John O. Agwunobi, MD, MPH, a graduate of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services. Agwunobi, who earned his Master of Public Health degree in 2004, currently serves as secretary and state health officer at the Florida Department of Health. His new appointment, which was announced on June 30, must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
On October 4, 2001, one day after his appointment as Florida’s health secretary, Agwunobi began coordinating the state’s response to the anthrax mailing attack, which was first detected with the death of a Palm Beach County man. According to published reports, Agwunobi dealt with a number of disease outbreaks during his time in office, including a rash of Cyclospora cases and an E. coli outbreak traced to animal petting zoos.—Tim Parsons
