Director, Division of Violence Prevention

CDC role

Dr. Judy Schaechter, MD, MBA, is the director of the Division of Violence Prevention (DVP) in the CDC Injury Center. In this role, Dr. Schaechter provides leadership to bridge science and practice to stop violence before it begins. Dr. Schaechter leads a diverse portfolio that monitors violence-related injuries, conducts research on risk factors for violence and on effective prevention strategies, creates and evaluates prevention programs, and helps state and local partners adopt and disseminate these programs.

Previous experience

Dr. Schaechter brings more than 25 years of leadership in pediatrics and injury and violence prevention to CDC. She has a strong track record of success in applied public health; policy, academic, and program development; and coalition-building to improve outcomes.

Areas of expertise

• Public health and pediatrics
• Linking science, communications, and technology to meet emerging needs
• Injury and violence prevention topics
• Injury surveillance systems, educational initiatives, and translational research

Education

Dr. Schaechter was awarded a Certificate in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, an executive MBA from the University of Miami, a Medical Doctorate from Stanford and a BA in religious studies and ethics from Brown University.