BSC Member Profiles

Chair

David Leroy Lakey, MD

Vice Chancellor of Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer
The University of Texas System
Austin, Texas

David Lakey, M.D. is the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at The University of Texas (U. T.) System, and Professor of Medicine at The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center. He serves as the executive sponsor for the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies, the executive sponsor for the Texas Health Improvement Network, and as the presiding officer of the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium. He also serves on the state's COVID Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel.

At the national level, Dr. Lakey was selected to serve as commissioner on the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a National Public Health System in 2022. Additionally, Dr. Lakey serves on the national boards of the March of Dimes and Trust for America's Health, and on the Board of Scientific Advisors for the Office of Readiness and Response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He served as president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) from 2011 to 2012 and as the ASTHO Alumni President from 2019 to 2021. Dr. Lakey is a proud member of the Texas Medical Association (TMA) and America Medical Association (AMA). He has received numerous awards, including the 2015 TMA President's Award and the 2021 AMA's Foundation Award for Health Education.

Members

Julie Fischer, PhD

Senior Technical Advisor for Global Health
CRDF Global
Arlington, Virginia

Dr. Julie Fischer is the Senior Technical Advisor for Global Health. Dr. Fischer has over 20 years of global health experience in infectious disease research, laboratory systems strengthening, and public health preparedness.

Prior to joining CRDF Global, Dr. Fischer was an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Director of the Elizabeth R. Griffin Program at Georgetown University. She led a multidisciplinary team to promote evidence-based biosafety and biosecurity practices, and to help partner nations strengthen their capacities to detect and characterize disease threats rapidly, reliably, accurately, and safely. Before she joined Georgetown, Dr. Fischer held leadership positions at George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health and the Global Health Security Program at the Stimson Center. Her international experience includes serving as a microbiologist supporting a collaborative partnership between the US CDC and the Thai Ministry of Public Health aimed at strengthening Thailand's ability to detect and respond to emerging infections. Dr. Fischer currently serves as the Chair of the Global Health Security Agenda Consortium, a voluntary alliance of non-governmental institutions committed to strengthening global capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to biological events.

Paul Halverson, DrPH

Founding Dean
Professor of Policy and Management
Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
Indiana University
Indianapolis, Indiana

Dr. Paul Halverson is the Founding Dean and Professor at the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health since 2013. Prior to his appointment as Dean, Dr. Halverson served for 8 years as the Director and State Health Officer (SHO) of the Arkansas Department of Health, where he was involved in leading the response to H1N1, several severe weather events and other statewide planning and response events. Before serving as SHO, Halverson served as the Director of the Division of Public Health Systems at CDC in the Public Health Practice Program Office. Prior to his appointment at CDC, he was a faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gilling's School of Public Health and senior advisor to the North Carolina Department of Health.

Halverson has served as the Chairman of the Board of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO) and the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE). As it relates to preparedness and response, Dr. Halverson was actively engaged at CDC in the 911 response, the development and management of the Health Alert Network and the original preparedness state grants as well as early work in pandemic planning.

John Lowe, PhD

Director, Global Center for Health Security
Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health Security Training and Education, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, Nebraska

Dr. John Lowe is the Director of the Global Center for Health Security, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health Security Training and Education, and Professor of Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

As a virologist and environmental exposure scientist, Dr. Lowe has led interdisciplinary teams throughout the U.S., Africa, Asia, and Europe to advance training, research, and response for infectious diseases. His expertise focuses on assessment and management of risk for clinical, community and industrial environments. He is co-PI for the U.S. National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center and led the establishment of an international network for emerging infectious disease centers. He has experience in a broad range of health security topics from surveillance, public health response, and clinical response to health emergencies. Dr. Lowe led interdisciplinary teams managing COVID-19 at the National Quarantine Unit and Nebraska Biocontainment Unit to provide monitoring and care for repatriated U.S. citizens exposed to and infected with SARS Coronavirus 2. He also led early and continued efforts to characterize the transmission dynamics of SARS Coronavirus 2.

Phyllis Meadows, PhD, MSN, RN

Senior Fellow, Health Programming
The Kresge Foundation
Troy, Michigan

As a senior fellow with the Detroit Program, Phyllis D. Meadows engages in all levels of grantmaking activity. Since joining The Kresge Foundation in 2009, she has advised the Detroit and Health teams on the development of its overall strategic direction and provided leadership in the design and implementation of grantmaking initiatives and projects.

Dr. Meadows 30-year career spans the nursing, public health, academic, and philanthropic sectors. She is the former associate dean for practice at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health and clinical professor in health management and policy – where she designed and implemented community-based health strategies, evaluation, research, and courses on leadership, policy, population health and health equity. Dr. Meadows' work in public health includes serving as deputy director and then director/public health officer for the city of Detroit. In addition to serving as adjunct faculty with Wayne State's and Oakland University's Schools of Nursing, her professional experience includes leadership roles across the health sector, working to deliver programs and services with an array of multi-disciplinary professionals in health, education, and human services. Dr. Meadows maintains an active advisory role on several national and statewide initiatives and boards that focus on improving the health of marginalized and low-income communities.

Kathleen Tierney, PhD

Professor Emerita, Sociology, University of Colorado Boulder
Fellow, Institute of Behavioral Science
Faculty, Institute of Behavioral Science
University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, Colorado

Dr. Kathleen Tierney is professor emerita of sociology and a fellow of the Institute of Behavioral Science and Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. From 2003 to 2016, she was the director of the Natural Hazards Center. Dr. Tierney's research interests include the impacts of disasters on businesses, disaster vulnerability and resilience conceptualization and measurement, and the political economy of disasters. Her qualitative research expertise includes quick-response field research following disasters; in-depth interviewing; qualitative evaluation research; and focus group methods. An author or co-author of dozens of journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Tierney's most recent book, Disasters: Sociological Aspects, was published by Polity Press in 2019.

Dr. Tierney received the Fred Buttel Award for Distinguished Contributions from the Environment and Society section of the American Sociological Association and the Charles Fritz Award from the International Sociological Association's International Research Committee on Disasters. Tierney has served as a board member and vice president of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and has been named an honorary Earthquake Engineering Research Institute lifetime member—one of only two sociologists to receive that honor.

Shah, Umair, MD, MPH

Secretary of Health
Washington State Department of Health
Olympia, Washington

Dr. Umair Shah is the Secretary of Health for the State of Washington He is the first Asian-American physician of South Asian descent to serve in this leadership role in the history of Washington, home to over 7.6 million people.

Dr. Shah began a distinguished twenty-year career as an emergency department physician at Houston's Michael DeBakey VA Medical Center. Following his passion, he started his formal public health journey in 2003 as Chief Medical Officer at Galveston County's Health District before joining HCPH to oversee its clinical health system and infectious disease portfolio. Under his leadership, the agency won numerous national awards including Local Health Department of the Year from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), representing the nation's 3,000 local health departments.

For his work, he has received numerous awards including the distinguished Milton and Ruth Roemer Prize for creativity in public health; APHA's Public Service Award for Outstanding Service in Emergency Health; and the NACDS Foundation's Excellence in Patient Care Award. One of his more lighthearted recognition was being named 'Ten Real Houstonians We'll Need the Most in the Zombie Apocalypse'.

Ex Officio Members

Department of Health & Human Services

Paula Bryant, PhD

Director, Office of Biodefense, Research Resources, and Translational Research (OBRRTR)
Associate Director, Biodefense & Emerging Infectious Diseases Product Development
Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease
Rockville, Maryland

Dr. Paula Bryant is the Director of the Office of Biodefense, Research Resources, and Translational Research, and the Associate Director for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Product Development at NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases (NIAID). In these roles, she oversees the late preclinical and early clinical development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for NIAID priority pathogens. Dr. Bryant joined NIAID in 2013 as a Senior Scientific Officer dedicated to vaccine concept acceleration, where she was responsible for identifying and shepherding innovative vaccine concepts and technologies into viable product development pathways. Before joining NIAID, Dr. Bryant served as the Chief of the Translational Medical Division of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's (DTRA) Chemical and Biological Technologies Directorate, the Joint Science Technology Organization (JSTO). Prior to government service, Dr. Bryant was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at The Ohio State University where she established a research program examining the interaction of intracellular pathogens with the class II MHC antigen processing and presentation pathway.

Kristin L. DeBord, PhD

Director (Acting)
Office of Strategy, Policy, Planning, and Requirements
Adminstration for Strategic Preparedness and Response
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, District of Columbia

Dr. Kristin DeBord is the Director for the Division of Strategy within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). She is responsible for providing an anticipatory, long-term perspective on national health security to help identify and advance preparedness and response initiatives for the ASPR and HHS Secretary, and ensuring ASPR's operational preparedness and response capabilities align with ASPR priorities and broader policy considerations for ASPR and HHS. Dr. DeBord is also responsible for development, execution, and oversight of a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) team and coordination structure within ASPR to ensure better connection and alignment across HHS and the USG. Dr. DeBord has also served as a Senior Science Advisor to two Deputy Assistant Secretaries, including the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy ASPR, where she led a range of preparedness and response activities related to pandemic influenza and other highly infectious disease outbreaks, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the HHS Office of Security and Strategic Information, covering issues related to emerging biotechnologies, biosafety/biosecurity, and CBRN threats.

Hilary Marston, MD, MPH

Chief Medical Officer
Food and Drug Administration
Silver Spring, Maryland

Dr. Marston is the Chief Medical Officer, FDA, serving as the primary clinical advisor to the Commissioner and overseeing the Office of Clinical Policy and Programs. She leads cross-cutting initiatives that support the FDA's centers in making effective, safe, and innovative medical products available for patients. Dr. Marston previously served as the Senior Advisor for Global COVID-19 Response on the White House COVID-19 Response Team. Her previous roles also include Director for Medical Biopreparedness and Response at the U.S. National Security Council and Medical Officer and Policy Advisor for Pandemic Preparedness at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health. Dr. Marston also served in positions with McKinsey & Company and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Liaison Representatives

National Association of County and City Health Officials

Michele Askenazi, MPH

Director of Environmental Health
Communicable Disease and Emergency Preparedness and Response
Arapahoe County Public Health
Greenwood Village, Colorado

Michele Askenazi is the Director of Environmental Health, Communicable Disease and Emergency Preparedness and Response for Arapahoe County Public Health (ACPH) in the State of Colorado.

Ms. Askenazi is an experienced public health leader, epidemiologist and incident commander, and has served in a lead role for many response-related efforts including outbreaks, water and food related contamination incidents, mass casualty incidents, and natural disasters such as floods and fires. Most recently, she served as the Incident Commander for the COVID-19 pandemic response. Ms. Askenazi oversees the Environmental Health, Communicable Disease, Emergency Preparedness and Response, and COVID-19 Programs at ACPH, and she is a member of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Preparedness Policy Advisory Group (PPAG).

Before coming to ACPH, Ms. Askenazi served an Epidemiologist for the Michigan Department of Community Health, as an Epidemiologist for the Orange County Health Care Agency in Orange County, California, where she also served as a Research Analyst for their Bioterrorism Program, and most recently served as the Director of Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communicable Disease Surveillance for the Tri-County Health Department (TCHD) for over 16 years.

Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists

Benjamin P. Chan, MD, MPH

State Epidemiologist
New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services
Division of Public Health Services
Concord, New Hampshire

Dr. Chan is an infectious diseases physician and serves as the State Epidemiologist at the NH Department of Health and Humans services where he provides epidemiology and medical support to the NH Division of Public Health Services. He received his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine, and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice. He is Board Certified in the fields of Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease, and Public Health & General Preventive Medicine. As NH’s State Epidemiologist, he has been involved in responding to many different infectious disease and non-infectious disease issues. He provides infectious diseases and epidemiology subject matter expertise and serves as medical director for the NH Division of Public Health Services.

Association of Public Health Laboratories

Christina Egan, PhD

Deputy Director, Division of Infectious Diseases
Chief, Biodefense and Mycology Laboratories
Wadsworth CenterNew York State Department of Health
Albany, New York

Dr. Christina Egan is the Deputy Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases as well as the Chief of Biodefense and Mycology Laboratories at the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health. The Division of Infectious Diseases is comprised of over 200 scientists that perform infectious disease related testing as well as basic public health related research on infectious diseases including Arboviruses, tick borne pathogens, and Mycobacteria. She is currently serving on the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity and has served on the National Biodefense Science Board and is the recipient of the 2019 North American Global 3Rs Award and the 2017 APHL Leadership in Biosafety and Biosecurity Award. Dr. Egan has been involved with other national laboratory preparedness and response related committees including the Association of Public Health's Preparedness and Response Committee and Biosafety and Biosecurity Committees as well as several CDC Laboratory Response Network committees and workgroups.

Dr. Egan's research interests include improved diagnostics in the field of Biodefense, using platforms such as real-time PCR, next generation sequencing, and microsphere immunoassay and nucleic acid arrays.

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

Alexia Harrist MD, PhD

State Epidemiologist and State Health Officer
Wyoming Department of Health
Cheyenne, Wyoming

Dr. Alexia (Ali) Harrist is the Wyoming State Epidemiologist and Acting Wyoming State Health Officer at the Wyoming Department of Health. Previously, Dr. Harrist was an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, assigned to the Wyoming Department of Health. She has also worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, serving as a Medical Officer in the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination. Dr. Harrist is a board-certified pediatrician and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health

Laura Magaña, PhD

President and Chief Executive Officer
Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health
Washington, District of Columbia

Dr. Laura Magaña is the President and CEO of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH). Under Dr. Magaña's leadership, ASPPH has continued to advance its mission to strengthen the capacity of members by advancing leadership, excellence, and collaboration for academic public health. During her tenure, ASPPH has strengthened academic public health research through the Data Center, launched the academic public health leadership institute, and enhanced the voice of academic public health through advocacy efforts. She expanded the association's global reach by welcoming international members and led ASPPH to join with other regional associations that represent schools and programs of public health around the world to found the Global Network for Academic Public Health, which enhances academic public health worldwide through mutual learning and collaborations between academic public health institutions globally. Dr. Magaña has also launched five strategic initiatives to address critical issues in public health as part of ASPPH's Vision 2030: Dismantling Racism in Academic Public Health, Climate Change and Health, Framing the Future 2030, Gun Violence Prevention and the ASPPH Workforce Development Center.

Prior to joining ASPPH, Dr. Magaña dedicated more than 35 years to successfully leading the transformation and advancements of public and private universities in Mexico; educational organizations in the United States; United Nations programs; and nongovernmental organizations in Central America and Europe. She was most recently the dean of the School of Public Health in Mexico at the ASPPH-member National Institute of Public Health (INSP). She has also been a faculty member and lecturer at universities around the world. She frequently speaks with universities, partners, national, and international conferences on issues such as social determinants of health and health equity, the future of education for public health and the public health workforce, and critical issues in global public health.

National Emergency Management Association

A.J. Schall, Jr., B.S.

Director, Delaware Emergency Management Agency
Governor's Homeland Security Advisor, Department of Safety & Homeland Security
Smyrna, Delaware

A.J. Schall Jr. is the Director of the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) and was named the Governor's Homeland Security Advisor. Director Schall has been actively engaged in the front lines of emergency response, serving as the Chief of the Aetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Company (Newark, DE), and currently is Deputy Chief. Under Mr. Schall's Directorship, DEMA has facilitated multiple State of Emergencies, FEMA Graded Exercises and launched an UAV program.

Director Schall's background includes business, public safety, and emergency management.In the winter of 2020, Schall began as an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware. Over the years Director Schall has continued his professional development, completing the US Army War College Commandant's National Security Program in 2016, and most recently the Naval Post Graduate School Executive Leaders Program.