STAC Members

The Administrator of the WTC Health Program is responsible for appointing members to the STAC. The make-up of the STAC is specified in the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. The term of a committee member may last up to four years. If a vacancy occurs, the Administrator of the WTC Health Program will appoint a new member in the same area of expertise as the individual they replace. Once a member has completed their term, they may be appointed to additional terms.

STAC Members and their Affiliations

Chair

Elizabeth M. Ward, Ph.D.
Captain (retired)
Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service
Asheville, NC
Term: 3/18/2022 – 9/30/2025

Designated Federal Officer

Tania Carreón-Valencia, Ph.D., M.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Members

John Comiskey, Ed.D.
Associate Professor of Homeland Security
Department of Criminal Justice
Monmouth University
West Long Branch, NJ
Term: 3/7/2022 – 9/30/2025

Joanna Gaitens, Ph.D., M.S.N./M.P.H., R.N.
Assistant Professor
Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Term: 3/8/2022 – 9/30/2025

Mridu Gulati, M.D., M.P.H.
Associate Professor
Department of Medicine
Yale University School of Medicine
Term: 3/29/2022 – 9/30/2025

Mariama James
Co-Chair
Manhattan Community Board 1
Quality of Life Committee
WTCHP Survivors Steering Committee
New York, NY
Term: 10/1/2020 – 9/30/2024

Anita Jose, Ph.D.
Director
Child Welfare Programs
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Montefiore Medical Center
Bronx, NY
Term: 10/2/2020 – 9/30/2024

Indrina Dalal Kanth
Chief of Staff
Rocky Mountain Prep
Denver, CO
Term: 3/28/2022 – 9/30/2025

Alya Khan, M.D., M.S., F.A.C.O.E.M.
Associate Clinical Professor
Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program Director
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA
Term: 3/18/2024 – 9/30/2027

Michael D. Larrañaga, Ph.D., F.A.I.H.A., P.E., C.I.H., C.S.P.
Managing Principal, President, and Co-Founder
Risk Engineering and Management
Dallas, TX
Term: 10/1/2020 – 9/30/2024

Michele Marcus, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Professor
Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health
Emory University School of Public Health
Department of Pediatrics
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, GA
Term: 3/15/2024 – 9/30/2027

Steven Markowitz, M.D., Dr.PH.
Professor and Director
Barry Commoner Center for Health and the Environment
Queens College
City University of New York
Professor
DrPH Program
CUNY School of Public Health
Term: 3/9/2022 – 9/30/2025

John D. Meyer, M.D., M.P.H.
Professor
Division of Occupational Medicine
Department of Environmental Medicine & Public Health
Icahn - Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York, NY
Term: 10/1/2020 – 9/30/2024

Lawrence C. Mohr, M.D.
Distinguished University Professor
Departments of Medicine and Public Health Sciences
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, SC
Term: 10/1/2020 – 9/30/2024

Jason W. Ostrowe, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Borough of Manhattan Community College
New York, NY
Term: 10/1/2020 – 9/30/2024

Aarti B. Surti, M.D., M.H.C.D.S.
Associate Medical Director
Oscar Center
Oscar Health
Brooklyn, NY
Term: 10/5/2020 – 9/30/2024

Glenn Talaska, Ph.D., C.I.H.
Professor Emeritus and Past interim Chair
Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences
The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Cincinnati, OH
Term: 3/8/2022 – 9/30/2025