President Barack Obama today (May 15) named New York City health chief Thomas Frieden to the top spot at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Obama praised Frieden, who spearheaded anti-smoking and cancer screening campaigns in his seven years as commissioner New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, calling him "an expert in preparedness and response to health emergencies" in a statement.

Prior to becoming the Big Apple's top health official in 2002, Frieden served for 12 years as an Epidemiologic Intelligence Service Officer at the CDC.

Frieden, a Columbia University-trained physician and public health expert, has published more than 100 scientific papers, according to ISI's Web of Science. His 1993 New England Journal of Medicine paper on drug-resistant tuberculosis in New York City has been cited in the scientific literature more than 630 times.

Frieden starts his new job at the CDC in early June.