Newswise — Bethesda, Md. – Board-certified emergency medicine physician Dr. Michael Zanker has been named deputy director of the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health (NCDMPH) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
Zanker was recommended for the appointment by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). In this collateral role, he will continue in his current position with ASPR as the Chief Medical Officer for the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), while providing strategic leadership to NCDMPH.
"Dr. Zanker brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the National Center and we are fortunate to have his leadership at this critical moment in history. His time at HHS ASPR, as well as DHS, provide him a unique perspective on the federal interagency,” said NCDMPH Director Dr. Jeff Freeman. “We are truly indebted to our colleagues at ASPR for providing Dr. Zanker's support. We hope his time at the National Center proves valuable to our interagency colleagues and to the mission we share in protecting the health and well-being of the nation."
Zanker’s appointment to the NCDMPH deputy director position reinforces the collaboration and alignment between NCDMPH and HHS ASPR to execute the Congressionally-directed Department of Defense (DoD) NDMS Pilot, a program tasked with increasing the capabilities and interoperability of the NDMS to meet the medical requirements of a large-scale combat operation or other catastrophic event in the homeland. Zanker’s extensive background in disaster medicine and public health, including support to the federal interagency and the White House, is a perfect fit for the mission of the National Center, which aims to advance the nation’s medical and public health readiness for disasters.
Zanker’s distinguished career also includes serving as the Medical Director for the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services, acting Associate Chief Medical Officer for Medical Readiness at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Health Affairs, and as a senior medical liaison to FEMA.
“I’m excited to engage in collaboration between DoD, ASPR, and our other NDMS partners to further improve our military-civilian mission capabilities,” said Zanker. “The National Center provides cutting edge advancements in disaster medicine to help improve outcomes for citizens impacted by disasters and warfighters serving our nation, which they do by bringing together experts from the fields of research, technology, operations, and education. I am happy to be a part of its mission.”
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About the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences: The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, founded by an act of Congress in 1972, is the nation’s federal health sciences university and the academic heart of the Military Health System. USU students are primarily active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who receive specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, TBI and PTSD, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, global health, and acute trauma care. USU also has graduate programs in oral biology, biomedical sciences and public health committed to excellence in research. The University's research program covers a wide range of areas important to both the military and public health. For more information about USU and its programs, visit www.usuhs.edu.
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