March 18, 2003
Williams Named to White House Homeland Security Panel
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge announced the appointment of John
F. Williams, MD, EdD, to the Emergency Services, Law Enforcement, and
Public Health and Hospitals Senior Advisory Committee. President George
W. Bush established this committee in March 2002 to provide his Homeland
Security Advisory Council with expertise from the nation’s emergency
response community. Dr. Williams was sworn in during a recent ceremony
at the White House.
In his role as GW’s provost, vice president for health affairs
and dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dr. Williams
has spearheaded GW’s efforts to integrate “best practices”
into local, regional, and national preparedness efforts. GW recently
received $5 million to establish a first responder training center on
its Virginia Campus.
“This appointment comes at a serious time for our nation when we
face elevated threat levels due to terrorism and must constantly revisit
our preparedness,” says Dr. Williams. “I take this new responsibility
very seriously and hope to make a significant contribution to the health
and medical aspects of the domestic response.
“This is a prestigious committee,” continues Dr. Williams.
“Academic health centers like GW have a an important role to play
in this process. I see this as a wonderful opportunity to provide input
on homeland security at this critical time and to support the administration’s
efforts.”
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
