career-scientists.