Title: Senior Scientist
Company: Emory University
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
J. Peter Cegielski, MD, MPH, Senior Scientist at Emory University, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Scientists for dedication, achievements, and leadership in infectious disease treatment and epidemiology.
With decades of experience as a physician, scientist, and educator to his credit, Dr. Cegielski has excelled as a senior scientist with Emory University since 2021. Acknowledged as a leading worldwide authority on drug-resistant tuberculosis with additional expertise in COVID-19 and HIV infection, clinical medicine, and public health, he Dr. Cegielski served at the CDC as a medical officer from 1998 to 2001, a team leader from 2001 to 2018, a supervisory medical officer from 2015 to 2018, and a guest researcher from 2018 to 2020 in the Division of TB Elimination and the Division of Global HIV and TB.
Dr. Cegielski began his career as an internal medicine intern at The University of Vermont Medical Center from 1984 to 1985 before completing his internal medicine residency at Duke University Medical Center from 1985 to 1987. Between 1988 and 1990, he was as a lecturer in internal medicine at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences as well as an infectious diseases & international health fellow at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Cegielski further cemented his stellar tenure in academia as an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center from 1991 to 1994, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler from 1994 to 1996, and an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health from 1996 to 1998.
To support his professional ambitions, Dr. Cegielski pursued an education at Harvard University, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemical sciences, cum laude, in 1978. He continued his academic efforts with a Doctor of Medicine at the University of California San Diego in 1984. Following these accomplishments, he obtained his certifications in internal medicine and infectious diseases from the American Board of Internal Medicine in 1987 and 1990, respectively. Dr. Cegielski concluded his studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, from which he earned a Master of Public Health in epidemiology in 1995.
Beyond his primary responsibilities, Dr. Cegielski has participated in numerous endeavors outside of his immediate circles. A former committee member for the World Health Organization, he has become reputable in his field for mentoring medical and public health professionals at Duke, Johns Hopkins, CDC, and Emory University. Dr. Cegielski has found success with his written works as well, having co-authored myriad articles for medical journals such as The Lancet, the Journal of Infectious Diseases, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Journal of the American Medical Association, the American Journal of Public Health, and the American Journal of Epidemiology, to name a few. He also wrote chapters for major reference works such as the Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition, UpToDate in Medicine, Infections of the Central Nervous System, and various World Health Organization guidelines.
In light of his impressive undertakings, Dr. Cegielski has accrued several accolades throughout his career. A finalist for the Charles C. Shepard Science Award from the CDC on multiple occasions, the CDC notably presented him with the 2016 Award for Excellence in Epidemiology-International, the 2016 Global Health Honor Award, the 2007 Philip S. Brachmann Award, the and the 2007 Individual Honor Award. He was further recognized with the National Research Service Award from The University of North Carolina in 1993, The Golden Peach Award from the Texas Department of Health in 1996, an Individual Achievement Medal and Unit Commendation from the U.S. Public Health Service in 2001, a Pillar of Excellence Award from the Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness in 2002, and a Certificate of Appreciation from U.S. Ambassador Eric Goosby in 2009. In 2011, Dr. Cegielski was celebrated with a Certificate and Honor Coin from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Cegielski has attributed his success partly to his parents, both of whom were immigrants, physicians and surgeons, partly to his natural aptitude for mathematics and science, as well as teachers and mentors who inspired him and an element of luck. He was likewise inspired by the outstanding work of great physicians and scientists like Albert Schweitzer, Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch, Edward Jenner, Nicholas Copernicus and books like “Microbe Hunters” by Paul de Kruif. Having conducted research and treated HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, leprosy, malaria and other tropical and parasitic diseases in Kenya, Tanzania, Thailand, and the United States, he is proud to have traveled around the world working with the World Health Organization, Partners in Health, Medecin San Frontiere, and many ministries of health, establishing pilot and demonstration treatment programs for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. In the course of that work he discovered the global emergence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB) in collaborated with major international reference laboratories, leading the team that first documented, described and reported XDR TB. Looking toward the future, Dr. Cegielski hopes to complete his research prior to his retirement, at which point he will settle in a cabin he is building in Northern California.
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