Oct. 7, 2003

Key Positions Filled for GW’s Homeland Security Initiatives

As GW’s homeland security initiatives and commitments continue to expand, four people recently were named to key positions at the GW Medical Center.

Dr. John F. Williams, provost and vice president for health affairs, has tapped Frank Cilluffo to be associate vice president for homeland security. Cilluffo, a former top homeland security official in the Bush administration joined GW in May as senior policy adviser to the provost.

“After 9/11, President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg entrusted me with developing the University’s homeland security strategy,” Williams said. “To that end, I recruited the top talent from government and academia to help create a comprehensive homeland security initiative that will involve all of our schools and community partners.”

GW is poised to announce new academic programs in the area of homeland security as well as the creation of the Homeland Security Policy Institute. As associate vice president for homeland security, Cilluffo will marshal all University resources to coordinate the development of multi-faceted programs and policies on homeland security.

“With GW’s tremendous homeland security expertise and established relationships with the emergency response community, we are confronting the threats that face the nation,” Cilluffo said. “By linking academia and scientists to decision makers at all levels of governments, the private sector and the communities we live in, we are in effect building a bridge between theory and practice in homeland security and counterterrorism.”

Cilluffo was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve in the newly created White House Office of Homeland Security shortly after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. In his job at the White House, Cilluffo built partnerships with the private sector, academic, and state and local officials and emergency responders on homeland security policies and initiatives. Daniel Kaniewski, the executive director of GW’s Center for Emergency Preparedness, will serve as Cilluffo’s deputy.

Another key addition from the federal government joining GW is Jerome M. Hauer, acting assistant secretary for public health emergency preparedness at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), who will become the director of the Response to Emergencies and Disasters Institute (READI).

“Hauer’s extensive experience and proven leadership in this area will enable us to deliver the highest quality homeland security training and position READI to become a model for the nation,” Williams said.

READI was initially funded with a $5 million federal appropriation. Recently the institute was tasked by the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate and deliver first responder training for the entire National Capital Region.

At HHS, Hauer coordinated the country’s medical and public health preparedness and emergency response efforts, including preparedness against biological, chemical and nuclear terrorism.

Williams named Dr. Christina Catlett as the founding medical director of the GW Center for Emergency Preparedness. Catlett comes to GW from Johns Hopkins University, where she served as deputy director in the Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response and was assistant professor of emergency medicine.

“The combination of her dedication to emergency preparedness and her innovation in the field make her a welcome addition to our center,” Williams said. “She will be vital to our overall homeland security mission and our efforts to make sure the new GW Hospital is prepared for any emergency.”

Additionally, Paul Maniscalco, former deputy chief/paramedic for the City of New York and former president of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, joins GW as visiting assistant professor of health care sciences and director of the Emergency Services Management Program. He also will be a faculty member at READI.

“Paul literally wrote the book on emergency preparedness and is an expert of national stature,” Dr. Keith Holtermann, associate dean for health sciences and READI programming said. “He is a vital and welcome addition to our team.”

GW already has several successful homeland security-focused programs including READI, a first responder training center on its Virginia Campus. In addition, GW has finished preparedness training for the DC Department of Health personnel and is training DC citizens in emergency preparedness as a part of the national Citizens Corps campaign. The University also was designated as a Regional Center of Excellence in Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases by HHS.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu

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