José F. Cordero, MD, MPH is the Patel Distinguished Professor of Public Health, Department Head, and Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Georgia College of Public Health.
His current research focuses on the risk factors and prevention of preterm births. Dr. Cordero was an Assistant Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service and the founding director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Along with his duties as a faculty member at the University of Georgia, he continues to serve as Co-Principal investigator of the Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT). This research program, funded by the National Institutes of Health, Superfund Research Program, examines environmental risk factors for preterm births. He is a Member of the Board of Trustees at the March of Dimes.