Curriculum Vitae

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee

MARK R. POWELL

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Risk Assessment and Cost Benefit Analysis
1400 Independence Ave., SW , Rm. 4032 SAG (MS 3811)
Washington , DC 20250

EDUCATION

Ph.D. ---- Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. Ecology
M.A. ---- Rutgers University. Political Science
B.S. ---- Rutgers University. Natural Resource Management

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Risk Scientist
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of Risk Assessment and Cost Benefit Analysis
Washington , DC
March 2000 – present

Provide scientific, technical, and policy guidance at the departmental level regarding risk assessment, primarily in the areas of microbial food safety and animal and plant health.
Review risk assessments developed by USDA agencies in support of major regulations to protect human health, human safety, or the environment.
Project Manager, USDA-University cooperative research agreements on risk assessment methods. ( North Carolina State University – sensitivity analysis; Michigan State University – predictive microbiology; New Mexico State University – invasive species.)
Team Member, plant pest risk assessment for Eucalyptus spp. from Australia, 2002-03.
Team Member, risk assessment of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) from Canada, 2004-pres.

Risk Analyst/Fellow
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
Washington , DC
September 1997 – February 2000

Risk Assessment Team Leader: Escherichia coli 0157:H7 in ground beef, Salmonella Enteriditis in pasteurized egg products, FSIS risk assessment process.
Member , US Delegation. Codex Alimentarius Commission, Committee on Food Hygiene.

Fellow
Resources for the Future (RFF), Center for Risk Management
Washington , DC
September 1994 – August 1997

Conducted evaluation of the acquisition and use of science at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), resulting in book publication.
Investigated the acquisition and use of science in international trade disputes over sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
Analyzed regulatory and non-regulatory determinants of urban air quality trends.
Conducted domestic and international environmental program evaluation.

Fellow
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Office of Strategic Planning
Washington , DC
September 1992 – August 1994

Developed comparative risk-based process used to set USAID country-level environmental program priorities.
Prepared white paper, organized round table discussions with stakeholders on environment and development.
Team member, environment and development program evaluations (US-Asia Environmental Partnership, USAID/Dominican Republic).
Presented risk assessment seminar series for USAID/Chile.

Fellow
EPA, Office of Research and Development
Washington , DC
June – August 1992

Characterized hazards of toxic inorganics from forestland application of municipal sewage sludge.

Graduate Assistant
Rutgers University
New Brunswick , NJ
1986-90

Eagleton Institute of Politics: Bipartisan gubernatorial transition project.
Environmental Resources Department: Taught forestry field practice camp. Evaluated efficacy of residential woodstove equipped with catalytic unit in reducing creosote accumulation.

Administrative Assistant
Rutgers University , International Agriculture and Food Program
New Brunswick , NJ
1985-86

Administrative Assistant, On-Campus Peace Corps Recruiter.

Peace Corps Volunteer
Dominican Republic
1983-85

Instructor, Instituto Superior de Agricultura. Research Assistant, USAID Woodfuel Development Project.

HONORS, AWARDS, AND FELLOWSHIPS

National Plant Board Award for Extra Effort and Dedication, 2006
USDA Superior Service and Extra Effort Awards, 2005
USDA Certificate of Appreciation, 1999
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Risk Science Fellow, 1997-99
AAAS Science and Diplomacy Fellow, 1992-94
AAAS-EPA Science and Engineering, 1992
Garden State Graduate Fellow, 1987-91
Rutgers Graduate Scholar, 1985-86

EXPERT GROUPS

Food and Drug Administration Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee, 2006-2010.
Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Joint Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA), Risk Assessment of Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) in meat and meat products, 2006.
National Plant Board, USDA Plant Pest Risk Analysis Process Study Group, 2005-2006.
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, Microbial Food Safety Risk Analysis Task Force, 2004-2006.
Canadian Institute for Health Research, Expert Consultation on Microbial Risk Assessment, 2003.
JEMRA, Development of Risk Characterization Guidelines, 2003.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Secretary - Society for Risk Analysis Food and Water/Biological Stressors Specialty Group, 2003-2005.
Member - Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting Program Committee, 2004.
Member, Organizing Committee, Society for Risk Analysis Public Forum on OMB's Proposed Risk Assessment Bulletin, 23-24 May 2006, Washington, DC.
Member, Society for Risk Analysis Conferences and Workshops Committee, 2007-present.
Peer Reviewer - Risk Analysis, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Journal of Environmental Management.

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES

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Powell, M. 2006. Modeling the Frequency and Duration of Microbial Contamination Events. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 110(1): 93-99.

Powell, M., M. Tamplin, B. Marks, D. Campos. 2006. Bayesian Synthesis of a Pathogen Growth Model: Listeria monocytogenes under competition. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 109: 34-46.

Campos , D.T., B.P. Marks, M.R. Powell, and M.L. Tamplin. 2005. Quantifying the Robustness of a Broth-Based Escherichia coli O157:H7 Growth Model in Ground Beef. Journal of Food Protection 68(11): 2301–2309.

Powell, M. 2004. Risk Assessment for Invasive Plant Species. Weed Technology. 18(5): 1305-1308.

Ebel , E., W. Schlosser, J. Kause, K. Orloski, T. Roberts, C. Narrod, S. Malcolm, M. Coleman, M. Powell. 2004. Draft risk assessment of the public health impact of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in ground beef. Journal of Food Protection. 67(9): 1824 - 1828.

Powell, M., W. Schlosser, and E. Ebel. 2004. Considering the Complexity of Microbial Community Dynamics in Food Safety Risk Assessment. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 90(2): 171-179.

Andersen, M, H. Adams, B. Hope, and M. Powell. 2004. Risk Assessment for Invasive Species. Risk Analysis, Vol. 24(4): 787-794.

Andersen, M, B. Hope, and M. Powell. 2004. Risk Analysis for Invasive Species: General Framework and Research Needs. Risk Analysis, Vol. 24(4): 893-900.

Powell, M. 2003. Modeling the Response of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Diptera:Tephritidae) to Cold Treatment. Journal of Economic Entomology. 96(2): 300-310.

Powell, M. 2002. A Model for Probabilistic Assessment of Phytosanitary Risk Reduction Measures. Plant Disease. 86(5): 552-557.

Powell, M., E. Ebel, and W. Schlosser. 2001. Considering Uncertainty in Comparing the Burden of Illness due to Foodborne Microbial Pathogens. International Journal of Food Microbiology. 69(3): 209-215.

Powell, M., E. Ebel, A. Hogue, and W. Schlosser. 2001. The Promise and Challenge of Food Safety Performance Standards. Dairy, Food & Environmental Sanitation. 21(7): 582-590.

Powell, M.R., E. Ebel, W. Schlosser, M. Walderhaug, and J. Kause. 2000. Dose-Response Envelope for Escherichia coli O157:H7. Quantitative Microbiology. 2: 141-163.

BOOK

Powell, M. 1999. Science at EPA: Information in the Regulatory Process. Resources for the Future: Washington, DC.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

National Plant Board. 2006. Peer Review Report of the Procedures and Standards that Govern the Consideration of Import and Export Requests Under the Plant Protection Act: A Report Presented by the National Plant Board to the Secretary of Agriculture and the US Congress, July. National Plant Board. (Committee Member)

Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST). 2006. Using Risk Analysis to Inform Microbial Food Safety Decisions. Issue Paper 31. CAST, Ames, Iowa. (Committee Member)

Andersen, M, H. Adams, B. Hope, and M. Powell. 2004. Risk Assessment for Invasive Species. Risk Analysis, Vol. 24(4): 787-794. (Proceedings of the Ecological Society of America-Society for Risk Analysis Workshop on Risk Assessment for Invasive Species, 21-23 October 2001, Las Cruces, NM.)

Andersen, M, B. Hope, and M. Powell. 2004. Risk Analysis for Invasive Species: General Framework and Research Needs. Risk Analysis, Vol. 24(4): 893-900. (Proceedings of the Ecological Society of America-Society for Risk Analysis Workshop on Risk Assessment for Invasive Species, 21-23 October 2001, Las Cruces, NM.)

World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2003. Hazard characterization for pathogens in food and water: Guidelines. Microbiological Risk Assessment Series 3. WHO: Geneva, Switzerland. (Contributor)

Kliejunas, J.T.; Burdsall, H.H., Jr.; DeNitto, G.A.; Eglitis, A.; Haugen, D.A.; Haverty, M.I.; Micales, J.A.; Tkacz, B.M.; Powell, M.R. 2003. Pest risk assessment of the importation of unprocessed logs and chips of eighteen eucalypt species from Australia into the United States. Gen. Tech. Rep. FPL-GTR-137. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory: Madison, WI.

Ebel, E., W. Schlosser, K. Orloski, J. Kause, T. Roberts, C. Narrod, S. Malcolm, M. Coleman, and M. Powell. 2003. A Risk Assessment of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 in Ground Beef. Microbial Food Safety in Animal Agriculture: Current Topics (Torrence, M. E. and R.E. Isaacson, eds.). Iowa State Press: Ames, pp. 313-324.

Powell, M. 2001. Risk Assessment for Biological Stressors. Assessment and Management of Environmental Risks (Linkov, I. and J.M Palma Oliveira, eds.). Proceedings of a NATO Advanced Research Workshop, September 30-October 5, 2000, Lisbon, Portugal. Kluewr: Amsterdam, pp. 71-84.

Whiting, R.C., M.E. Coleman, C.A. Narrod, M. Powell, T. Roberts, and W.D. Schlosser. 2001. “Risk Assessment in the Control of VTEC,” Verocytotoxigenic E. coli (Duffy, G. P. Garvey, and D.A. McDowell, eds.) Food & Nutrition Press, Inc.: Trumbull, CT, pp. 337-351.

Powell, M. 1998. “Ecological Risk Assessment and Policy Choice,” Risk-Based Decision Making in Water Resources VIII (Haimes, Y.H., D.A. Moser, and E.Z. Stakhiv, eds.). Proceedings of the Eighth Conference, October, 1997, Santa Barbara, California. American Society of Civil Engineers: Reston, VA.

Powell, M. 1997. Science in Sanitary and Phytosanitary Dispute Resolution. RFF Discussion Paper 97-50. Resources for the Future: Washington, DC.

Powell, M. and J. Wilson. 1997. Risk Assessment for National Natural Resource Conservation Programs. RFF Discussion Paper 97-49. Resources for the Future: Washington, DC.

Powell, M., R. Lile, and M. Toman. 1997. Assessing the Constraints and Opportunities for Private-Sector Participation in Activities Implemented Jointly: Two Case Studies from the US Initiative for Joint Implementation. RFF Discussion Paper 97-38. Resources for the Future: Washington, DC.

Powell, M. 1997. Three-City Air Study. RFF Discussion Paper 97-29. Resources for the Future: Washington, DC.

Powell, M. 1997. Biohazardous Waste: Risk Assessment, Policy, and Management by Wayne L. Turnberg; John Wiley & Sons, NY, 1996 in Environment, March, Vol. 39, No. 2, p. 25 (book review).

Powell, M. 1996. The 1991 Lead/Copper Drinking Water Rule & the 1995 Decision Not to Revise the Arsenic Drinking Water Rule: Two Case Studies in EPA’s Use of Science. RFF Discussion Paper 97-05. Resources for the Future: Washington, DC.

Powell, M. 1996. The 1983-84 Suspensions of EDB under FIFRA and the 1989 Asbestos Ban and Phaseout Rule under TSCA: Two Case Studies of EPA’s Use of Science. RFF Discussion Paper 97-06. Resources for the Future: Washington, DC.

Powell, M. 1996. The 1987 Revision of the NAAQS for Particulate Matter and the 1993 Decision Not to Revise the NAAQS for Ozone: Two Case Studies in EPA’s Use of Science. RFF Discussion Paper 97-07. Resources for the Future: Washington, DC.

Powell, M. 1996. Control of Dioxins from the Pulp and Paper Industry under the Clean Water Act and Lead in Soil at Superfund Mining Sites: Two Case Studies in EPA’s Use of Science. RFF Discussion Paper 97-08. Resources for the Future: Washington, DC.

Powell, M. 1992. Toxic Inorganics From Municipal Sludge Application On Forestlands. 1992 Environmental Science and Engineering Program Reports. American Association for the Advancement of Science: Washington, D.C.

Powell, M. 1991. An M-Estimator Model for Federal Forest Policymaking. Ph.D. Dissertation. Rutgers University: New Brunswick, NJ.

Powell, M. and E. Green. 1988. A Comparative Analysis of Pitch Pine and Red Oak as Woodfuel. Bulletin of New Jersey Academy of Science. 33:29 (abstract).

PRESENTATIONS

Accounting for Hypothetical Variability Inflates Uncertainty in Risk Assessment: The Case of Analyzing BSE Surveillance in Low Prevalence Countries. Society for Risk Analysis, Baltimore MD, 3-6 December 2006.

Overview of existing risk assessments on Escherichia coli O157 in meat and meat products. Joint FAO/WHO Inception Meeting on Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) in meat and meat products. Dulin, Ireland, 4-8 September 2006.

Accounting for Hypothetical Variability (Over-Stratification) Inflates Uncertainty in Risk Assessment: The Case of Analyzing BSE Surveillance in Low Prevalence Countries. International Association for Food Protection, Calgary, Alberta, CA, 13-16 August 2006.

The Emerging Role & Future Direction of Risk Management at USDA. Congress on Global Approaches to Risk Management, Silver Spring, MD, 18-19 May 2006.

Risk Assessment for Biological Stressors: Past, Present, and Future. Society for Risk Analysis, Orlando, FL, 4-7 December 2005.

What Constitutes Negligible Risk under the SPS Agreement? International Plant Protection Convention. International Plant Health Risk Analysis Workshop. Niagara Falls, Ontario, 24-28 October 2005.

Evaluating the Efficacy and Equivalence of Phytosanitary Risk Reduction Measures. International Plant Protection Convention. International Plant Health Risk Analysis Workshop. Niagara Falls, Ontario, 24-28 October 2005.

The OIE Standard for BSE: A Case of International Risk Management. International Association for Food Protection, Baltimore, MD, 14-17 August 2005.

Modeling the Frequency and Duration of Microbial Contamination Events. Food Safety and Inspection Service, Office of Public Health and Science Seminar Series, Washington, DC, 20 April 2005.

Sanitary and Phytosanitary Decisional Criteria. Society for Risk Analysis, Palm Springs, CA, 5-8 December 2004.

Modeling the Frequency and Duration of Microbial Contamination Events: Considering Uncertainty and Variability in Censored Data. International Association of Food Protection, Phoenix, AZ, 8-11 August 2004.

Risk Analysis and Federal Policy: a framework for science-based decision making. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 3 March 2004. (Seminar)

Separating Uncertainty and Variability: Who Let the Dogma Out? Society for Risk Analysis, Baltimore, MD, 7-10 December 2003.

Bayesian Synthesis: Application to a Pathogen Growth Model. Society for Risk Analysis, Baltimore, MD, 7-10 December 2003. (Poster)

Risk Assessment for Invasive Plant Species. Invasive Plants in Natural and Managed Systems: Linking Science and Management and 7th International Conference on the Ecology and Management of Alien Plant Invasions, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, November 3-7, 2003.

Bayesian Synthesis of a Pathogen Growth Model, International Association for Food Protection, New Orleans, LA, 10-13 August 2003.

Risk Assessment for Biological Stressors. Gordon-Kenan Summer School on Risk Analysis, Bristol, RI, 5 August 2003.

Integration of Hazard Characterization and Exposure Assessment. JEMRA, Elsinore, Denmark, 24-28 February 2003.

Considering the Complexity of Microbial Community Dynamics in Food Safety Risk Assessment. Society for Risk Analysis, New Orleans, LA, 8-11 December 2002.

Risk Assessment for Invasive Species. Society for Risk Analysis, New Orleans, LA, 8-11 December 2002.

Modeling the Response of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly (Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) Diptera: Tephritidae) Larvae to Cold Treatment. Entomology Society of America, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 18-20 November 2002.

Risk Assessment for Invasive Species. Ecological Society of America, Tucson, AZ, 5-9 August 2002.

Development of International Risk-Based Phytosanitary Performance Standards. Society for Risk Analysis, Seattle, WA, 2-5 December 2001.

The Use of Sensitivity Analysis to Identify Potential Critical Control Points in Food Safety Process Risk Models. Society for Risk Analysis, Seattle, WA, 2-5 December 2001.

Ebel, E., M. Powell, W. Schlosser, A. Hogue. An Iso-Safety Approach To Food Safety Performance Standards. Society for Risk Analysis, Seattle, WA, 2-5 December 2001.

Introduction: Risk Assessment for Invasive Species. Risk Assessment for Invasive Species: Perspectives from Theoretical Ecology. Joint Society for Risk Analysis - Ecological Society of America Workshop, Las Cruces, New Mexico, 21-23 October 2001.

E. coli O157:H7 Dose-Response Analysis. US Environmental Protection Agency Microbial Risk Assessment Workshop, Ft. Meade, MD, 5-7 September 2001.

Estimating Risk of E. coli O157:H7 Exposure: the example of uncertainty in number of E. coli infections attributable to ground beef. Congress of Epidemiology 2001. Toronto, Canada, 16 June 2001.

Powell M, Ebel E, Schlosser W, Walderhaug M, Kause J. Dose-Response Envelope for Escherichia coli O157:H7. Society for Risk Analysis, Washington, DC, 3-6 December 2000.

Risk Assessment for Biological Stressors. Assessment and Management of Environmental Risks. NATO Advanced Research Workshop, Lisbon, Portugal, 3 October 2000.

An Observer's View of Science in US Regulatory Agencies. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 21 August 2000.

Ebel, E., W.D. Schlosser, and M. Powell. 2000. Correlation of Quantitative Farm to Table Risk Assessment Model for E. coli O157:H7 in Ground Beef with Broad-Scale Surveillance Data. International Symposium on Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Breckenridge, CO, 7-11 August 2000.

Considering Uncertainty in Comparing the Burden of Illness due to Foodborne Microbial Pathogens. Food Safety Poster Session, Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, GA, 17 July 2000. (Poster)

Dose-Response Envelope for Escherichia coli O157:H7. World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization Workshop on Hazard Characterization for Microbial Pathogens in Food and Water, Bilthoven, Netherlands, 15 June 2000.

Transparency and Consistency in Plant Pest Risk Assessment. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Pest Risk Analysis Symposium, Riverdale, MD, 18 May 2000.

FSIS Position on the Application of Precaution in Food Safety. U.S. Government Workshop on Precaution in Food Safety, College Park, MD, 7 March 2000.

Development of FSIS Performance Standards for Pasteurized Egg Products. United Egg Association Further Processors Technical Committee, Atlanta, GA, 20 January 2000.

Microbial Risk Assessment at FSIS. Food and Drug Law Institute Educational Conference, Washington, DC, 16-17 December 1999.

What Risk Assessment Can Do for Epidemiology. Society for Risk Analysis, Atlanta, GA, 5-8 December 1999.

Risk Assessment of E. coli O157:H7 in Beef. Center for Food Safety and Quality Enhancement. University of Georgia, Atlanta, GA, 2 March 1999.

Microbiology and Risk Assessment of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Ground Beef. Conference on the National Food Safety Initiative: Microbial Data, Implications for Microbial Data Collection, Analysis, and Application. International Life Sciences Institute, Arlington, VA, 15 October 1998.

Multiple Uses of Risk Assessment by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Food Safety Risk Assessment: Users and Needs. A National Food Safety Initiative Open Meeting. Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 7 August 1998.

Ecological Risk Assessment and Policy Choice. Engineering Foundation Conference on Risk-Based Decision Making In Water Resources, VIII, Santa Barbara, CA,12-17 October 1997.

Science in Environmental Regulation. USDA Economic Research Service Workshop on Technical Barriers to Trade, Washington, DC, 8-9 October 1997.

Science and U.S. Environmental Policy. Panel discussion arranged for delegation of international visitors on U.S. Information Agency sponsored program, Washington, DC, 23 June 1997.

Integrated Environmental Policy: The U.S. Experience. Presented to delegation of international visitors on U.S. Information Agency sponsored program, Washington, DC, 19 July 1996.

Biostressors: Strategies for Risk Analysis and Risk Management. USDA Office of Risk Assessment and Cost Benefit Analysis Seminar Series. Washington, DC, 13 March 1996.

Natural Hazards and Environmental Risk Analysis: Some Policy Issues. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy/National Science and Technology Committee Conference on Risk Assessment and Decisionmaking on Natural Hazards. Washington, DC, 2-3 November 1995.