CDC, NIH, and FDA to Discuss ''Opportunities to Solve Public Health Problems and the Role of Technology'' at World Health Care Innovation and Technology Congress.

WOBURN, Mass. -- John Loonsk, MD, MPH, Associate Director for Informatics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Elias Zerhouni, MD, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Janet Woodcock, MD, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Operations at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will present a keynote panel addressing "Opportunities to Solve Public Health Problems and the Role of Technology" at the World Health Care Innovation and Technology Congress, Friday November 11, 2005 at 9:45a.m. The World Health Care Innovation and Technology Congress will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, D.C.

John W. Loonsk, M.D. was named Acting Director of the Center for Disease Control's National Center for Public Health Informatics in 2004. He served as CDC Associate Director for Informatics from 2000-2004, where he led critical efforts in developing and implementing approaches to public health information technology that have been instrumental in improving public health informatics at CDC and nationally. These efforts include leading the Public Health Information Network, being CDC's IT lead for preparedness and response, leading the development of the BioSense initiative, and leading the user-focused redesign of the CDC's Internet presence.

NIH Director, Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., leads the nation's medical research agency and oversees the NIH's 27 Institutes and Centers with more than 17,000 employees and a fiscal year 2004 budget of over $28 billion. Dr. Zerhouni, a well-respected leader in the field of radiology and medicine, has spent his career providing clinical, scientific, and administrative leadership. He was named by President George W. Bush to serve as the 15th Director of the National Institutes of Health in May 2002.

Dr. Woodcock is serving as Acting Deputy Commissioner for Operations at FDA. She has served as the director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, (CDER) at the Food and Drug Administration. The Center is responsible for regulating prescription, OTC and generic drugs. As head of CDER, Dr. Woodcock has close interactions with diverse constituencies, including the clinical and scientific communities, members of Congress and the Administration, national media, patient and consumer advocacy groups, the International Drug Regulatory Community, the pharmaceutical industry, and representatives of the Federal and State agencies. She frequently appears in or is quoted by the national media and has testified repeatedly before Congress.

The World Health Care Innovation and Technology Congress will be held November 9-11, 2005, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, D.C. The World Health Care Innovation and Technology Congress is a global forum to present best practices in the implementation of innovative business strategies, policy-making, and technology solutions to better the current health care system. The Wall Street Journal is a co-sponsor. Booz Allen Hamilton is the platinum sponsor of the conference.