Bush considering two candidates to head CDC

WASHINGTON - A scientist on the front lines of the anthrax investigation and a longtime seeker of an AIDS vaccine are the leading candidates to become the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. <br> <br> Public health experts are urging the Bush administration to appoint Doctor Julie Gerberding, an infectious disease specialist. <br> <br> Gerberding is credited with taking some of the earliest steps to protect health care workers exposed to the AIDS virus. She went on to become one of CDC&#39;s most quoted investigators into last fall&#39;s anthrax attacks. <br> <br> If appointed, Gerberding would become the CDC&#39;s first female director. <br> <br> Bush is also considering Doctor Robert Redfield, a former Army physician and longtime AIDS vaccine researcher. <br> <br> Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson recently sent the two candidates&#39; names to the White House for consideration. HHS officials say they hope to announce a new director very soon. <br> <br> CDC director Jeffrey Koplan stepped down March 31, saying it was time to move on after more than three years in the job.