Experts from Drexel University are available to comment on the public health and prevention aspects of Ebola virus.

Infectious Disease Prevention (Large-Scale and Individuals): Esther Chernak, MD, an associate professor and director of the Center for Public Health Readiness and Communication in the Drexel University School of Public Health, is an infectious disease physician with two decades of experience in public health practice. Chernak previously served as Medical Director for the Acute Communicable Disease Control Program for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, where she engaged in preparedness for disease outbreaks such as Ebola and other infectious diseases. Between 1999 and 2008, Chernak oversaw the city’s public health emergency preparedness planning, training, and exercises and chaired several multidisciplinary task forces to coordinate multidisciplinary public health emergency preparedness planning and response across the metropolitan area.

Health Care Worker Safety: Jennifer Taylor, PhD, an associate professor at the Drexel University School of Public Health, studies injury prevention and control with a focus on occupational safety in the health care and emergency response industries. Taylor has previously worked in hospital quality management. She can comment on worker protections and occupational safety considerations for health care workers who may encounter cases or suspected cases of Ebola.

Risk of Transmitting Ebola: Charles Haas, PhD, is a professor of environmental engineering in Drexel’s College of Engineering. He can comment on how government agencies are deriving their recommended procedures for preventing the spread of Ebola. Haas, who has extensive background in analyzing the risk of transmitting biological pathogens, has analyzed data from previous Ebola outbreaks to determine that the 21-day quarantine, that is standard for individuals who could have been exposed to Ebola, might not be long enough to fully mitigate the threat of transmission. His paper “On the Quarantine Period for Ebola Virus” was published in PLOS Currents: Outbreaks this week. Haas is the head of the Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Department at Drexel.

Experts are available for phone, email or on-camera interviews and have access to a satellite uplink studio.