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Each Student Successful
Howell Wechsler, Ed.D., M.P.H.
 Director
of the Division of Adolescent and School Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, Georgia
Howell Wechsler has served as the Director of the Division of Adolescent
and School Health (DASH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
since April 2004. In this position, he supervises the management of DASH’s
three surveillance systems (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, School
Health Policies and Programs Study, and School Health Profiles); research
and evaluation studies; research synthesis reports; development and
dissemination of tools to help schools and community programs implement
evidence-based policies and practices; and programmatic activities,
including funding of and technical assistance to state and local education
agencies and national, non-governmental organizations.
Prior to this appointment, Dr. Wechsler served for two years as the Chief
of the Research Application Branch in DASH. In that position, Dr. Wechsler
supervised CDC’s scientists who provide content expertise in topics such as
sexual risk behaviors prevention, physical activity, nutrition, obesity
prevention, tobacco use prevention, injuries and violence prevention, asthma
management, and food safety. He also has served as the Division’s nutrition
education and obesity prevention specialist and co-coordinator of CDC’s
national initiative to enable schools to prevent cardiovascular disease,
cancer, and diabetes.
Dr. Wechsler has provided technical assistance for CDC school health
surveillance instruments and coordinated projects that promote the
implementation of the CDC school health guidelines. He was the lead author
of CDC’s “Guidelines for School Health Programs to Promote Lifelong Healthy
Eating” and played a leading role in the development of the “School Health
Index: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide” and "Promoting Better Health
for Young People Through Physical Activity and Sports: A Report to the
President."
Prior to joining CDC in 1995, Dr. Wechsler served for six years as
Project Director of the Washington Heights-Inwood Healthy Heart Program in
New York City. This community-based cardiovascular disease prevention
program was affiliated with Columbia University, where Dr. Wechsler taught
courses in health communication. Dr. Wechsler has also directed a
community-based health screening program serving the New York City
metropolitan area and has worked as a health educator for the New York City
Department of Health. He entered the field of public health during his
service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zaire.
Dr. Wechsler earned a doctorate in health education from Teachers
College, Columbia University, a master's in public health from Columbia
University, and a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern
University.
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