Dr. Lawrence J. Fine was named acting director of the CDC''s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), effective Nov. 1.
Fine currently is the director of NIOSH''s Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies.
The announcement was made yesterday by Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Fine will begin serving as acting NIOSH director when Linda Rosenstock will assume her new position as dean of the School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles.
"Dr. Fine has published extensively in the field of occupational health and is a member of many professional organizations," said Koplan. "He is board-certified in internal medicine and preventive occupational medicine. I look forward to working with Dr. Fine as he provides leadership for NIOSH in the coming months."
The permanent NIOSH director position is appointed by the secretary of health and human services and involves a national search for a candidate.
Fine received his M.D. Degree in 1970 from the University of Illinois School of Medicine and his Masters of Public Health in Occupational Medicine and his Doctorate of Public Health in Occupational Medicine, in 1972 and 1975, from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Koplan also announced the appointments of two new permanent deputy directors for NIOSH.
Diane D. Porter will serve as the NIOSH deputy director for management, and Dr. Kathleen Rest will become the NIOSH deputy director for program. They succeed Bryan D. Hardin who retired this year.
by Virginia Sutcliffe