Deborah Linzer, MS, was appointed Director of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Hemophilia Program in April 2006. The program is part of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the federal government. It was established in 1975 when MCHB began funding a network of U.S. hemophilia treatment centers to provide comprehensive healthcare services to individuals with hemophilia and their families.

Linzer has held several prominent government positions, focusing on special education and rehabilitation services. She also worked closely on the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resource Emergency Act grant program, concentrating on policy development, child health information systems and research administration. In 1999, she became Senior Public Health Analyst in the Genetic Services Branch of the MCHB. Since then she has played a vital part in the federal government’s efforts to improve child health outcomes through the integration of state child health information systems. In addition, Linzer has extensive grassroots experience in HIV prevention education and training.

Linzer received her masters degree in special education from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and her post-graduate degree in health services administration from George Washington University in Washington, DC. Her post-graduate work included a year-long administrative residency at the Children’s National Medical Center in DC.