Theodore J. Bauer (November 18, 1909 – May 6, 2005) was an American

Infectious disease specialist Infectious diseases (ID), also known as infectiology, is a medical specialty dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of infections. An infectious diseases specialist's practice consists of managing nosocomial ( healthcare-acquired) infections o ...

who was head of the

Communicable Disease Center The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...

(now known as the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...

) 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 is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, fifth-most populous c ...

. Despite his family having lost both its broom factory and farm during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Bauer was able to work his way through school to earn both his B.S. (1934) and

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

(1933) degrees from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, 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 int ...

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

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, furthering his interest in

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and Risk factor (epidemiology), determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent dise ...

. Bauer's first major act in his career in the

United States Public Health Service The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services which manages public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The assistant s ...

was the establishment of a

Venereal Disease A sexually transmitted infection (STI), also referred to as a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and the older term venereal disease (VD), is an infection that is spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, or ...

Center in Chicago in 1942. He went on to serve as chief of the Division of Venereal Disease in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, 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 List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

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

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

between 1948 and 1957. Finally, Bauer was chief of the Bureau of State Services in the U.S. Public Health Service in Washington, D.C., from 1960 to 1962. In 1962, he was awarded the

Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal The Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal is an honor award presented to members of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and to members of any Uniformed Services of the United States whose accomplishments or achie ...

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 an American professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. This medical association was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was 271,660 ...

, the Wyckoff

Board of Health A local board of health (or simply a ''local board'') was a local authority in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulat ...

, the planning board for

Hackensack University Medical Center Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) is a 950-bed non-profit, research and teaching hospital providing tertiary and healthcare needs located west of New York City, in Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of 2019, it r ...

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

Personal life

Bauer married his wife, Helen, in 1939. They had four children. Bauer died at his home in Wyckoff,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, on May 6, 2005, of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...

Publications

Bauer published more than 50 scientific articles on

infectious disease An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmis ...

s and

chronic disease A chronic condition (also known as chronic disease or chronic illness) is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term ''chronic'' is often applied when the ...

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

in 1962. He received the University of Iowa Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997. In 2002, he 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, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Immaculate Heart Academy has been accredited by the Commis ...

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 (

Wyckoff, New Jersey Wyckoff ( ) is an affluent 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, a decrease of 111 (−0.7%) from the 2010 census count of 16,696, which in turn ...

) 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 ...

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