By Maureen McArthur

The lecture will be held
4 p.m., Wednesday,
Jan. 16, in the
University of Kentucky
auditorium (HG611).
.

Jan. 4, 2001 (Lexington, Ky.) -- Michael T. Osterholm, Ph.D., M.P.H., director, Center of Infectious Disease Research and Policy, and professor, School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, will present “Bioterrorism: The Next Chapter” 4 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 16, in the University of Kentucky auditorium (HG611). The lecture is part of the UK College of Medicine Dean’s Lecture Series.

Osterholm’s lecture will discuss potential bioterrorism
agents and the level of preparedness for an attack in the United States.

Osterholm served for 24 years (1975-1999) in various
roles at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the last 15 years as state epidemiologist and chief, Acute Disease Epidemiology Section. While at the MDH, Osterholm and his team were leaders in the area of infectious disease epidemiology. He has led numerous investigations of outbreaks of international importance, including food borne diseases, the association of tampons and toxic shock syndrome, the transmission of hepatitis B in health care settings and human immunodeficiency virus infection in health care workers. In addition, they have conducted numerous studies regarding infectious diseases in child day care, vaccine-preventable diseases, particularly Haemophilus influenzae, type b and hepatitis B virus vaccines, Lyme disease, and other emerging infections. Osterholm’s team was one of the first to call
attention to the changing epidemiology of food borne
disease. Recently, Osterholm has been a national leader detailing the growing concern regarding the use of biological agents as weapons of mass destruction in
civilian populations. In that role, he served as a personal advisor to the late King Hussein of Jordan. Osterholm provides a comprehensive and pointed review of America’s current state of preparedness for a
bioterrorism attack in his recently released book, Living
Terrors.

He is a Fellow in the American College of Epidemiology, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Osterholm has received numerous honors for his work, including the Charles C. Shepard Science Award from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the Harvey W. Wiley Medal from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and the Wade Hampton Frost Leadership Award from the American Public Health Association. Osterholm also has been the recipient of five major research awards from the National Institutes of Health and the CDC.