Medical Epidemiologist
CDC
Dr Lessa is the lead of the prevention team with the International Infection Control Program in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Lessa joined CDC in 2006 as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer. During her tenure with the CDC, she has led several important programs, including population-based surveillance systems for Clostridioides difficile and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and the Global Pneumonia program. Dr. Lessa has experience working in Latin America, Africa and Asia. She has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers and has authored several book chapters. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Lessa has become the CDC liaison with the World Health Organization on the Infection Prevention and Control Pillar of the WHO’s COVID-19 response, and in collaboration with WHO she has developed several global guidance documents on the prevention of COVID-19 in healthcare settings. Dr. Lessa received her medical degree in Brazil where she served as an infectious disease physician and hospital epidemiologist. She is also a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, School of Public Health.