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News Media, Public Affairs, and Risk Communications Experts Veteran Political and Public Health Leaders Georges Benjamin, MD, FACP, Executive Director, American Public Health Association; former Commissioner of Health for Maryland during '01 anthrax attacks William Bicknell, MD, MPH, Professor and Chairman Emeritus of International Health at Boston University, School of Public Health; former Commissioner of Health for Massachusetts Neal L. Cohen, MD, Executive Director, AMDeC Center on Bioterrorism; former Commissioner of Health for New York City during '99 West Nile Virus outbreak, '01 World Trade Center bombing, and '01 anthrax attacks Aaron Greenfield, JD, Executive Director, Maryland Business Council; former Special City Solicitor & Homeland Security Advisor, Baltimore City Mayor's Office Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, Vice President, Biological Programs, Nuclear Threat Initiative; former Assistant Secretary for Planning & Evaluation, Department of Health and Human Services; former Commissioner of Health for New York City during '93 World Trade Center bombing Jean Malecki, MD, MPH, FACPM, Director, Palm Beach County Health Department; led investigation team of first inhalational anthrax case in 2001 Tara O'Toole, MD, MPH, CEO & Director, UPMC Center for Biosecurity; former Director, Johns Hopkins Civilian Biodefense Center; former Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environment, Safety and Health
Georges Benjamin, MD, FACP
Dr. Benjamin is Executive Director of the American Public Health Association. He came to that post from his position as secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where he played a key role in developing Maryland's bioterrorism plan. Dr. Benjamin became secretary of the Maryland health department in 1999, following 2 four years as its deputy secretary for public health services. He is well known in the world of public health for his work on bioterrorism and emergency preparedness, West Nile virus, and mental health care. Dr. Benjamin is board-certified in internal medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. His career has included work as Chief of the Acute Illness Clinic at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA; Chief of Emergency Medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center; Chairman of the Department of Community Health and Ambulatory Care at the District of Columbia General Hospital; Interim Director of the District's Emergency Ambulatory Bureau; and District of Columbia Health Commissioner. William Bicknell, MD, MPH
Dr. Bicknell is Professor of International Health at Boston University's School of Public Health and Chairman Emeritus of the Department of International Health. His interest areas include the organization, delivery, and financing of health care; international health; public health and medical education; health and social services for the elderly; publicprivate sector interactions; and bioterrorism and emergency preparedness. Dr. Bicknell has held many posts including Commissioner of Public Health for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Senior Physician for the Peace Corps/Ethiopia, Medical Director of the Job Corps, Acting Director of the Neighborhood Health Center Program of the Office of Economic Opportunity, and Medical Director of the Health and Retirement Funds of the United Mine Workers of America. He has worked in more than 46 countries in most parts of the world and has published on numerous subjects. Neal L. Cohen, MD
Appointed by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Dr. Cohen served as Commissioner of Health of New York City from February 1998 to 2002. While Commissioner, Dr. Cohen oversaw the public health responses to several major crises, including the West Nile Virus outbreak, the World Trade Center tragedy, and the anthrax mailings. During this time, Dr. Cohen also served as New York City's Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Alcoholism Services, where he advocated for incorporating mental health into the mainstream public health agenda. The result of his efforts was the merger of the Health and Mental Health departments into a unified Department of Public Health. Following the events of September 11, Dr. Cohen oversaw the establishment of the Project Liberty initiative, which ensured that support, counseling, and treatment services were available to New Yorkers traumatized by the attacks. Aaron Greenfield, JD
Mr. Greenfield is Executive Director for the Maryland Business Council. For three years he served as Special City Solicitor for Policy & Development in the Office of the Mayor of Baltimore, where he advocated on behalf of the city before Congress, federal and state agencies, and the Maryland General Assembly. During his tenure, Mr. Greenfield was charged with advising the Mayor and Security Cabinet on homeland security matters. Prior to civil service, he worked as an associate attorney, participating in all aspects of commercial litigation and business counseling, from initial client contact through trial. Margaret A. Hamburg, MD
Dr. Hamburg currently serves as Vice President for Biological Programs at the Nuclear Threat Initiative in Washington, DC. Prior to her current position, Dr. Hamburg served as Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and in this capacity was charged with policy formulation and analysis, development and review of regulations and/or legislation, budget analysis, strategic planning, and the conduct and coordination of policy research and program evaluation. Prior to federal service, Dr. Hamburg served for nearly six years as the Commissioner of Health for New York City where she was responsible for the city's public health response to several crises including the first World Trade Center bombing and a tuberculosis outbreak. During her tenure, Dr. Hamburg also created the first public health bioterrorism preparedness program in the nation. Jean Malecki, MD, MPH, FACPM
Dr. Malecki is Director of the Palm Beach County, Florida, Health Department. In the fall of 2001, Dr. Malecki led the investigation team for the first case of inhalation anthrax due to bioterrorism in the state of Florida. She is board certified in General Preventive Medicine and Public Health and is a Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine. She is an alumna of the Public Health Leadership Institute, a national program that trains public health professionals for leadership positions. In 1991, Dr. Malecki was appointed to the position of Health Officer for Palm Beach County, the largest health department in the state of Florida, which has been recognized nationally for its innovation, creativity, and quality of services. She directs the only nationally accredited, county health department-based residency program in the United States that trains physicians in the field of preventive medicine and public health. She holds faculty appointments at two medical schools and is Chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine. Tara O'Toole, MD, MPH
Dr. O'Toole is CEO and Director of the Center for Biosecurity of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and in 1998 was one of the founding members of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies. Dr. O'Toole served as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environment Safety and Health from 1993-1997, where she was the principal advisor to the Secretary on matters pertaining to protecting the environment, workers, and the public health from the U.S. nuclear weapons complex and Department of Energy laboratories. She served as a Senior Analyst at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment from 1989-1993, where she directed and participated in studies of health impacts on workers and the public due to environmental pollution resulting from nuclear weapons production. She has also served as a consultant to industry and 8 government in matters related to occupational and environmental health, worker participation in workplace safety protection, and organizational change. [return to top] |
