Appendix C
Planning Committee Member Biographies
Steven L. Simon (Chair) is a radiation physicist and head of the Dosimetry Unit of the Radiation Epidemiology Branch of the National Cancer Institute, which provides dose estimation in support of branch epidemiological studies and develops exposure assessment methods to improve the science of dosimetry. He was deployed to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo during the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011, where he served as a Department of Health and Human Services technical expert in radiation dose and risk for the purposes of protecting American citizens in Japan. Dr. Simon is a member of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements and has been an associate editor of Health Physics for 23 years.
Daniel J. Blumenthal manages the consequence management programs in the Office of Emergency Response at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) within the Department of Energy (DOE). Dr. Blumenthal led the initial DOE response team to Japan where he spent 7 weeks following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011. Dr. Blumenthal’s background is in nuclear physics and he is also a certified health physicist.
E. Vincent Holahan, Jr., is the senior-level technical advisor for health physics within the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Dr. Holahan is responsible for developing the technical basis for issuing federal regulations and guidance to limit occupational and public exposure to ionizing radiation from source and byproduct material. Dr. Holahan is a member of the U.S. delegation to
the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation and a member of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements Committee 5 (Environmental Radiation and Radioactive Waste Issues).
Mark L. Maiello is radiological projects planning manager in the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response at the New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. He is currently assisting in the design of NYC community reception centers that stand up in the event of a radiological dispersal device incident. He also co-chairs the interagency NYC Radiological Response and Recovery Committee. He is the co-editor of the book Radioactive Air Sampling Methods (CRC Press, 2011) and currently writes for Health Physics News and the Journal of Nuclear Materials Management.
Ruth E. McBurney is the executive director of the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors. In that position, she manages and directs the administrative office for the organization. Ms. McBurney is currently serving as a member of council and on the board of directors of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.
Jessica Wieder is a member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Center for Radiation Information and Outreach and serves as the senior public information officer for EPA’s Radiological Emergency Response Team. Ms. Wieder was part of the team tasked with communicating both EPA’s efforts and radiation levels in the United States during the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident. She has facilitated international panels on radiation public communication after terrorist incidents and was part of the contingency planning team for the 2011 launch of the Curiosity Mars Rover.