CURRICULUM VITAE
CDR XXX, M.D., M.Sc.
PHS # XXX
October 2003
PRESENT APPOINTMENT
Medical Officer, Polio Eradication Unit
World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean
Abdul Razzaq El Sanhouri Street, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt, Telephone: 20 2 276 5079
Detailed From: Global Immunization Division, National Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
EDUCATION AND POST-GRADUATE TRAINING
Master’s of Science, Epidemiology
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
1993-94
Preventive Medicine Residency
Epidemiology Program Office
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
1989-91
Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS)
Health Studies Branch, Division of Health Hazard Evaluations
National Center for Environmental Health and Injury Control
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
1988-90
Transitional Intern
Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut
1987-88
Medical Doctorate
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
1983-87
Bachelor’s of Science, microbiology
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
1979-83
Riverview High School
Sarsota, Florida
1976-79
7
CDR XXX; PHS #XXX
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
10 / 02 – Present CDC Detailee from the National Immunization Program as Medical
Officer to the World Health Organization (WHO), Eastern
Mediterranean Regional Office, Polio Eradication Unit, Cairo, Egypt
Major Duties
During 2002, only 7 countries reported ongoing poliovirus transmission – 3 of the 7 countries are located within the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). This Officer has completed one year of a two-year detail to the EMR Office this month, having spent an additional 4 months at EMR on TDY during 2002.
· Coordinate strategic and overall program planning for polio eradication in 23 countries of WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR).
· Develop and maintain updated plans of action and budget with external resource requirements for countries and the WHO Regional Office and undertake extensive fundraising activities to streamline partner support and donor funding for the region and country programs.
· Organize advocacy activities at regional and country levels to secure multi-sectoral government support.
· Provide technical support for control and management of polio outbreaks, development of regional certification strategy, and the laboratory network.
Main Accomplishments / Impact
· In Afghanistan, Egypt, and Pakistan, directly participated in multiple assessments of program implementation (surveillance and immunization activities), and developed recommendations to further improve the quality of activities. Surveillance has improved and meets certification standard in these countries. Enhanced immunization activities have resulted in a reduction of polio cases in Egypt and Afghanistan during 2003 as compared with 2002.
· In partnership with national governments and UNICEF, reviewed and revised the 2003 – 2005 strategic plans for polio eradication activities in 7 priority countries, resulting in more efficient allocation of resources (human and financial) with prioritization of efforts and scaling back of unnecessary activities.
· Advocacy efforts helped secure political commitment and allocation of $1.2 million in financial resources to support eradication activities in Pakistan, Somalia, and Sudan.
9 / 01 – 10 / 02 Medical Epidemiologist, CDC, National Immunization Program,
Global Immunization Division, Polio Eradication Branch, Atlanta,
Georgia
Major Duties
· Provide technical support to countries and WHO Regional offices regarding polio eradication
· Provide support to polio eradication partners, such as Rotary International, to ensure receipt of up-to-date information.
· Develop, in close collaboration with other CDC colleagues, WHO, and UNICEF, a detailed concept for two country projects to strengthen routine immunization systems that meld with CDC’s mission to support measles control and polio eradication efforts.
Main Accomplishments / Impact
· During a 6-week TDY to the WHO European Regional Office (EURO), synthesized and presented information from the 51 EUR countries with subsequent certification of the region as polio-free, a global milestone in the eradication initiative.
· Presentation of the status and needs of the global polio eradication initiative to Rotary International at Board and district meetings, allowed Rotary to better prioritize their efforts in support of polio-endemic countries.
· Outlined a project to strengthen routine immunization in Burkina Faso and Kenya, with WHO and UNICEF ownership of the project’s main goals.
· The acute flaccid paralysis reporting system in Hungary was reviewed and the national government implemented recommended steps to strengthen the system.
· Please refer above regarding 4 month TDY to WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.
1 / 00 – 8 / 01 CDC Detailee from the National Immunization Program as Medical
Officer to WHO, Expanded Programme on Immunization, Polio
Eradication, Geneva, Switzerland
Major Duties
· Coordination of the advocacy agenda for the WHO Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
· Assistance with global strategic planning, resource mobilization, and reporting requirements.
· Assistance to countries and WHO Regional offices in implementation and evaluation of polio eradication strategies.
· Liaison with key partner agencies, especially UNICEF and United Nations Foundation.
Main Accomplishments / Impact
· Advocacy and technical input resulted in the synchronization of National Immunization Days among 16 West / Central Africa countries (with key support of Nigerian President Obasanjo and Mali’s President Konare) that helped stop persistent virus transmission in 4 countries by vaccinating mobile population groups crossing borders; the good will generated allowed synchronization the next year, stopping transmission in 2 more countries.
· Secured additional financial support from new / existing donors (e.g. US $ 20 million from the European Union for strengthening surveillance in Nigeria, US $79 million from the United Nations Foundation / Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for priority countries) that contributed to the global decrease in polio cases from 1,887 in 1999 to 483 in 2001.
· Coordination and authoring of the Global Polio Eradication Strategic Plan 2002 – 2005, provided key information to partners on the programm’s strategic direction.
· Technical recommendations were implemented by Turkey (to strengthen immunization activities), Egypt (to improve surveillance and immunization), and Nigeria (to enhance routine immunization activities).
6 / 98 – 1 / 00 CDC Detailee from the Office of Global Health as Children’s Health
Program Officer to the United Nations Foundation (UNF),
Washington, D.C.
Major Duties
· As the first Children’s Health Program Officer for the United Nations Foundation (UNF), determine in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF, UNAIDS, non-governmental organizations, universities, foundations and others how to best utilize UNF’s annual $20 million commitment to improve children’s health, strengthen the UN’s capacity, and better the global public health system.
· Recommend to the UNF Board (including Mr. R.E. “Ted” Turner, Tim Wirth, and Mohammed Yunus) an overall strategy for UNF’s Children’s Health Program Area.
· Represent UNF at meetings with leadership of UN agencies (e.g. WHO Director General, UNICEF Executive Director) foundations, and private sector entities.
Main Accomplishments / Impact
· Developed a framework, with approval from UN agencies and the UNF Board, to guide allocation of resources through 2005.
· Contributed to strengthening UN partnerships and decreasing child mortality from the five leading causes of death (e.g. via supporting the community component of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses initiative and other pertinent projects).
· Strengthened collaboration with CDC and UNF that continues until today, particularly in the areas of measles control, malaria, and polio. The collaboration benefits both the UNF, with increased technical input on funded projects, and CDC with strengthened public / private sector collaboration.
6 / 97 – 6 / 98 CDC Detailee from the Office of the Director as Epidemiologic
Advisor to the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Special
Investigations Unit on Gulf War Illnesses, Washington D.C.
Major Duties
Assisted the Senate Committee in its investigation of illnesses among Persian Gulf War veterans:
· Develop recommendations to improve the Departments of Defense and Veteran’s Affairs’ health care and public health systems to better prevent, detect, and treat adverse health effects pre-, during, and post deployment.
· Staff hearings (e.g. identifying topics and witnesses, preparing memoranda / opening statements, and briefing / supporting Senator Rockefeller during hearings).
· Draft legislation (S. 1320, the Persian Gulf War Veterans Act of 1997) and health-related chapters of the “Report of the Special Investigation Unit on Gulf War Illnesses.”
Main Accomplishments / Impact
· Medical care of Persian Gulf War Veterans’ has been enhanced by better elucidation of health outcomes from the collected data. More robust and standardized data now gathered during current troop deployments (e.g. Afghanistan) enables better assessment of occupational exposures and risks as well as prevention / minimization of those risks.
11 / 96 – 5 / 97 Medical Epidemiologist, Office of the Director, CDC,
Washington D.C.
Major Duties
· Liaison function between the Congress and CDC to provide accurate and timely public health information to Congressional members and staff.
· Represented the Department of Health and Human Services and CDC at national and international meetings, including at the White House.
Main Accomplishments / Impact
· Congress was better informed when making policy decisions on health-related decisions with the receipt of the provided information.
11 / 94 – 11 / 96 CDC Detailee from the Epidemiology Program Office as
· Director, Hungarian Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP), to Ministry of Welfare, Budapest, Hungary
· Scientific Coordinator of the Close the Gap Committee (CGC),
Ministry of Welfare, Hungary and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) (9/95 – 11 / 96), Budapest, Hungary
Major Duties
Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP)
· Establish the Hungarian FETP (including development of all training materials) supervise nine FETP trainees, and attempt to integrate Hungary’s focus on non-infectious diseases with CDC’s field-oriented epidemiology training.
· Responsible for all budgetary negotiations / financial issues involving about $600,000 for the FETP’s establishment and support by the Ministry of Welfare and World Bank.
Scientific Coordinator of the Close the Gap Committee (CGC)
The CGC’s mission was to establish programs to “close the health gap” between Hungary and Western Europe. The CGC prioritized health issues; distributed 14 million dollars of a World Bank loan to Hungary; and was comprised of Hungarian Parliamentarian members as well as Hungarian and international public health experts. Main duties included:
· Assist the CGC to focus on priority health areas that harmonized the CGC’s and Hungary’s public health goals. Manage CGC funds for activities and projects whose costs have ranged from $200,000 to US $2 million.
Main Accomplishments / Impact
FETP
· Developed a three week training course on applied epidemiology, modeled on CDC’s EIS course, that is still used in Hungary to train public health physicians.
· Recognizing the importance of preventive medicine, the Budapest City Health Department created a new office of “Disease Prevention and Health Promotion” in 1998, and selected the new director and staff from the FETP trainees.
Scientific Coordinator of the Close the Gap Committee (CGC)
· Developed Terms of Reference (work plans) for World Bank funded projects; reviewed and modified project plans submitted by consultants in response to the Terms of Reference; and oversaw the scientific progress of projects.
· Ensured a focus on tobacco use prevention programs, a leading risk factor for the major causes of mortality in Hungary. Established a collaboration between CDC and Hungary in the area of tobacco use prevention that continues through 2002.
8 / 91 – 8 / 93 CDC Detailee from the National Center for Environmental Health as
Medical Epidemiologist, Hungarian National Institute of Hygiene,
Budapest, Hungary
Major Duties
· Assist the Hungarian government in assessing adverse health effects associated with environmental exposures.
· Provide training in epidemiology to Hungarian public health officials.
Main Accomplishments / Impact
· Studied the relationship between air pollution and childhood respiratory diseases in Hungary by evaluating and making recommendations to improve a national surveillance system as well as obtaining funding and conducting a daily diary study of asthmatic children.
· Instructed staff at the Budapest Public Health Institute in epidemiological methods, including the software package of EPI-INFO that is still used today to compile data for the national surveillance system (including infectious diseases).
7 / 90 – 7 / 91 CDC Detailee from the Epidemiology Program Office as Preventive
Medicine Resident, Emergency Preparedness and Injury Control,
California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California
Major Duties
· Support the mission of CDC and California Department of Health Services by assessing risk factors for drowning among children, a leading cause of child mortality in California.
Main Accomplishments / Impact
· Developed and implemented a four-month active surveillance system for drowning and near-drowning events in four California counties. Ensured distribution of collected information throughout the State, including to the State legislature.
· Conducted an epidemiological investigation in the county with the highest drowning rate, the arid Imperial County, which identified the hazards of irrigation canals and ditches and stressed prevention activities.
· Conceptualized and arranged funding of public service announcements to prevent drowning among children and other individuals at increased risk in California.
7 / 88 – 7 / 90 Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, National Center for
Environmental Health and Injury Control, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia
Major Duties
· Epidemiological assessment of health effects of environmental exposures.
· Provide assistance during disease outbreaks to identify likely risk factors associated with disease and prevention of the disease.
Main Accomplishments / Impact
· Efforts resulted in a ban of mercury compounds from all US indoor products following study results that demonstrated exposure of children to mercury vapor after application of interior latex paint. Integrated results with existing data to demonstrate that mercury compounds were used in approximately one-third of U.S. interior latex paints and exposed children to mercury vapor for up to seven years after painting.
· Epidemiological response to the 1988-89 Hungarian measles epidemic implicated primary vaccine failure instead of waning immunity as the epidemic’s cause, and supported the efficacy of a two-dose rather than one-dose measles vaccination policy in Hungary and the United States.
CERTIFICATION AND LICENSES
National Board of Medical Examiners Part III; July 1988; #351269