Leaving a legacy in public health

Philip Brachman Sr. MD died unexpectedly on June 6, 2016. He was known for his tireless leadership and mentorship and for his work in education, health, and social justice.

Brachman spent the first 30 years of his career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which he joined in 1954. He served as director of the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) from 1970 to 1981. In that post, he played a seminal role in the formation of the EIS program. Today the CDC recognizes excellence in teaching EIS officers with an annual Philip S. Brachman Award.

After retiring from the CDC, Brachman spent the next 
30 years of his career as professor of global health and epidemiology at Rollins. He was a passionate and dedicated teacher, reportedly never missing a class.

“I consider Phil a public health giant,” says Dean James Curran. “He was a valuable asset to our school and to the entire global health community.”

Brachman was nationally recognized as an anthrax expert, and his expertise was called upon during the anthrax crisis following 9/11. In 1957, Brachman had investigated the only other inhalational anthrax epidemic in U.S. history. During the 2001 epidemic, his frank opinions and expert advice on human anthrax infections were quoted almost daily in the national press.

Brachman was the first and only director of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program at Rollins. This program, 
established by President Carter in 1988, brings mid-career public health practitioners from all reaches of the globe to Rollins to study the latest methods and theories. After completion, the fellows return to their countries of origin to teach other health professionals. In this way, Brachman has helped build the global health workforce capacity around the world.

Philip, along with his wife Susan, was one of the founding parents of The Paideia School in Atlanta. He was chairman of the board of trustees for seven years and remained an active supporter of the school up until his death.

Brachman’s passing elicited an outpouring of tributes from former students, colleagues, and friends:

“The number of lives you have improved, spanning the globe and generations. That is something to strive for—a life well lived!”

“I am a Chinese, yet found my mentor in the United States.”

“Thank you, Dr. Brachman, for every single word, for being a role model, an example of strength, for believing in a better world and working to make it happen.”

To read more tributes to Brachman or to leave your own, visit emry.link/brachman.

JAMES BODE WEAVER III 08MPH of Atlanta on Sept. 16, 2015. His first career was in journalism and mass communications. As a professor, he taught at several universities, including Georgia, Emory, Virginia Tech, and Auburn. As a broadcaster, he worked as a DJ and earned an Emmy for news reporting. He joined the CDC in 2007, shortly after going back to school to earn his MPH at Rollins. In 2009, he was awarded the Outstanding Health Marketing Scientist of the Year.

DON A. FRANCO 85MPH of West Palm Beach, Fla., on Jan. 31, 2015, at 83. He trained as a veterinarian in Ontario, Canada, and in the Phillipines and had a veterinary practice in Trinidad. He came to the U.S. to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection. After earning his MPH at Emory, he published on the plight of poverty and public health needs in third-world countries.