Montgomery County has created an advisory group of medical professionals to help with its recovery plans during the health crisis.
In an email to the group, Dr. Travis Gayles, the county’s health officer, wrote that the COVID-19 Public Health Advisory Board would “provide guidance to the Health Officer and Public Health Services response team, particularly related to our reopening metrics.”
The group had its first virtual discussion on Thursday afternoon.
Seven members accepted invitations to join the board:
● Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of American Public Health Association: He has served in his role since 2002, according to the APHA website. He previously was secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Benjamin, a Gaithersburg resident, is also a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. He was appointed to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council by President Barack Obama in April 2016.
● Dr. Amanda Castel, a professor at George Washington University: She is a professor in the university’s epidemiology department and primarily researches HIV and related infectious diseases, according to the GWU website. Castel previously co-directed the Master of Science in Public Health Microbiology and Emerging Infectious Diseases.
● Dr. Hongjie Liu, chair of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of Maryland School of Public Health: His research focuses on social and behavioral aspects of HIV/AIDS and research methodology, according to the university’s website.
● Dr. Tara Palmore, hospital epidemiologist at the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical Center: She has served in her role since 2014 and previously served as the deputy hospital epidemiologist since 2007, according to the NIH website. Her research focuses on modes of nosocomial transmission of multidrug-resistant bacteria, Clostridium difficile and antimicrobial stewardship.
● Dr. Torrey Mack, deputy associate administrator for health workforce at the Health Resources Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: She has served in her role since January 2019 and previously served as the bureau chief of family health for the Community Health Administration at the Washington, D.C., Department of Health, according to the HRSA website. Prior to those roles, she was an attending neonatologist at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.
● Dr. Cesar Palacios, executive director of Proyecto Salud Medical Clinic: Prior to his role at Proyecto, he worked on indigenous health issues for the Pan American Health Organization and consulted for the World Bank, according to the Proyecto website. In prior roles, he worked with international organizations that improved health in disenfranchised population groups in Central America and the Caribbean.
● Dr. Brent Berger of the Montgomery County Medical Society: He is also a member of the American College of Physicians and Maryland State Medical Society, according to the Bethesda Medical Associates website. He served his residency at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.
Mary Anderson, a spokeswoman for the county’s health department, said Thursday evening that she did not know what was discussed and if any decisions were made during the meeting. She did not know how often the board will meet.
The county’s health department decided to wait until after the advisory group held its first meeting before making public who is in the group.
Briana Adhikusuma can be reached at briana.adhikusuma@moco360.media.
