MARK PENDERGRAST
path: RICARDO VALENZUELA > NM:CONTRACT LISTING BASIC > CARL HELMERS > JIM DAVIDSON > MARK PENDERGRAST

Speaker, 2006

Author

Mark Pendergrast, author, has been called the "ultimate eclectic writer."

His books thus far cover caffeinated beverages (Coca-Cola and coffee), mirrors (everything -- astronomy to vanity), and the perils of repressed memory therapy and human suggestibility. He is working now on a history of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, the most important organization you have never heard of. For more info on his books, see www.nasw.org.

Pendergrast will talk about the Epidemic Intelligence Service, founded in 1951 in response to fears of bioterrorism during the Korean War, and still going strong. Young epidemiologists keep their bags packed, ready to rush to the latest epidemic, whether it be Ebola, SARS, or Avian flu. The talk will cover not only the organization (part of the CDC) but issues confronting the world of public health today.

He'll speak on the topic of his work in progress on the history of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, proving us with an overview of epidemiology and emerging threats such as bird flu.