Scientist tapped to head Centers for Disease Control

A scientist on the front lines of the anthrax investigation has been tapped to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, administration officials said Tuesday.

Julie Gerberding will become the first female director of the CDC, the nation's top public health agency.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is scheduled to announce the appointment Wednesday afternoon at the CDC's Atlanta headquarters, an administration official told the Associated Press.

Gerberding, 46, is the CDC's acting deputy director for science. Former director Jeffrey Koplan stepped down March 31, saying it was time to move on after more than three years in the job.