
Lisa (in purple) stands with a team she worked with to collect data on schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group is receiving an award from CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen (in red).
Gillings alum Lisa Barrios is the first director of the Division of Readiness and Response Science at the CDC.

What’s your role in public health?
I recently became the first director of the Division of Readiness and Response Science in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office of Readiness and Response. This is a new division, started on October 1, 2023.
The frequency and severity of public health emergencies continue to intensify, as the world saw during the COVID-19 pandemic and the mpox outbreak. In fact, the CDC’s Emergency Operations Center has been continuously operating for more than a decade. We need to devote time and attention to taking a rigorous scientific approach to how we prepare for and respond to public health threats.
This includes improving our understanding of how to address health disparities and how to help people make behavioral choices that will keep them and their loved ones safe in public health emergencies. My division is tasked with evaluating the systems we use to prepare and respond at the federal, state, tribal, local and territorial levels. We are using the best data science possible to provide reliable, comprehensive and timely information on public health threats as they emerge, evolve and require public health responses. It’s a busy place!

Can you describe your focus area in one sentence?
I am working to apply and advance evidence-based scientific principles and methods to detect and respond to public health threats effectively and efficiently.

What brought you to public health and the Gillings School?
Without knowing it, I started working in public health early in my college years when I took on a work-study job managing data for a weight loss study. During my sophomore year, I lived in a freshman hall as a health advocate and provided health education to students. I was always interested in how to help people make healthy behavioral choices, but I didn’t know public health was a field until I started applying for master’s degree programs. When I saw the behavioral science programs available in public health schools, I knew that was where I was heading.
During my master’s program, I secured an internship at the New York City Department of Health in their new Injury Prevention Program, and I worked there full-time after I received my degree. I got to know injury prevention specialists from across the country through the American Public Health Association and the journal Injury Prevention. I loved the way the field focuses on “making the safer choices the easier choices” by putting environmental, engineering and/or policy practices into place. (One example is adding beeping seat belt warnings in cars and having laws requiring seat belt use.)
At that point, however, I was still struggling in my work with communities to help them identify and implement safety practices. I decided to pursue a doctoral degree to deepen my understanding of public health and injury prevention. UNC-Chapel Hill was the only school I applied to. I knew that I wanted to work with Dr. Carol Runyan at the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center and I wanted to earn my degree in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education.

Can you describe a time when you’ve pivoted in your public health career?
I have been at the CDC for 27 years now. My first foray into emergency response was after September 11, 2001, when I had been working on injury and violence prevention for schools. We realized we needed to add a section on responding to emergencies. After that, I was called on to represent the needs of schools and students in many CDC emergency responses to threats such as anthrax, Zika, Ebola and H1N1 pandemic influenza.
When I saw that we were likely to respond to COVID-19, I had a key person from my staff start working in partnership with the US Department of Education to develop guidance for schools. When I joined the COVID-19 emergency response, I took on a new role: developing and leading scientific investigations to understand the impact of the pandemic on schools and to test mitigation strategies, For example, we conducted observational studies of mask use on college campuses to understand if masks were being worn correctly and if that varied in different places on campus. I worked on the CDC’s COVID-19 response for more than two years in various leadership positions. Afterward, I created a new unit to focus on preparedness for schools — that unit is now part of my new division.

Who are you when you’re at home?

Lisa sings with the chorus at her synagogue. (She’s in the turquoise top!)
I am a mom to two young adults and two dogs. My youngest and I enjoy trying to find television series or movies that we can both agree to watch. The dogs and I like to go for walks in the woods at nearby parks and at the north Georgia lakes. One of my favorite activities is singing in the chorus of my synagogue. Making music with a group is a fantastic experience. We have a number of albums out and have had the opportunity to perform at the Georgia Aquarium, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and other fun locations.
Read more interviews in The Pivot series.
Published: Oct. 10, 2024