Branch Management Changes

The Immunization Branch has recently experienced several major changes in management. IZ Branch Chief Howard Backer, MD, who has been with the Branch since 2000, has accepted a special assignment in the California Health and Human Services Agency. His first day in his new Sacramento office was August 18. The new assignment is expected to last at least six months.

In Dr. Backer’s absence, John Talarico, DO, MPH will serve as interim branch chief. Dr. Talarico was formerly chief of the IZ Branch’s Bioterrorism Preparedness Section, and is a board-certified pediatrician with a deep commitment to the prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases. Since January, Dr. Talarico has been serving as chief of the Office of Emergency Preparedness Planning, Policy, and Coordination in the CDPH Center for Infectious Diseases (CID).  Before that, he served as medical director for the New York State Department of Health’s (NYSDOH) Immunization Program, chief of the NYSDOH Child and Adolescent Health Bureau, and acting director of the Bioterrorism Preparedness Program for Los Angeles County.

 Assistant Branch Chief Denise Rogers left the Branch this month for a position with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. She will serve as deputy chief of the Program Operations Branch in CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). Denise will continue to oversee California’s CDC grant compliance from her new position.

Field Services Section Chief Maria Volk is assuming assistant branch chief responsibilities until a replacement for Denise is found. The Branch sends its best wishes to Dr. Backer and Denise.

While these moves represent significant change in the IZ Branch leadership, the Branch remains on solid ground with highly capable individuals at the helm.The Branch will continue to provide the highest level of public service to protect Californians from vaccine-preventable diseases during this transition.