Michael Craig, MPP

Michael Craig serves as Director of the Antimicrobial Resistance Coordination and Strategy Unit (ARX) at CDC, which leads U.S. public health efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance (AR). Since 2016, Craig has overseen the agency’s domestic and global portfolio, which now totals nearly $200 million annually. As of fiscal year 2024, Craig has overseen over $1.6 billion in cumulative appropriations for cross-cutting CDC activities to combat AR threats across human and animal health and the environment.

Craig has led efforts to publish multiple high-profile CDC reports, including the Antibiotic Resistance Threats Reports (2013, 2019), the COVID-19: U.S. Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance, Special Report (2022) and Antimicrobial Resistance Threats in the United States, 2021-2022 (2024). Craig also led CDC contributions to the first National Strategy to Combat Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria and the subsequent National Action Plans in 2015 and 2020. From 2018-2019, Craig’s team led the AMR Challenge, a yearlong effort by the U.S. government to accelerate the fight against antimicrobial resistance, resulting in more than 350 organizations across 32 countries committing to actions to slow antimicrobial resistance.

Craig also serves as the Deputy Division Director for Strategy and Operations in CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. In this position, he guides strategy to protect patients and healthcare workers through safe healthcare delivery systems in the United States and abroad. During his time in DHQP, Craig has played an integral role in expanding the national visibility of public health initiatives dedicated to safe healthcare delivery, improving sepsis early detection and treatment, infection prevention and control, blood, organ, and tissue safety, and vaccine safety.

As one of the Ex-Officio Members representing CDC on the President’s Advisory Committee for Combatting Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB), Craig collaborates closely with leadership within HHS to ensure alignment of public health activities related to AR across multiple federal agencies.