School Alumnus To Head Office Of Public Health Preparedness

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson named Jerome M. Hauer, MHS, the new director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness, according to a statement released by HHS. Hauer replaces D.A. Henderson, MD, MPH, who had agreed to serve as director for six months while the office was developed. Dr. Henderson, the former dean of the School and the founding director of the School’s Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies, will continue to advise HHS on vaccine development and biodefense research, according to the Secretary.

Jerome Hauer is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and the first Director of Emergency Management for New York City. In the statement Secretary Thompson called Hauer, "a proven and aggressive leader who gets the job done, and one of the world’s preeminent experts in emergency preparedness and bioterrorism."

Hauer also serves as a member of the School's Health Advisory Board and as a member of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies' Working Group on Civilian Biodefense. He also received the School’s Society of Alumni Outstanding U.S. Alumnus Award in Public Health Practice in 1995.

HHS Press Release