Mandy Krauthamer Cohen (born September 17, 1978)[1] is an American internist, public health official, and healthcare executive who served as the 20th director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2023 to 2025.

Chan School of Public Health, and the American Medical Association presented her with the AMA Award for Outstanding Government Service.

[4] She later served as Co-Director for the Health Policy Elective at Massachusetts General Hospital, and was a northeast representative for the American College of Physicians' National Council of Associates.

[4] After completing her residency in Boston, Cohen moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as the Deputy Director of Comprehensive Women's Health Services from 2008 to 2009.

[11][4][12] In 2013 she was hired as a senior advisor by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services, to assist in implementing policies for Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children's Health Insurance Program, as well as the Federally Facilitated Marketplace under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

[17][6][18][14][19] As secretary, she oversaw 16,000 department employees and dealt with multiple health crises in North Carolina including the Opioid epidemic, GenX in drinking water, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

[6][10][20] In 2020, Cohen was mentioned as a potential pick for United States Secretary of Health and Human Services under President-elect Joe Biden.

[10][22] She helped lead North Carolina through a transition from fee-for-service Medicaid to a model contracted by the state with private insurance companies that are paid pre-determined rates to provide health services.

[10] Cohen spearheaded Healthy Opportunities, an initiative testing the impact of providing high-need Medicaid enrollees with housing, food, transportation, and interpersonal safety interventions with the goal of improving public health and reducing costs.

[10] The plan also updated the Controlled Substance Reporting System, helping doctors identify patients at risk of misusing opioids.

[9][18] Cohen stressed the need for North Carolinians to wear face masks, practice social distancing, and wash their hands in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

[31][32] In June 2020 she met virtually with members of the North Carolina House of Representatives' Health Committee to address concerns regarding the pandemic.

[33] Cohen announced the creation of up to 300 testing sites in North Carolina, active through July, and requested more supplies from the federal government.

[40][41] Cohen indicated that there would be a test surge in areas with troubling metrics, including the counties of Alamance, Durham, Duplin, Forsyth, Lee, Johnston, Mecklenburg, and Wake.

[42] In June 2023, President Joe Biden appointed Cohen director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, succeeding Rochelle Walensky.