Director, Division of Human Development and Disability

Role at CDC

Karyl Rattay, MD, MPH, FAAP, is the division director for the Division of Human Development and Disability (DHDD) at the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD). Dedicated to the health, development, and well-being of children and adults across the lifespan, she applies her personal passion and knowledge to a critical leadership position at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In her role at DHDD, Dr. Rattay directs CDC's public health approach, to help children and adults with disabilities live their lives fully by supporting surveillance, research, programs, and policies that facilitate increases in accessibility, and inclusion and improved quality of life. DHDD also works to optimize child development for those with or at risk for high-impact conditions so children can reach their full potential in life. Dr. Rattay oversees a division staff focused on the best health outcomes for the following populations:

• Infants and children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, fragile X syndrome, hearing loss, autism spectrum disorders, and Tourette syndrome
• Infants and children at risk for developmental delays, disabilities, and mental disorders
• Adults living with disabilities, including those with intellectual, functional, mobility, and cognitive limitations.

Previous experience

For more than 20 years Dr. Rattay has served as a public health leader and manager. Most recently she served for 13 years as Delaware's director of the Division of Public Health, leading 1,000 public health scientists and practitioners using science and data to plan and implement public health programs. As Dr. Rattay states, "All impactful results occur through partnerships and collaboration."

Dr. Rattay has served at all levels of government. In addition to state government, Dr. Rattay served as a senior policy and program analyst for 5 years with the Nemours Health and Prevention Services, where she helped establish a new division focused on health promotion and prevention for the children and youth of Delaware. During her time in the HHS Office of the Secretary Office of Public Health and Science, she worked with the Assistant Secretary of Health and the Surgeon General on issues related to overweight/obesity, physical activity, nutrition, child health, and clinical health. Dr. Rattay brings to the division and to our agency the perspective of a recognized public health leader who has repeatedly demonstrated her ability to translate science into policy and programs for the public and improve the lives of the people she serves.

Education

Dr. Rattay is board-certified in pediatrics. She earned a medical doctorate from the Medical University of Ohio and then completed a pediatric residency at Georgetown University and a preventive medicine residency at the University of Maryland. Dr. Rattay earned a master of science degree in epidemiology from the University of Maryland in 2001. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in zoology and pre-medicine, which she received in 1987 from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.