The 2010 Summit Planning Committee is pleased to announce that Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Nicole Lurie, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Department of Health and Human Services, will participate in the opening session on Tuesday, February 16, 2010. Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will deliver closing remarks at the Summit’s final plenary session on Friday, February 19.

“We are so pleased to have Secretary Sebelius and Drs. Lurie and Frieden, the nation’s public health leaders, take part in our conference,” said Jack Herrmann, Chair, 2010 Summit Planning Committee. “Their participation in this event will provide attendees an invaluable opportunity to hear firsthand the vision for strengthening the public health preparedness enterprise at the local, state, and national levels.”

Following opening remarks by Secretary Sebelius, Dr. Lurie will lead the opening session, “The Crash of the Pandemic Wave: The Public Health Response to the H1N1 Influenza Virus.” In this session, a line-up of distinguished panelists will share their perspectives on the challenges of their own agency’s response to the H1N1 outbreak, and their insights on lessons learned.

Dr. Frieden will introduce the closing session of the Summit, “Moving Public Health Preparedness Forward: Assessing Progress, Gaps, and Future Strategies,” which will preview the CDC’s new state preparedness report. Panelists will reflect on recent public health achievements and key challenges. The session will provide attendees an opportunity to engage in discussion with senior public health leaders to identify the most important gaps and critical priorities for the future.

Secretary Sebelius has been a leader on health care, family, and senior issues for over 20 years. As Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, she fought to create jobs, improve access to affordable health care, and give every Kansas child a quality education. In 2005, Time Magazine recognized her achievements by naming her one of America’s Top Five Governors.

Previously, Dr. Lurie served as a Senior Natural Scientist and the Paul O’ Neill Alcoa Professor of Health Policy at the RAND Corporation, where she directed RAND’s public health and preparedness work, as well as RAND’s Center for Population Health and Health Disparities. Dr. Lurie has also served in the federal government as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and as a Medical Advisor to the Commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Health.

Prior to being named Director of the CDC and Administrator for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry by the White House and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Frieden served as Director of the New York City (NYC) Health Department. In his tenure as a NYC Health Commissioner, Dr. Frieden and his team responded to several urgent health problems, including cases of anthrax, plague, and novel H1N1 influenza.