ATLANTA (AP)--The newly appointed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who gained prominence during the recent anthrax scare, said the agency must be concerned with more than just bioweapons.

"Our agenda is not simply protection against terrorism," said Dr. Julie Gerberding, who was named the first female director of the CDC on Wednesday.

"It is protection from motor vehicle accidents, residential fires and other forms of accidental injury in the home and the workplace," she said. "Safer, healthier people. That's what it's about."

Gerberding was appointed to head the nation's top public health agency by Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson in a ceremony at the CDC's Atlanta headquarters.

"Dr. Gerberding knows public health, she knows infectious diseases and she knows bioterrorism preparedness," Thompson said. "She brings the right mix of professional experience and leadership skills to ensure the CDC continues to meet the nation's public health needs."

Gerberding, an infectious-disease specialist who had been the agency's acting deputy director for science, replaces Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, who stepped down on March 31 after more than three years on the job.

She said possible bioterrorism attacks won't keep her and her family from attending Fourth of July celebrations at the nation's capital. "I'll be in D.C. watching the fireworks with my family," she said.

Gerberding, 46, gained popularity and "a lot of credibility" during the anthrax investigation last fall, said Dr. Gail Cassell of Eli Lilly & Co., a bioterrorism adviser to the government. She was one of the CDC's most quoted investigators during the anthrax scare.

Members of Congress had strongly criticized the CDC for acting too slowly when anthrax attacks began and not communicating the danger clearly enough.

Some complained the CDC had ceded too much authority to local health officials, leading to an uneven and uncoordinated response to the crisis.

During that time, Gerberding gained the attention and confidence of officials in Washington and Thompson when she spoke to authorities and the public on the subject.

"One of the most important things about her is that she has the complete confidence of Secretary Thompson," said Dr. William Roper, dean of public health at the University of North Carolina and a former CDC director.

Gerberding said she plans a thorough appraisal of the CDC but she did not specify any areas in the agency she thinks may need improvement.

"I need to spend a lot of time listening closely to what everyone has to say and the concerns they have before I come up with a central mission," she said.

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