Staff Bio
Letitia Presley-Cantrell, PhD
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Dr. Presley-Cantrell directs programmatic and scientific efforts for CDC's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, as well as policy, partnerships, and communication strategies, to promote the cardiovascular health of the nation and fulfill the division's mission.
Role at CDC
Letitia Presley-Cantrell, PhD, is the acting director of the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (DHDSP) in CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), where she guides the division in providing national leadership, public health and scientific expertise, and program funding and support to improve cardiovascular health for all.
Previous experience
Dr. Presley-Cantrell was previously the branch chief of DHDSP's Program Development and Services Branch, where she oversaw CDC's National Cardiovascular Health Program, the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program, and the WISEWOMAN (Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for WOMen Across the Nation) program. Before joining DHDSP, she was with NCCDPHP's Division of Population Health, where she took on topics as diverse as cardiovascular disease, minority health, sleep, COPD, and mental health.
Throughout her career at CDC, Dr. Presley-Cantrell has worked extensively with rural and urban communities at the local, state, and federal levels, where she developed, implemented, and promoted community-based public health programs and research. A major career focus has been to reduce the burden of death and disease in minority populations, especially among women. For her efforts to eliminate health disparities, she received the Health Disparities Champion Award from the National REACH Coalition. And in recognition of her work to prepare the next generation of public health professionals, she received the CDC/DHPE David Satcher Award for exceptional leadership.