Rear Admiral Kenneth Bernard MD, USPHS (Ret) advises U.S. government agencies and private institutions on issues related to security, defense, intelligence, and health. Dr. Bernard was appointed by President George W. Bush to be Special Assistant to the President for Biodefense on the Homeland Security Council (HSC) in November 2002. Dr. Bernard chaired the White House Biodefense Policy Coordinating committee and drafted Decision Directives for President Bush on both “Biodefense for the 21st Century” and Agricultural Bioterrorism. He was the White House point person on Project Bioshield, a $5.6 billion congressional bill that is speeding development and procurement of new countermeasures against biological, chemical, and radiological terrorist threats.
In January 2001, Dr. Bernard was assigned by the U.S. Surgeon General to the office of Senator Bill Frist to work on international health issues of priority concern to both the Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). After September 11, however, he was called back to HHS to create the position of Special Adviser for National Security, Intelligence and Defense for the Department of Health and Human Services. From August 1998 to January 2001, he served on President Clinton’s National Security Council (NSC) staff as Special Adviser to the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Prior to joining the NSC, Dr. Bernard served as the International Health Attaché and senior representative of the U.S. Secretary of Health at the U.S. Mission to the UN in Geneva, Switzerland (1994-1998). From 1984-1989, he held positions as the Associate Director for Medical and Scientific Affairs in the Office of International Health, HHS, and as International Health Policy Adviser to the Director of the U.S. Peace Corps. Dr. Bernard is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.