William B. Karesh, DVM
Dr. William Karesh is the Executive Vice President for Health and Policy of EcoHealth Alliance, President of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Working Group on Wildlife and Chair of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission’s Wildlife Health Specialist Group. He serves as project liaison for the USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats PREDICT-2 program (a $140M effort to prevent infectious diseases in 30 countries) and is a member of World Health Organization’s IHR Roster of Experts. In 2003, he coined the term “One Health” to describe the interdependence of healthy ecosystems, animals and people. In addition to his work in the private non-profit sector, Dr. Karesh has also worked for the USDA, US DOD and DOI. He served as a consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N., and is currently one of four members of the Steering Committee of OFFLU (OIE-FAO Network of Expertise for Influenzas), Dr. Karesh has led projects and programs in over 45 countries, has published over 180 scientific papers and book chapters, and written for broader audience publications such as Foreign Affairs and The Huffington Post.
All of us at the Commission are in shock and are heartbroken at news that Senator Lieberman has died suddenly and unexpectedly. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Hadassah, their children, and extended family.
We all were the beneficiaries of Joe’s many years of selfless public service, his kindness, and civility. Joe was the definition of a Mensch – a person of great integrity and honor. He always put others first and always worked to better our nation, to which he tirelessly devoted so much of his energy. He had an indefatigable spirit that always pushed our work forward.
For nearly ten years, Joe was my co-chair here at the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense. He cared deeply about the mission, for sure. Even more, he cared about each of our fellow Commissioners and the staff, all of whom I know are personally grieving at this tremendous loss. May his memory be a blessing.
Tom Ridge
March 27, 2024
