2005

Amazing day at White House today. Briefed the President on AIDS (domestic and International). Reason for briefing was preparation by the WH for the reauthorization of the Ryan White AIDS Care Act originally passed in…

Briefed the President about the potential for an H5N1 pandemic influenza. At briefing were the POTUS, the VP, Karl Rove, Josh Bolten, Kristen Silverberg, Dan Bartlett, Scott McClellan, Fran Townsend, Michel Gerson…

Met today in Building 31, 7A-24 with the Ugandan Vice president Professor Gilbert Bukenya, who is former Dean at Makerere University in Kampala. We had met previously when he was still in academics and now he is VP. We…

Lots of stuff going on. Had more Congressional Hearings. Today had Hearing on success or failure of Project BioShield. Testified before House Government Reform Committee chaired by Tom Davis (R-VA) and Henry Waxman as…

Briefed Secretary Leavitt on briefing that I will give tomorrow to VP Cheney on Biodefense countermeasure development. Leavitt will accompany me to the White House. Real good team at the DHHS with Leavitt and…

Briefed VP Cheney on Biodefense Countermeasure update for 1 hour. I was the primary and only briefer. Present were Sec. Leavitt, Scooter Libby, Carol Kuntz, Bruce Miller (Carol’s Deputy), Stewart Simonson. We discussed…

Busy, Busy day. Briefed VP Cheney again for 1 hour, this time with Sec Leavitt on Pandemic Influenza. Also, present were Carol Kuntz, Julie Gerberding, Scooter Libby, Bruce Miller, Rajeev Venkayya, and some others. This…

Even busier day today. Spent 3 hours in White House Situation Room with Julie Gerberding, Carol Kuntz, Kristen Silverberg, Bruce Gellin, Michael Jackson (Deputy at DHS), Alex Azar, Tom Reilly (OMB), Joel Kaplan (OMB)…

Another amazing day. Spent a couple of hours together with Julie Gerberding and Bruce Gellin at DHHS again pre-briefing Sec. Leavitt for the visit with the POTUS. Then went to White House and briefed the POTUS for 1…

Major Sunday news day with front page article in NY Times predominantly quoting me) regarding the successful preliminary data from the NIAID- funded H5N1 vaccine trial that showed safety and an immune response that…

Briefed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the State Dept. on the threat of Pandemic influenza. Also present were Sec/ Mike Leavitt, Rich McKeown, Bill Steiger, Julie Gerberding, Bruce Gellin, Bill Raub, Dan Singer…

Hurricane Katrina totally wrecked New Orleans, parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Levies caved in New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain poured into New Orleans together with the river. May be biggest natural…

Interesting situation. Congressman Henry Waxman might use an old document to help block the Bush nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court. See letter in attachment: Sept .7, 2005 - Still major disaster in New…

Briefed Pres. Bush today in the Roosevelt Room on update in Pandemic Influenza Preparedness. This was in follow-up of our previous meeting on July 29. I was with Sec. Leavitt, Julie Gerberding, Bruce Gellin. On the…

Briefed Carol Kuntz today on the DHHS $7 to 9 billion supplemental budget request for FY2006 for Pandemic Influenza Preparedness. She wanted my opionion so that she could transmit this to the Vice President who wants to…

Accompanied Sec. Leavitt and Bruce Gellin and Julie Gerberding to brief 3 cabinet secretaries today on Pandemic Flu. Briefed Sec. of VA Jim Nicholson, EPA Administrator Steve Johnson and Treasury Secretary Snow. Got an…

Again, accompanied Sec. Leavitt, bruce Gellin, Julie Gerberding and Bill Raub to brief Sec of Agriculture Johanns and Admininstrator of USAID Andrew Natsios on plans for Pandemic Influenza Preparedness.

Had very interesting and enjoyable evening at a reception at the home of Mark and Nicole Wallace in honor of Kristin Silverberg in celebration of her confirmation (a couple of months ago) as Assistant Secretary for…

Sec. Leavitt, Julie Gerberding, Bruce Gellin, General Gordon (CIA) and I briefed a groups of Senators on H5N1 influenza pandemic potential in a “top secret” briefing at the Capitol. Among the Senators were: Ted Kennedy…

Appeared again (many times now) on the Lou Dobbs CNN Show to discuss bird flu. He obviously respects me very much. Of note, lately the DHHS people in OC (Bill Hall, Suzy DeFrancis Christina Pearson, and mostly Patti…

A fever pitch is on about the Pandemic Influenza preparedness related to the heightened awareness of the potential, the fact that new cases were seen over the past few weeks in Indonesia, the POTUS giving a speech…

More media appearances, NBC, CNN, German TV, BBC, etc. Leavitt and I helped POTUS in the Roosevelt room talk with the CEOs regarding how we can engage them in building a vaccine production capacity. The POTUS heard from…

Left IAD

Arrive Bangkok via Tokyo on commercial flight. Met by Ambassador Ralph (Skip) Boyce and Health Attaché Jordan Tappero. Skip was terrific and we hit it off very well during the trip. He knows Jim Huskey from prior DoS…

Next day we toured a typical commercial poultry farm – Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL.. Much press. We all suited up with protective gear (booties, caps, gowns, etc.). The commercial farms are very careful about bird flu…

Series of meetings with officials. Met first with Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. It was clear that Cambodia was far less well-prepared than Thailand for a bird and/or human pandemic. Met with Deputy…

Spent day in Vientiane meeting with a variety of Ministers. Met with Minister of Public Health Dr. Ponemek Daraloy. He is a good person, well-regarded in health circles in SE Asia. He is an old Pathet Lao. Visited…

Met with Minister of Health Tran Thi Tring Chien. Then went to National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and met with its Director Dr. Nguyen Tran Hien. He is a terrific person and I sent him a signed copy of…

Great experience. Visited the “wet markets” in Hanoi and got an great feel for the bustling nature of this vibrant city. Drove 2 hours 15 minutes to Haiphong and visited Provincial Health Department. We had lunch at Van…

Flew to Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia. Stay at Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta.

Visited NAMRU-2. Was apparently a problem in that the Indonesian government was threatening to cut off dealings with NAMRU-2 because they thought that NAMRU-2 was being critical of them. We finally sorted it out and at…

Flew Tokyo to Dulles Airport.

“Intrigue” at the White House Upon return from SE Asia, we have just heard that the overall responsibility for Pandemic Influenza will be handed over to the Homeland Security Council (HSC) run by Fran Townsend. Also…

Am wearing thn with exhaustion. No sooner did I return from SE Asia that I had to go to Chicago to receive the 2005 Scientist of the Year Award from R & D Magazine. Took place at a black tie affair at the Navy Pier in…

Much press regarding trip and updating on pandemic flu. The whole world is getting exorcised. Chickens now infected in Russia, KazakstanChina, Romania, Turkey. Clearly, migratory birds are bringing the disease West. Was…

POTUS came to NIH to unveil the National Flu Pandemic Plan. Beustiful Fall day with crystal clear skies and temperature around 65-70. I along with Sec Leavitt, Elias Zerhouni, Julie Gerberding, and others greeted him as…

Top secret meeting at EEOB regarding conduct of certain experiments in the area of developing countermeasures. Cannot elaborate because of top secret nature of discussions. More press regarding Pandemic flu plan.

Tesitified before the House Government reform Committee with Tom Davis Chairing. Same cast = MOL, me, Julie, Raub, Gellin. This was a tougher Hearing in that this Committee is generally tough. Both the Republicans and…

Met Senator Bill Frist at the St. Alban’s – St.Stephen’s/St Agnes football game (2:30 PM) at St. Albans field. Beautiful Fall afternoon. Temperature = 70 and totally sunny. St. Albans won 42-20. Frist’s son Brian plays…

Testified before the House Commerce and Energy Committee (Joe Barton, Chair). MOL, Julie, me, Bill Raub. Topic = pandemic flu. Somewhat different twist. Much discussion about funding. Some Republicans such as Barton…

Spirited Hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Pandemic Flu. I testified along with Julie G., Andrew Natsios (USAID), and Paula Dobriansky (DoS). Committee chaired by Paul Lugar. Present at Hearing…

Frenetic activity continues. Briefed together with Bill Raub and Julie G. (by phone) and Jerry Parker (Stewart Simonson’s Deputy at OEPHP) Secretary of Commerce Gutierrez (he is last of the Cabinet Secretaries to be…

Press still hot and heavy. I appeared on “Meet the Press” with MOL, Julie Gerberding, and Mike Ryan (WHO) about bird flu. Many e-mails saying that I gave a great interview.

Press activity still very heavy. I appeared today on the Diane Rehm Show and CNN’s “The Situation Room”. Michael Osterholm sent me an e-mail saying that he was concerned that I was saying on the air that the probability…

HHS Flu Summit for States will take place on Dec. 5. Julie Gerberding and I are at collegial “odds” with the DHHS people (Laura Lawlor and John Ogwanobi) in that we feel that the Department and the CDC specifically…

World AIDS day. I was invited by the White House to be a Principal at the POTUS Speech (EEOB 450). As with last year, the POTUS specifically recognized me as being in the audience for all of the work that I have done in…

Had pre-Table Top preparation at HHS with MOL, Julie Gerberding, Stewart Simonson, Bill Raub, Bruce Gellin, Jesse Goodman, Rich McKeon and the entire DHHS staff. I have concern over these exercise since they are…

Big meeting (“Summit”) at the Grand Hyatt in DC to roll out the plan to visit all 50 states to talk up pandemic flu preparedness. Present were health officers of the big cities and all the states. Presentations by MOL…

Strange article (Profile of me) on the front page of the Wall Street Journal by Bernie Wysocki. It made it look like I have 100s of millions of dollars of biodefense money that I dole out at my whim to contractors. The…

Paradoxically, mostly favorable responses to the WSJ article. Most people interpreted it as indicating that I was a powerful player. Publicity dying down about bird flu around holidays. MOL went on the first of the…

Carol Kuntz took Chris, me and the girls on a private tour of the West Wing. It was terrific. I got an interesting new perspective of the place since I have been there so many times over the past several years that I…