Public Health Leader and Tulane Alumna Dr. Deb Houry to Deliver 2026 Mary C. Parker Yates Lecture
Katherine Mosier Johnston | The Murphy Institute

The Murphy Institute is pleased to announce that Dr. Deb Houry, a nationally recognized physician and former Chief Medical Officer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will deliver the 2026 Mary C. Parker Yates Lecture on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.

A board-certified emergency physician and a dual-degree graduate of Tulane University (MD ’98, MPH ’98), Dr. Houry has spent nearly three decades at the forefront of national health strategy. Her lecture comes at a pivotal moment for the field, as she continues to advocate for scientific integrity and the protection of public health infrastructure.

A Career of Impact and Integrity

Throughout her career, Houry has been an advocate for data-driven injury prevention and has led responses to some of the country’s most pressing health challenges. Dr. Houry’s tenure at the CDC was marked by her role as a primary architect of the nation’s clinical and public health strategies. As the agency’s Chief Medical Officer and Acting Principal Deputy Director, she oversaw nine national centers and led the "Moving Forward" initiative to modernize data systems and strengthen emergency preparedness. She is also widely credited with advancing national strategies to combat the opioid epidemic and suicide prevention during her time as Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

In August 2025, Dr. Houry made headlines when she resigned from her post at the CDC in a formal act of protest following the ouster of then-CDC Director Susan Monarez. In her resignation and subsequent public statements, she cited several critical concerns regarding political interference in the agency’s scientific work, censorship of data, and the "weaponization" of public health. Since leaving the CDC, Dr. Houry has emerged as a vital voice for transparency, testifying before Congress and publishing widely on the necessity of data-driven policy.

Currently, Dr. Houry serves as a Lecturer and Senior Fellow at the Yale School of Public Health and as a Senior Medical Advisor to the California Public Health Network Innovation Exchange (PHNIX), where she works with state leadership to drive innovation in health communication and infrastructure.

Event Information

The Mary C. Parker Yates Lecture is the Murphy Institute’s premier academic event, inviting distinguished scholars and practitioners to engage with the Tulane community on pressing issues of ethics, policy, and society.

  • Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026
  • Location: Tulane University (Venue TBA)
  • Time: To be announced

In addition to the Yates Lecture, Dr. Houry will participate in several ancillary engagements with the Tulane School of Medicine and the Cecilia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine during her visit.

For more information and to stay updated on registration and venue details, please visit The Murphy Institute website.

About Dr. Deb Houry 
Dr. Debra Houry, MD, MPH, is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and a recipient of the American Medical Association Award for Outstanding Government Service. She is a past president of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and continues to shape the future of the field through her work in academia and policy advisory.