Dr Rania Tohme

Dr Rania Tohme is currently the Associate Director for Global Health in the Division of Viral Hepatitis at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In her current role, she supports countries achieve hepatitis B and C elimination. From 2016 to 2023, Dr Tohme was Team Lead of the Hepatitis B and Tetanus Team in the Global Immunization Division at CDC. She supported countries introduce hepatitis B birth dose vaccine, improve hepatitis B immunization coverage, and implement hepatitis B serosurveys to assess the impact of vaccination on hepatitis B disease burden in children. Dr Tohme is a member of the regional committee for validation of elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and Hepatitis B in the Americas and serves on committees for verification of the achievement of regional hepatitis B control goals through immunization in the South-East Asia, European, and Eastern Mediterranean regions. 

Dr Tohme began her CDC career as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) fellow and medical officer (2009–2012) in the Division of Viral Hepatitis where she supported hepatitis B and C surveillance and programmatic activities in the United States and globally. During 2012–2016, she was the technical lead of CDC’s immunization activities in Haiti supporting the verification of elimination of measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome, introduction and evaluation of the impact of new vaccines, and improvement of vaccine preventable disease surveillance.  

Dr Tohme has published over 80 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. She received her Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health degrees from the American University of Beirut.