TULANE TALK

January 28, 2005

Good Morning:

Iím writing todayís Tulane Talk from Washington, D.C., where I arrived yesterday afternoon for a meeting with the deputy assistant secretary of defense for force health protection and medical readiness.

The purpose of this meeting, which included several other members of the Defense Departmentís leadership as well as faculty from our School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, was to discuss the possibility of Tulane University partnering with the Defense Department to provide educational programs in emergency planning and disaster management to the department’s military and civilian professionals. As we have seen most recently with the tsunami disaster in Asia, the Department of Defense plays a major role in emergency and disaster management worldwide.

After the meeting I attended several receptions as part of the annual Washington Mardi Gras celebration. This event, which is sponsored by Louisianaís congressional delegation, is a great opportunity to share with our elected representatives in Washington, as well as business and civic leaders from New Orleans, the many exciting things underway at Tulane and seek their support on issues of importance to Tulane and higher education in general. It’s also a good opportunity to socialize and see people really enjoying themselves.

From D.C., I am on my way to Michigan to meet with the head of a large foundation to discuss the university and its priorities. After a heavy dose of cold weather, I am getting back to N.O. as fast as I can.

Have a great weekend,