Dr. Syra Madad

Syra Madad, D.H.Sc., M.Sc., MCP is nationally recognized leader and epidemiologist in public health and special pathogen preparedness and response. She is Senior Director, System-wide Special Pathogens Program at New York City Health + Hospitals, the nation’s largest municipal healthcare delivery system overseeing special pathogen preparedness and response efforts across 11 acute care hospitals in addition to post-acute/long-term care facilities and ambulatory care sites. She is Principal Investigator of NYC Health + Hospitals Institute of Diseases and Disaster Management and Health & Safety Lead of the Enhanced Special Investigations Unit of NYC Test & Trace Corp. In addition, Dr. Madad is Core Faculty in the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC), funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). She is a Fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Federation of American Scientists and part of their COVID19 Expert Taskforce, Alumni Fellow at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Health Security’s Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Program and Alumni Senior Fellow in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Behavioral Informatics & Technological Enterprise Studies Program.

Dr. Madad earned her Doctoral degree in Health Science with a concentration in Global Health from Nova Southeastern University, graduating with Alpha Eta Health Science Honor Society status. She obtained her Master of Science degree in Biotechnology with a concentration in Biodefense and Biosecurity and Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland. Dr. Madad holds numerous professional certifications, licenses and training certificates including Master Continuity Practitioner Certification (FEMA), Advanced Emergency Planning Certification, All Hazard Response (CBRNE) Training for Laboratory Personnel, Infection Control and Prevention Certification, Biosafety Level III Training, and Identification of the Primary Select Agents of Bioterrorism Training.

Prior to her current role, Dr. Madad served as the Lead Continuity of Operations Liaison and State Trainer for the BioThreat and Chemical Threat Teams at the Texas Department of State Health Services, Emergency Preparedness Branch. In this role, she served on the Ebola and Other Infectious Disease Agent Surge Team and assisted with the Texas state 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak response. In 2015, Dr. Madad was awarded the Ebola Response Team Appreciation Award by the Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services in recognition of her contributions to the state Ebola response effort. Dr. Madad also served as a Scientist for the United States Department of Agriculture working on genetic engineering and plant cloning.

Dr. Madad has a strong background in academia, teaching in graduate, undergraduate and professional programs with courses ranging from advanced microbiology to bioterrorism and biosecurity. Dr. Madad has held various faculty appointments, including Assistant Professor, Deputy Chair and Director of Education for various academic institutions in MD, NY, and TX. She serves on numerous editorial boards, advising committees and councils. Dr. Madad was awarded the prestigious J.V. Irons Award for Scientific Excellence in 2015 by the Texas Department of State Health Services for her significant contributions to the agency and scientific community. She was highlighted as a “Pathogen Preparedness Pioneer” in NYC Health + Hospitals Press Release in 2017 and was awarded “Most Innovative Use of Healthcare Simulation” by The Institute for Medical Simulation and Advanced Learning (IMSAL) in 2019 for her ongoing work in special pathogens preparedness via incognito special pathogen patient simulation drills.

Dr. Madad has led/been part of multiple infectious disease responses including Ebola, Zika, Measles, candida auris, and recently, COVID19. She has over 50+ publications, and has been a guest speaker at over 70 scientific and medical conferences around the world. She is frequently quoted and appears on major media outlets. Dr. Madad plays one of the lead roles in the Netflix docuseries, "Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak," which follows a handful of leaders throughout the world on the frontlines to prevent the next outbreak.

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