Dr. Ronald M. Atlas - (Chair)
Ronald M. Atlas is co-chair of the Public and Scientific Affairs Board Biodefense Committee of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and professor of biology at the University of Louisville. He has served as president of ASM, as a member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Recombinant Advisory Committee, as chair of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Planetary Protection Committee, as chair of the Wellcome Trust Pathogens, Immunology and Population Health Strategy Committee, as a member of the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee, and as chair of the Board of Directors of the One Health Commission. He is author of nearly 300 manuscripts and 20 books, and has served on numerous National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) committees. He is a fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology. Atlas is a pioneer of bioremediation and an expert on the clean up of oil spills, and is also an expert in the detection of biothreat agents and the prevention of bioterrorism. He received his B.S. degree from the State University at Stony Brook, his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and D.Sc. (honoris causa) from the University of Guelph.
Dr. Nisreen D. Al-Hmoud
Nesreen AL-Hmoud is the director of the Center for Excellence in Biosafety, Biosecurity, and Biotechnology at the Royal (Jordanian) Scientific Society. She conducts research that focuses on the preservation of human health and biodiversity, specifically in the fields of biosafety, water and food safety, and the evaluation of risks from genetically modified organisms. She is particularly interested in international scientific cooperation and works toward the development of scientific capacity that can benefit the broader scientific community, government agencies, local communities, and non-governmental organizations in Jordan and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. She focuses on research that involves a holistic approach to microbiology, molecular biology, virology, toxicology, and ecology. She is a frequent participant at international biosafety meetings, and has attended international governmental meetings at the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and the United Nations (UN) 1540 Committee. AL-Hmoud received her B.S. in biology from the University of Jordan, and her M.Phil. and Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Abertay Dundee in Scotland.
Dr. David M. Barash
David Barash is the executive director of the Global Health Portfolio and chief medical officer for the GE Foundation. Barash is also co-chair of the Private Sector Roundtable, a collaboration of several multinational companies to support the work of the Global Health Security Agenda. Barash is a practicing emergency medicine physician with more than 30 years of experience. Prior to joining the GE Foundation, Barash was chief medical officer of Life Care Solutions. Barash was also founder and president of Concord Healthcare Strategies, where he provided strategic and operational expertise to medical technology investors and development stage medical technology companies. He received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from Cornell University, and is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Dr. Kavita M. Berger
Kavita Berger is a scientist at Gryphon Scientific where she is building new programs on international bioengagement and science policy. She began her career in science and security policy in 2005 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), where she developed activities that engaged science policy and security experts on topics ranging from health security to biological weapons, enabling scientists to bring their knowledge and experience to current security policy dialogues and the security policy community to better understand the broader implications of science and technology. She has conducted forward-looking studies, such as the 2014 evaluation of the security implications of big data in the life sciences. She also has engaged scientists across the MENA region and South Asia since 2009 to work together to prevent biosecurity threats. Her work in the MENA region promoted partnership and trust among U.S. and regional scientists to jointly reduce biological risks. Prior to joining AAAS, Berger conducted her post-doctoral research at the Emory Vaccine Center on pre-clinical research and development of HIV and smallpox vaccines. She received her B.S. in molecular genetics at The Ohio State University and her Ph.D. in genetics and molecular biology at Emory University.
Rear Admiral Kenneth W. Bernard
Rear Admiral Kenneth Bernard, U.S. Public Health Service, USPHS (Ret.), is an independent consultant on security and health issues. He served as special assistant to President Gerorge W. Bush for Biodefense on the Homeland Security Council from 2002 to 2005. Admiral Bernard chaired the White House Biodefense Policy Coordinating committee, and drafted decision directives for President Bush on both “Biodefense for the 21st Century” and agricultural bioterrorism, and he was the White House point person on implementation of the Project Bioshield Act. After September 11, 2001, he created the position of special adviser for National Security, Intelligence, and Defense to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Prior to this service, Bernard worked as a professional staff member in the U.S. Senate, served on President Clinton’s National Security Council staff, as the International Health Attaché at the U.S. Mission to the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, as the associate director for Medical and Scientific Affairs in the Office of International Health at HHS, as International Health Policy Adviser to the director of the U.S. Peace Corps, and as a medical epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Admiral Bernard earned his M.D. from the University of California, Davis, and a diploma in tropical medicine and hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is board certified in internal medicine.
