Theodore J. Bauer (November 18, 1909 – May 6, 2005) was an American Infectious disease specialist who was head of the

Communicable Disease Center The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

(now known as the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

) from 1953 to 1956, and who also served as Assistant Surgeon General of the United States.

Career

Bauer was born November 18, 1909 in

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the tim ...

. Despite his family having lost both its broom factory and farm during the Great Depression, Bauer was able to work his way through school to earn both his

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

(1934) and

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. ...

(1933) degrees from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

. Upon graduating from the University of Iowa Medical School, Bauer took internships and residencies in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, furthering his interest in public health epidemiology. Bauer's first major act in his career in the United States Public Health Service was the establishment of a Venereal Disease Center in Chicago in 1942. He went on to serve as Chief of the Division of Venereal Disease in

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from 1948 to 1953, and then as Medical Officer in Charge of the Communicable Disease Center (now known as the

) in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

from 1953 to 1956. Bauer also served on numerous expert committees for the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

between 1948 and 1957. Finally, Bauer was Chief of the

Bureau of State Services The Bureau of State Services (BSS) was one of three principal operating agencies of the United States Public Health Service (PHS) from 1943 until 1966. The bureau contained the PHS divisions that administered cooperative services to U.S. state ...

in the United States Public Health Service in Washington, D.C. from 1960 to 1962. In 1962, Bauer was awarded the United States Public Health Service

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

upon his retirement after 29 years of service, having achieved the rank of Assistant Surgeon General of the United States. In 1962, Bauer went to work for Becton Dickinson and Company, where he was Senior Vice President for Research and Medical Affairs until 1975. Bauer also served on Becton Dickinson's Board of Directors from 1965 to 1985. Additionally, Bauer served on numerous expert committees for the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's sta ...

, the Wyckoff Board of Health, the planning board for

Hackensack University Medical Center Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) is a 781-bed non-profit, research and teaching hospital providing tertiary and healthcare needs located seven miles (11 km) west of New York City, in Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey. As ...

, and the New Jersey Governor's Health Care Administration Board.

Personal life

Bauer married Helen in 1939. They had four children. He died at his home in

Wyckoff, New Jersey Wyckoff is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 16,585. At the time of the 2010 census, the township's population was 16,696, reflecting an increase of ...

on May 6, 2005, of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

Publications

Bauer published more than 50 scientific articles on infectious diseases and chronic disease control, and was editor of the Journal of Venereal Disease Information from 1948 to 1952. He published his memoirs in 2001, entitled ''Disease Finder From The Midwest''.

Selected awards

Bauer received the United States Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal in 1962. He received the University of Iowa Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997. In 2002, Bauer was inducted into the

Immaculate Heart Academy Immaculate Heart Academy (IHA) is an all-girls college preparatory private Roman Catholic high school located in Washington Township, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. The school colors are blue and white, and the school's athletes ...

Hall of Fame.

Legacy

He was survived by three children, nine grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren. Both Bauer and his wife were life members of the University of Iowa Alumni Association and members of the University of Iowa Foundation's Presidents Club. Bauer was a parishioner of the Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary (

) and a member of the High Mountain Golf Club (

Franklin Lakes, New Jersey Franklin Lakes is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,079, an increase of 489 (+4.6%) from the 2010 census count of 10,590, which in turn reflected a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bauer, Theodore J. 1909 births American infectious disease physicians American epidemiologists People from Wyckoff, New Jersey University of Iowa alumni 2005 deaths Directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Eisenhower administration personnel