Columbia University Pandemic Flu Response

Columbia University has taken steps to develop a pandemic influenza response plan. The Senior Associate Dean for Health Affairs at the Columbia University Medical Center, with advice and support from the Executive Vice President and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, the Dean of the School of Public Health, and the Executive Vice President for Research, appointed a Pandemic Preparedness Working Group (PPWG). The charge to the group was to develop a University Pandemic Response Plan.

The Pandemic Preparedness Working Group (PPWG)

• Robert Lewy, MD, MPH, Senior Associate Dean for Health Affairs
• Stephen S. Morse, PhD, Associate Professor of Clinical Epidemiology; Founding Director, Center for Public Health Preparedness; Chairperson, Institutional Biosafety Committee
• Kathleen Crowley, RPA-C, MPH, Associate Vice President, Environmental Health and Radiation Safety/Environmental Health and Safety
• Paul Rubock, MA, MPH, CBSP, Director, Biological Safety Programs
• Samuel Seward, MD, Assistant Vice President, Medical Director of Health Services
• Marc Wilkenfeld, MD, Occupational Health Specialist

The working group recognizes that in order to develop a comprehensive plan it is necessary to have input from and to coordinate services with numerous departments throughout the University. Thus, close working relationships have been established with operational units such as Public Safety, Housing, Facilities, Student Health Services and others.

The draft plan was presented to, and approved, in Fall 2006 by the Institutional Biosafety Committee, the Institutional Health and Safety Council, the Council of Deans (chaired by the Provost), and both the Emergency Management Plan Team (at CUMC) and EMOT (at Morningside). The working group has also requested and received input from local experts such as Dr. Jacqueline Vorenkamp (representing the New York Presbyterian Hospital) and Dr. Kristine Gebbie, R.N., Professor at the School of Nursing. We thank all who have contributed to this plan.