 CAPT Sharon O. Williams-Fleetwood |
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| Meet the New Chief Professional Officer for the Scientist Category | |
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CAPT Sharon O. Williams-Fleetwood was selected as the Chief Professional Officer for the Scientist category effective 1 August 2009. As Chief Scientist Officer, she is responsible for providing leadership and coordination of Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (Corps) scientist professional affairs for the Office of the Surgeon General and the Department of Health and Human Services. CAPT Williams-Fleetwood will provide guidance and advice to the Surgeon General and the Scientist Professional Advisory Committee (SciPAC) on matters such as recruitment, retention, and career development of Corps scientists.
CAPT Williams-Fleetwood currently serves as the Deputy Director for the Division of Health Assessment and Consultation at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in Atlanta, GA. In this capacity, she manages programmatic and administrative activities which ensures the best available science and public health practices are integrated into the assessment of exposures and engagement of communities living near hazardous waste sites. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Tennessee State University in Nashville in 1975, and then entered the School of Graduate Studies at Meharry Medical College in Nashville where she received her Ph.D. in pharmacology. She also completed postdoctoral research training in neuropharmacology in the School of Medicine at Emory University in Atlanta. CAPT Williams-Fleetwood began her career in the Corps as a toxicologist evaluating exposures at hazardous waste sites at ATSDR. In her 21 years at ATSDR, she has held several technical and management positions in which she prepared health assessments and health consultations characterizing exposures for communities living near hazardous waste sites, developed approaches to reassess sites to ensure the effectiveness of exposure identification and interventions, and provided oversight and direction to division and State health department staff conducting public health assessment activities nationwide. Her exemplary Corps career has resulted in many notable accomplishments in which she provided critical leadership to address community environmental health concerns, shaped program policies and guidance, strengthened collaborations with key environmental health partners, provided technical expertise in the identification of exposures and the implementation of public health actions designed for communities living near hazardous waste sites, and developed student programs. Memberships in professional organizations include the Society of Toxicology, the Commissioned Officers Association, and the Reserve Officers Association. CAPT Williams-Fleetwood was assimilated into the Regular Corps in 2004 and has received numerous Public Health Service awards for her exceptional leadership and service including an Outstanding Service Medal, a Commendation Medal, two Outstanding Unit Citations, an Achievement Medal, and a PHS Citation. |
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