Patricia M. Griffin received an MD degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, trained in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, trained in gastroenterology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, in mucosal immunology at the University of Pennsylvania, and in epidemiology with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS).  She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology and is a Fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America.

She is Chief of the Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch at CDC. The branch conducts surveillance for cases of illness and for outbreaks, does studies of human illness due to bacterial agents such as Salmonella and E. coli O157, tracks trends in these illnesses, and analyzes data on the relationship of illnesses to particular foods. Branch programs include FoodNet, the National Outbreak Reporting System, and the human arm of the National Antimicrobial Monitoring System for Enteric Bacteria. Dr. Griffin has supervised epidemiologic investigations throughout the United States and overseas. She has authored or co-authored over 150 journal articles, book chapters, and other publications. She also holds an adjunct appointment in the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health.