Staff Bio
James “Jimmy” Stephens, PhD, is the Associate Director for Science (ADS) and Acting Deputy Director for the Public Health Infrastructure Center at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Role at CDC
Dr. Stephens is responsible for working with science professionals networks across the center and CDC to ensure the quality and integrity of all scientific work. He led similar functions in CDC’s former Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services.
Previous experience
Dr. Stephens joined CDC in 1992 as a research chemist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Morgantown, West Virginia where he studied the physicochemical properties of respirable particles and fibers. He also developed new techniques for visualization of highly complex data sets. In 1999, he became a Senior Scientist in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's Office of the Director in Atlanta, and in 2004 he was appointed as their Associate Director for Science.
In 2006, Dr. Stephens was named as the Acting Associate Director for Science for CDC within the Office of the Chief Science Officer, a role he assumed officially in 2007. In 2010, he became the Director of the Office of Science Quality within the newly formed Office of the Associate Director for Science. In these roles, he served as an advisor on CDC scientific issues and as the chair of the CDC Excellence in Science Committee. He also served as a scientific liaison between MMWR and the CDC Office of the Director, and he helped to develop new standards for guidelines development at CDC.
In 2013, Dr. Stephens was appointed as the Deputy Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. He then joined the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in January 2014, and served in multiple roles include Acting Deputy Director, Acting Director of the Division of Community Health Investigations, and Director of the Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences.