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Our annual Mary C. Parker Yates Lecture, The Murphy Institute’s premier academic event, returns this month with a special talk by Deb Houry, MD, MPH, Former Chief Medical Officer of the CDC and current Lecturer and Senior Fellow at the Yale School of Public Health.📆 When: Wednesday, September 23 at 4:00 PM
📍 Where: Tulane University Uptown Campus, Lavin Bernick Center (LBC), Qatar Ballroom, Room 212
Details: https://murphy.tulane.edu/public-health-leader-and-tulane-alumna-dr-deb-houry-deliver-2026-mary-c-parker-yates-lecture.
A board-certified emergency physician and a dual-degree graduate of Tulane University (MD ’98, MPH ’98), Dr. Houry has spent nearly three decades at the forefront of national health strategy. Her lecture comes at a pivotal moment for the field, as she continues to advocate for scientific integrity and the protection of public health infrastructure.
A Career of Impact and Integrity:
Throughout her career, Houry has been an advocate for data-driven injury prevention and has led responses to some of the country’s most pressing health challenges. Dr. Houry’s tenure at the CDC was marked by her role as a primary architect of the nation’s clinical and public health strategies. As the agency’s Chief Medical Officer and Acting Principal Deputy Director, she oversaw nine national centers and led the "Moving Forward" initiative to modernize data systems and strengthen emergency preparedness. She is also widely credited with advancing national strategies to combat the opioid epidemic and suicide prevention during her time as Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
In August 2025, Dr. Houry made headlines when she resigned from her post at the CDC in a formal act of protest following the ouster of then-CDC Director Susan Monarez. In her resignation and subsequent public statements, she cited several critical concerns regarding political interference in the agency’s scientific work, censorship of data, and the "weaponization" of public health. Since leaving the CDC, Dr. Houry has emerged as a vital voice for transparency, testifying before Congress and publishing widely on the necessity of data-driven policy.
Currently, Dr. Houry serves as a Lecturer and Senior Fellow at the Yale School of Public Health and as a Senior Medical Advisor to the California Public Health Network Innovation Exchange (PHNIX), where she works with state leadership to drive innovation in health communication and infrastructure.
Event Information:
The Mary C. Parker Yates Lecture is The Murphy Institute’s premier academic event, inviting distinguished scholars and practitioners to engage with the Tulane community on pressing issues of ethics, policy, and society.
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Event venue
Lavin-Bernick Center - Tulane University, Wildflower Kitchen, 29 McAlister Dr, New Orleans, LA 70118, United States
Tickets
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