news

Sam Nunn Security Program Visits CDC

Primary tabs

On October 1, 2014, the Sam Nunn Security Program (Class of 2014-2015) visited the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. While a trip to the CDC is a perennial feature of the fellowship program, this year’s visit was notable for its concurrence with the first U.S. case of the Ebola virus, diagnosed in Dallas, Texas on September 30, 2014.

The Nunn Fellows participated in a day-long series of briefings on the mission and activities of the CDC. The morning sessions focused on the Center’s approach to policymaking, the Global Health Security Initiative - an informal, international partnership framework designed to “prevent, rapidly detect, and effectively respond to infectious disease threats,” and on the role of the CDC Emergency Operations Center. The discussion of the Emergency Operations Center included a demonstration of Red Sky – a cloud-based dashboard program that allows analysts and decision makers to access real-time information on public health events on an interactive map.

In the afternoon, the Nunn Fellows were briefed on the CDC’s campaign to eradicate polio, its environmental health emergency operations, and the information technology component of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The day ended with a tour of the CDC museum. This year’s CDC visit was facilitated by Kate Fox - Special Assistant to the Deputy Director at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The speaker lineup consisted of: Dr. Corinne Graffunder - Associate Director for Policy (Acting), Dr. Cecilia Joshi – Associate Director for Policy, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Gena Hill – Associate Director for Policy, Center for Global Health, Global Immunization Division, Dr. Hugh Mainzer – Deputy Director, Office of Environmental Health Emergencies, National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and other vital contributors to the CDC’s public health efforts.

Originally funded by the MacArthur Foundation’s Science, Technology, and Security Initiative, the Sam Nunn Security Program seeks to advance the role of scientific and technical advice on issues of international security through education, research, outreach activities, and participation in the policy advisement process. The Program is committed to educating scientists and engineers about national security issues and providing the analytical tools they need to interact with the policy community. It selects young and mid-career scientists and engineers for intensive year-long training in research approaches and policy formulation methods for addressing national and international security issues. It is currently led by Professor Seymour Goodman and Assistant Professor Margaret E. Kosal, both of the Nunn School.

Status

  • Workflow Status:Published
  • Created By:Matt Josey
  • Created:10/02/2014
  • Modified By:Fletcher Moore
  • Modified:10/07/2016

Categories