HHS names 6 new members to biodefense advisory panel

Robert Roos  News Editor

Jan 4, 2011 (CIDRAP News) – Six new members have been appointed to the National Biodefense Science Board (NBSB), the expert committee that advises the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on preparing for bioterrroism and other public health emergencies, HHS officials announced yesterday.

The six new members replace six whose 3-year terms ended Dec 31, HHS said in a news release.

The new members are:

• Georges Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association
• Jane Delgado, PhD, MS, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health
• David Ecker, PhD, divisional vice president and site general manager at Ibis Biosciences
• Daniel Fagbuyi, MD, medical director for disaster preparedness and emergency management at Children's National Medical Center
• Kevin Jarrell, PhD, CEO of Modular Genetics, Inc.
• Betty Pfefferbaum, JD, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Oklahoma Sciences Center

The members leaving the NBSB are:

• Roberta Carlin, MD, JD, executive director of the American Association on Health and Disability
• Albert Di Rienzo, president and CEO of Blue Highway, LLC (a Welch Allyn company)
• Kenneth L. Dretchen, PhD, director of the Georgetown University Biosecurity Institute
• James J. James, MD, DPH, MHA, director of the Center for Public Health Preparedness and Disaster Response at the American Medical Association
• Andrew T. Pavia, MD, George and Esther Gross Presidential Professor and chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Utah
• Eric Rose, MD, CEO and chair of the board of directors at SIGA Technologies, Inc.

The 13-member NBSB was created under the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act of 2006 and chartered in 2007. The panel has made recommendations on ways to improve the management of the research and development of medicines, vaccines, and supplies for pandemic diseases, among other issues, HHS said.

The board's next meeting is scheduled for Apr 28 and 29. The group's chair is Patricia Quinlisk, MD, MPH, state epidemiologist and medical director at the Iowa Department of Public Health.

See also:

Jan 3 HHS news release