Syra Madad

Syra Madad
Madad speaks to the Berkman Klein Center in 2021
Born	Syra Sikandar (1986-10-22) October 22, 1986 (age 38)
Nationality	American
Other names	S.S. Madad
Alma mater	University of Maryland, College Park Nova Southeastern University
Occupation(s)	Pathogen preparedness expert and epidemiologist
Years active	2014-present
Employer	NYC Health + Hospitals
Known for	Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak
Website	scty.org/syra

Syra Madad (Urdu: سائرہ مدد, née Sikandar; born October 22, 1986)^[1] is an American pathogen preparedness expert and infectious disease epidemiologist. Madad is the Senior Director of the System-wide Special Pathogens Program at NYC Health + Hospitals^[2] where she is part of the executive leadership team which oversees New York City's response to the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in the city's 11 public hospitals.^[3][4] She was featured in the Netflix documentary series Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak and the Discovery Channel documentary The Vaccine: Conquering COVID.^[5]

Early life and education

Madad was born in the United States. Her family is of Pakistani background.^[6] Her mother and father married and then immigrated to the United States from Pakistan; her mother, Rehana Sikandar, was 18 at the time.^[5] Madad's interest in public health and infectious disease began at a young age, including after she saw the 1995 film Outbreak.^[5]

In 2008, Madad received a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. In 2010, she received a master's degree in Biotechnology with a concentration in Biodefense and Biosecurity, also from the University of Maryland, College Park. In 2014, Madad received an DHSc degree in health science with a concentration in Global Health from Nova Southeastern University.^[7]

Career

In 2014, Madad was Lead Continuity of Operations Liaison and State Trainer for the BioThreat and Chemical Threat Teams in the Emergency Preparedness Branch at the Texas Department of State Health Services. In this position she worked in the Ebola and Other Infectious Disease Agent Surge Team in response to a 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak in Texas.

During this time, Madad volunteered at the Texas State Medical Operations Center as a Planning and Intelligence Specialist. She also volunteered as Logistics Specialist and Trauma Medical Responder at Sector 7 of the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force.

In 2015, Madad was hired as Senior Director of the System-wide Special Pathogens Program at NYC Health + Hospitals which oversees 11 public hospitals in the largest municipal healthcare system in the United States.^[2]

Madad is responsible for preparing New York City's municipal hospitals against infection disease outbreaks.^[8] Part of her role is to run simulations of outbreaks to prepare staff. In these simulations, healthcare workers care for mock patients and practice cutting-edge treatment protocols in a simulated high-risk environment in which the must act quickly.^[9] They also practice use of personal protective equipment to ensure they can wear masks, gown, suits, and gloves appropriately if and when the time comes.^[8] During her tenure, she has overseen responses to Ebola virus disease, Zika fever, and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Since 2019, Madad has held the position of Principal Investigator of the Institute for Diseases and Disaster Management at NYC Health + Hospitals.^[10]

In December 2019, she co-authored an op-ed with Joe Biden advisor's, Ron Klain, which warned against allowing an outbreak preparedness program to expire in May 2020.^[11] The program, which was funded in 2015 in response to the Ebola epidemic, equips healthcare facilities and trains frontline medical workers to confront outbreaks of infectious diseases.^[12] The funding enabled New York City and other health systems to run more drills, exercises, and collaborative public health protocols. Madad and Klain advocated for Congress to ensure the full network of healthcare institutions remains funded to protect against future outbreaks.^[11] Their warning came just months before COVID-19 reached the United States.

As the COVID-19 pandemic was unfolding, Madad emphasized the need to monitor the situation and the available research around the pandemic's trajectory and effective approaches to mitigation.^[13] As COVID-19 made its way to New York City, Madad oversaw trainings and simulations to prepare healthcare workers for the coming demands that would be placed on the healthcare system.^[12] She accelerated training, ensuring protocols were incorporating the latest procedures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health officials.^[8] She also instituted respiratory stations at the entrance of hospitals, which ask incoming patients if they have a fever, cough, or rash to take a mask and sanitize their hands immediately.^[12] She provides ongoing support in infectious disease emergency management, and infection prevention and control. In May 2021, her opinion article, "Why Are So Many of My Fellow Health Workers Unvaccinated?" was published in The New York Times.^[14]

Madad is an Emerging Leader in Biosecurity Fellow at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Health Security, previously Senior Fellow in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Behavioral Informatics & Technological Enterprise Studies Program. Madad is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow of the Federation of American Scientists and part of their COVID-19 Expert Taskforce. From 2009 to the present, Madad has taught at the University of Maryland, College Park's Graduate Program for Biotechnology and Biodefense as an assistant professor.^[15]

Madad is on the faculty of the United States Department of Health and Human Services's National Emerging Special Pathogen Training and Education Center's (NETEC), formerly called National Ebola Training and Education Center, funded by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).^{[citation needed]}

Public appearances

On January 24, 2020, Netflix released the documentary series Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak,^[16] which followed Madad in her role at the Special Pathogens Program working to prevent an outbreak from occurring and prepare healthcare workers in the event that one does.^[17] The film portrays her working to secure funding and preparing personnel in the event of an outbreak.^[18][19] The series was filmed in 2019 and was based on the premise that the world is due for another deadly pandemic.^[20] Filming preceded the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which did not reach Madad's jurisdiction in New York City until March 2020.^[12]

Since the release of the series and the emergence of New York City as the worst hit locality of the COVID-19 pandemic, Madad has discussed the outbreak and pandemic preparedness on outlets, such as CNN,^[21][22] Fox News,^[23] Good Morning America,^[24][25] MSNBC,^[26] and CNBC.^[27][28] She has also worked to combat misinformation, educating the public on appropriate safety measures^[29][30][31] and helping them understand what information is actually reliable.^[8][32][33]

Honors and fellowships

• 2014: Nova Southeastern University, Alpha Eta Health Science Honor Society^[34]
• 2015: Texas Department of State Health Services, Ebola Response Team Appreciation Award^[35]
• 2015: Texas Department of State Health Services, J. V. Irons Award for Scientific Excellence^[36]
• 2017: Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative, Fellow^[37]
• 2017: NYC Health + Hospital, Insider, Special Pathogens Preparedness Pioneer Recognized as Emerging Leader^{[citation needed]}
• 2017: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Health Security's Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Fellowship Program^[38][39]
• 2021: Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Fellow^[40]

Personal life

Madad is married to Ali Madad, a graphic designer and creative director. They have three children^[5] and live on Long Island.^[41] She is a practicing Muslim.^[5][42]

Selected works and publications

• Madad, Syra et al. (2020). NYC Health + Hospitals’ Rapid Responses To COVID-19 Were Built On A Foundation Of Emergency Management, Incident Command, and Analytics https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20200609.171463/full/
• Madad, Syra. (2020). Coronavirus protection – as country reopens, this is your best defense. https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/coronavirus-country-reopens-best-protection-dr-syra-madad
• Shufutinsky, Anton; Shanahan, Paul; Schaal, Nicholas; Madad, Syra; Johnson, David (2015). "Applying Conflict Analysis and Resolution Strategies to Assess Organizational Safety Culture in Accident Investigations" (PDF). International Journal of Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies. 2 (3): 71–90. ISSN 2348-0343.
• Madad, Syra S.; Masci, Joseph; Cagliuso, Nicholas V.; Allen, Machelle (28 October 2016). "Preparedness for Zika Virus Disease — New York City, 2016". MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 65 (42): 1161–1165. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6542a2. PMID 27787490. Wikidata ()
• Madad, Syra; Tate, Anna; Rand, Maytal; Quinn, Celia; Vora, Neil M.; Allen, Machelle; Cagliuso, Nicholas V.; Rakeman, Jennifer L.; Studer, Sean; Masci, Joseph; Varma, Jay K.; Wilson, Ross (7 March 2018). "Zika Virus Preparedness and Response Efforts Through the Collaboration Between a Health Care Delivery System and a Local Public Health Department". Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. 12 (6): 689–691. doi:10.1017/DMP.2018.5. PMID 29510763. S2CID 3719211. Wikidata ()
• Maher, John J.; Sikandar Madad, Syra; Cagliuso, Sr., Nicholas V. (July 2018). "Chapter 3. Administrative Considerations When Preparing for Bioemergencies". In Hewlett, Angela; Murthy, A. Rekha K. (eds.). Bioemergency: Planning A Guide for Healthcare Facilities. Springer. pp. 35–43. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-77032-1_3. ISBN 978-331-9-77032-1. OCLC 1056975497.
• Vasa, Angela; Madad, Syra; Larson, LuAnn; Kraft, Colleen S.; Vanairsdale, Sharon; Grein, Jonathan D.; Garland, Jennifer; Butterworth, Virginia “Madison”; Kratochvil, Christopher J. (February 2019). "A Novel Approach to Infectious Disease Preparedness: Incorporating Investigational Therapeutics and Research Objectives into Full-Scale Exercises". Health Security. 17 (1): 54–61. doi:10.1089/hs.2018.0100. PMID 30779611. S2CID 73495837. Wikidata ()
• Madad, Syra; Studer, Sean; Cagliuso, Sr., Nicholas V. (additional contributions and editing) (June 2019). Frontline Hospital Planning Guide for Special Pathogens (PDF). New York City Health + Hospitals.
• Klain, Ronald A.; Madad, Syra (27 December 2019). "Opinion: A program protecting us from deadly pandemic is about to expire". The Washington Post.
• Madad, Syra; Moskovitz, Joshua; Boyce, Matthew R; Cagliuso, Nicholas V.; Katz, Rebecca (16 March 2020). "Ready or Not, Patients Will Present: Improving Urban Pandemic Preparedness". Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. 15 (3): 267–270. doi:10.1017/dmp.2020.7. PMC 7108645. PMID 32172715.

References

1. Ali Madad [@amadad] (22 Oct 2017). "Birthday festivities with @syramadad" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
2. "Center for Global Healthcare Preparedness for Special Pathogens". NYC Health and Hospitals, Center for Global Healthcare Special Pathogens Preparedness. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
3. Lehrer, Brian (29 January 2020). "What to Know About the Coronavirus". The Brian Lehrer Show, WNYC.
4. "Pandemic's Dr. Syra Madad Debunks Coronavirus Myths and Offers Tips for Protecting Yourself". People. 24 March 2020.
5. Gottbrath, Laurin-Whitney (March 23, 2021). "The epidemiologist and her fight to prevent the next pandemic". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
6. "Meet the Pakistani Doctor Who Predicted the Rise of Coronavirus [Video]". Lens. 26 March 2020.
7. "Syra Madad". SCTY. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
8. Frias, Lauren (7 March 2020). "On the frontlines of the coronavirus outbreak: An expert in infectious disease preparedness describes how she readies healthcare workers". Business Insider.
9. Parnell, Wesley; Dillon, Nancy (25 January 2020). "New York 'ready' to snuff coronavirus when it lands thanks to training, technology and 'secret shoppers'". New York Daily News.
10. "Center for Global Healthcare Preparedness for Special Pathogens – The Team". NYC Health and Hospitals, Center for Global Healthcare Special Pathogens Preparedness. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
11. Klain, Ronald A.; Madad, Syra (27 December 2019). "Opinion: A program protecting us from deadly pandemic is about to expire". The Washington Post.
12. Walsh, James D. (14 February 2020). "Just Asking Questions: Is NYC Prepared for Coronavirus?". Intelligencer, New York Magazine.
13. Bursztynsky, Jessica (31 January 2020). "'China is doing a great job' on coronavirus, says pathogens specialist at largest US public health-care system". CNBC.
14. Madad, Syra (May 28, 2021). "Why Are So Many of My Fellow Health Workers Unvaccinated?". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
15. "Online Biotechnology Master's Degree | Biosecurity | UMGC". www.umgc.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
16. Ifeanyi, K. C. (29 January 2020). "With the coronavirus outbreak, the Netflix docuseries 'Pandemic' is required viewing". Fast Company.
17. Schrader, Adam (24 January 2020). "Netflix releases 'Pandemic' docuseries as coronavirus spreads". New York Post.
18. Hamed, Amani Marie (10 April 2020). "Surviving: A Four-Film Guide to Outlasting Quarantine and Changing the Post-Corona World". Bright Lights Film Journal.
19. Blake, Meredith (April 1, 2020). "A Netflix series predicted a global pandemic. It was dismissed as 'a show about the flu'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
20. Delaney, Brigid (5 February 2020). "Pandemic: Netflix's new series about global outbreaks is eerily timed, and moved me to tears". The Guardian.
21. Whitfield, Fredricka; Culver, David (1 February 2020). "Researchers Estimate 75000+ People In Wuhan, China May Be Infected With Coronavirus; U.S. Imposes Travel Restrictions Over Coronavirus; Senate Poised To Acquit Trump After Vote For Witnesses Fails". CNN.
22. Amanpour (October 27, 2020). "Epidemiologist: US waving 'white flag' on Covid". CNN. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
23. London, Matt (2 March 2020). "Coronavirus fears overhyped? Expert panel puts outbreak in perspective". Fox News.
24. "Cleanliness in the workplace amid coronavirus emergency". Good Morning America. 3 March 2020.
25. "Increases of COVID-19 cases in much of the country". Good Morning America. October 25, 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
26. Melvin, Craig (December 9, 2020). "Dr. Syra Madad on COVID-19 surge: 'It is extremely alarming'". MSNBC. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
27. "Pathogen expert calls coronavirus the 'disease X of the century'". CNBC. 2 March 2020.
28. "Coronavirus outbreak will likely get worse before it gets better, specialist says". CNBC. February 18, 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
29. Samuel, Danica (February 6, 2021). "Netflix 'Pandemic' Dr. Syra Madad explains how to protect yourself from faster, stronger COVID-19 variants". Toronto Star. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
30. Feuer, Will (February 18, 2021). "CDC's classroom guidance would keep 90% of schools at least partially closed". CNBC. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
31. Compton, Natalie B. (March 26, 2020). "How to talk to others about not traveling during the coronavirus pandemic". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
32. Tang, Abby; Yan, Michelle; Appolonia, Alexandra (3 April 2020). "Pathologists debunk 13 myths about the coronavirus, including why masks won't help". Business Insider.
33. Madad, Syra (November 1, 2020). "5 things states must do to curb the spread of COVID-19: ANALYSIS". ABC News. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
34. "Alpha Eta Membership List" (PDF). Nova Southeastern University. 2014.
35. "Syra Madad". SCTY. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
36. "Syra Madad". SCTY. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
37. Alexopulos, Nick. "Class of 2017 from the Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Fellowship". Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
38. Alexopulos, Nick (2017). "Class of 2017 from the Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Fellowship". Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
39. "Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative: Class of 2017 Yearbook" (PDF). Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. 2017. p. 26.
40. "Syra Madad". Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. March 22, 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
41. "Brooklyn woman, nationally recognized leader in public health stars in Netflix docuseries". News 12 Brooklyn. 10 March 2020.
42. Aslan, Rose S. (16 March 2020). "What Islamic hygienic practices can teach when coronavirus is spreading". The Conversation.

External links

• Official website
• Syra Madad at IMDb