Dr. Stephen S. Morse, professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health, was appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services secretary Dr. Sylvia Burwell to the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) of the National Institutes of Health. As a key advisory group to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the director of the National Institutes of Health, and the heads of all Federal departments and agencies that conduct or support life science research, the committee provides leadership and recommends strategies on biosecurity issues. This includes oversight of dual-use research taking into consideration both national security concerns and the needs of the research community.  Dr. Morse was appointed for a four-year term, ending June 14, 2018.

Dr. Morse is an originator of the concept of “emerging viruses”, and of the Internet outbreak reporting system ProMED-mail. He also served as co-director of the PREDICT project of the USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats Program. Launched in 2009, PREDICT focuses on building global capacity for pathogen surveillance and anticipating future infectious disease risks at human–animal interfaces where cross-species transmission is most likely.