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Dr. Henderson was the founding director of the Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In his new position, he will work with all agencies within the department to enhance the response to the anthrax attacks, as well as any possible incidents in the future.

"Dr. Henderson brings a lifetime of preparation for the demands of this job, and we are fortunate to have him join the department on a full-time basis," Secretary Thompson said. "His distinguished record speaks for itself, and his expertise will only improve the excellent job the public health system is doing at the local, state and federal levels."

HHS has primary federal responsibility for public health in emergencies and works with state and local health departments. HHS emergency health resources include deployment of emergency health personnel under the Office of Emergency Preparedness, disease surveillance and other responsibilities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food and pharmaceutical safety responsibilities of the Food and Drug Administration, medical resources of the National Institutes of Health, emergency mental health response capabilities of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, as well as services needed from HHS' other operating divisions.

Secretary Thompson also announced today that Phillip Russell, a retired U.S. Army major general, who was the director of the Army's Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, will join the department as a special advisor on vaccine development and production. Russell is an expert on virology.

"Since arriving here nine months ago, we have moved aggressively to strengthen the department's bioterrorism preparedness and response," Secretary Thompson said. "This is part of our ongoing effort to bring in America's most talented experts in bioterrorism as well as strengthen our responsiveness. We're working hard every day to build our capabilities even stronger."

Previously, Secretary Thompson named Dr. Henderson the chairman of a new national advisory council on public health preparedness, a position he will continue to hold. The council is charged with recommending improvements to the nation's public health infrastructure to better prepare it for bioterrorism attacks.

Dr. Henderson directed the World Health Organization's global smallpox eradication campaign from 1966 to 1977 and was instrumental in 1974 in initiating WHO's global program of immunization, which is now vaccinating 80 percent of the world's children against six major diseases and has a goal of eradicating of poliomyelitis.

Dr. Henderson is a Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Service Professor with appointments in the Departments of Epidemiology and International Health at the School. For the past four years, he has directed the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies. The Center was established to increase national and international awareness of the medical and public health threats posed by biological weapons.

From 1977 through August 1990, Dr. Henderson was dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He rejoined the Hopkins faculty in June 1995 after five years of federal government service in which he served initially as Associate Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President (1991-1993) and later as Deputy Assistant Secretary and Senior Science Advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Henderson has been recognized for his work by many institutions and governments. In 1986, he received the National Medal of Science, presented by the President of the United States. He is the recipient of the National Academy of Sciences' highest award, the Public Welfare Medal, and, with two colleagues, he shared the Japan Prize. Most recently he received from the Royal Society of Medicine the Edward Jenner Medal. In all, 13 universities have conferred honorary degrees and 14 countries have honored him with awards and decorations.

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