About
Dr. Leaumont is the Deputy Director for Science for the CDC'S Division of Laboratory Systems in the Office of Laboratory Science and Safety.
Experience
Dr. Collette Fitzgerald is the Deputy Director for Science in the Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS). She has 18 years of experience working in the Enteric Diseases Laboratory Branch. She most recently served as Team Lead of the National Enteric Reference and Outbreak (NERO) Team.
Dr. Fitzgerald’s strong leadership led NERO to enhance laboratory safety and implement whole genome sequencing and quality management systems. Dr. Fitzgerald and her team played a critical role in food safety. They ensured health partners and collaborators have the necessary skills and tools. These resources enabled accurate laboratory-based surveillance and outbreak response for enteric pathogens.
Dr. Fitzgerald has over 25 years of laboratory experience working on Campylobacter and related organisms. She is recognized as a national and international subject matter expert on this pathogen group.
For the past two years, Dr. Fitzgerald has co-chaired a national Culture Independent Diagnostic Tests regulatory workgroup. Their initial goals are identifying barriers and developing strategies to ensure continued flow of specimens and isolates to public health.
Additionally, Dr. Fitzgerald is the current CDC chair on a national workgroup. They are developing Best Laboratory Practices for Diagnosis of Campylobacter for Clinical and Public Health Laboratories.
Dr. Fitzgerald earned a PhD in Molecular Microbiology from the University of Lancaster in the United Kingdom. Prior to that, Dr. Fitzgerald completed a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with a Concentration in Chemistry from the University of Southampton, also in the United Kingdom.