[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 29, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1829-S1830]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO DR. RIMA KHABBAZ

  Mr. WARNOCK. Madam President, I rise today to extend my most sincere 
gratitude to Rima Khabbaz, MD, the director of the National Center for 
Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. Dr. Khabbaz is retiring 
after spending 38 years at NCEZID, where her work focused on fighting 
the spread of infectious diseases.
  For the past 5 years at NCEZID, Dr. Khabbaz has led staff who monitor 
and work to control dangerous pathogens in the United States and across 
the world. Her time as NCEZID director concludes three decades of 
leadership at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is 
headquartered in the great State of Georgia, beginning with her role as 
chief of the Human Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit in CDC's 
Hantavirus Task Force in 1993 and 1994.
  Dr. Khabbaz began her career at CDC as an epidemic intelligence 
service officer in CDC's Hospital Infections Program from 1980 through 
1982. She returned to CDC in 1986 and a year later became a medical 
epidemiologist in the Retrovirus Diseases Branch. She quickly took up 
leadership roles in historic outbreak responses, including those for 
hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, anthrax, SARS, monkeypox, Ebola, Zika, 
and COVID-19.
  Over the past two decades, Dr. Khabbaz has led CDC's infectious 
disease activities through some turbulent times and at the highest 
levels. She was CDC's deputy director for infectious diseases and 
director of the Office of Infectious Diseases from 2010 to 2017, where 
she also temporarily served in dual roles as interim acting director of 
the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases and 
interim acting director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral 
Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.
  Previously, she has served as director of the National Center for 
Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases; director, 
acting director, and associate director for epidemiologic science in 
the National Center for Infectious Diseases; and deputy director and 
associate director for medical science in NCID's Division of Viral and 
Rickettsial Diseases.
  Dr. Khabbaz's departure from NCEZID marks the end of a truly 
distinguished career. She will be especially missed by her colleagues, 
who unfailingly describe her as an exceedingly insightful and caring 
leader. Dr. Khabbaz's contributions to the health of the State of 
Georgia, the United States, and the world are greatly appreciated. I 
wish her a restorative and gratifying retirement following her nearly 
40 years of government service.

[[Page S1830]]

  

                          ____________________