
Senior Associate, UPMC Center for Health Security
Center for Biosecurity, 621 East Pratt Street, Suite 210, Baltimore, MD 21202
Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana, a medical anthropologist, is a senior associate with the UPMC Center for Health Security and Assistant Professor in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases. Her research and policy interests include disaster resilience, community engagement, public health emergency preparedness and nuclear incident preparedness, response and recovery. Starting in 1998, Schoch-Spana has briefed federal, state and local officials, as well as medical, public health and public safety professionals on critical issues in biosecurity and public health emergency preparedness. National advisory roles include serving on the Steering Committee of the Disaster Roundtable of the National Research Council (NRC), the Institute of Medicine Standing Committee on Health Threats Resilience, and the NRC Committee on Increasing National Resilience to Hazards and Disasters. Schoch-Spana has led research, education and advocacy efforts to encourage authorities to enlist the public’s contributions in managing epidemics, biological attacks and other health emergencies. She has chaired national working groups to produce peer-reviewed, evidence-based consensus guidance for authorities on how to lead with the public’s trust and help during bioterrorism response (2004), how to engage community partners in preparing for a health emergency like pandemic flu (2007) and how to design a community-based approach for nuclear incident preparedness (2011). She has organized three national conferences on community resilience and public participation in emergency planning. In 2003, Schoch-Spana helped establish the Center; prior to that she had worked at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies since 1998. She received her Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Johns Hopkins University (1998) and B.A. from Bryn Mawr College (1986).
Background
- Bryn Mawr College, A.B., Magna Cum Laude, 1982
- John Hopkins University, Ph.D., 1998
- Doctoral Fellowship, Dept of Anthropology, Johns Hopkins University, 1995-96, 1990-91, 1989-90, 1988-89
- Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 2003 to present
- Senior Associate, Center for Biosecurity of UPMC, 2003 to present
- Research Associate, Dept of Health Policy & Management, Johns Hopkins University, 2001-2003
- Research Associate, Dept of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, 1999-2001
- Senior Fellow, Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies, Johns Hopkins University, 2001-2003; Fellow 1998-2001
- Member, Ad Hoc Commission on the Engagement of Anthropology with the US Security and Intelligence Communities, American Anthropological Association (AAA), 2008-2010
- Co-Chair, AAA Committee on Public Polic, 2010; Committee Member, 2008-2009
- Associate Editor, Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice and Science, 2002 to present
- Member, Institute of Medicine Standing Committee on Medical Readiness, 2009 to present
- Member, National Research Council (NRC) Committee to Review the Department of Homeland Security's Approach to Risk Analysis, 2008-2009
- Executive Steering Committee Member, National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), 2008 to present
- Steering Committee Member, NRC Disaster Roundtable, 2005 to present
- Member, NRC Committee on "Educational Paradigms for Homeland Security," 2004
- Member, NRC Committee on "Standards and Policies for Decontaminating Public Facilities Affected by Exposure to Harmful Biological Agents: How Clean is Safe?" 2003 to 2005