The Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) is pleased to announce that Senior Fellow, David Relman, has been appointed to serve for the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR), a critical component of the Executive Office of the President (EOP) in the White House.

The OPPR was established by Congress in 2023 through the bipartisan PREVENT Pandemics Act. This legislation underscores the nation’s commitment to preparing for and responding to existing and emerging biological threats. Within the White House, OPPR is at the forefront of coordinating and leading actions to address these threats, ensuring the United States is well-prepared for any potential pandemic or significant public health disruption.

• Invited to contribute by the Director of OPPR and Deputy Assistant to the President, Maj. Gen. Paul Friedrichs, Professor Relman will provide expertise on several key topics, including:

• Development and implementation of policies for anticipating and responding to domestic and global biological threats.

• Addressing ad hoc infectious disease events such as avian influenza.

• Identifying and resolving complex interagency preparedness policy shortfalls.

Enhancing biosecurity, particularly in relation to genomics and other ‘omics data ,  data generated from high-throughput technologies used to study the various “omes” of an organism, with a focus on the intersection of biology and artificial intelligence.

        CISAC is proud to support David Relman in this significant endeavor and looks forward to the valuable contributions that will emerge from this role at the OPPR.