COTPER Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC)
The Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC), Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response (COTPER) is an advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The BSC will advise the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the CDC Director, and the COTPER Director concerning strategies and goals for preparedness programs and research; conduct peer-review of scientific programs; perform secondary reviews of research grants; and monitor COTPER’s overall strategic direction and focus.
The BSC is managed by COTPER’s Office of Science and Public Health Practice. It will meet at least two times a year.
The BSC charter specifies the Board has 10 members, and 3 voting Ex-Officios from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Defense (DoD). The charter also includes provisions for non-voting liaison representatives from the following organizations:
- Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)
- Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH)
- Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
- Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)
- National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO)
- National Indian Health Board (NIHB)
Board members and liaisons are authorities knowledgeable in fields relevant to emergency preparedness and response, including behavioral science, business, crisis leadership, engineering, epidemiology, informatics, laboratory science, medicine, and social science.
Additional information regarding the COTPER BSC:
- Meeting Notices and Registration
- COTPER BSC Charter
- Membership
- Non-voting liaisons
- Previous Meeting Minutes and Information
Questions regarding the COTPER Board of Scientific Counselors may be addressed to Barbara A. Ellis, Ph.D., Acting Associate Director for Science, COTPER Office of Science and Public Health Practice.
Page last modified July 3, 2008