RE: Discussion about Cures Acceleration Network and the President's Medical

Reading Room Production, p.358 · reading_room:email:00378

Date: — (unknown precision)
Type: email · email
cc: Lawrence A. Tabak
sender: Kathy Hudson
to: Rajesh Ranganathan
Topics: Biosafety and biosecurity

Countermeasures Initiative (MCMI) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:14:33 -0500 Importance: Normal Thanks for asking. My knee jerk reaction is to support your misgivings. I think it is a bad idea for a whole bunch of reasons. JJ erred in pointing you to the white house. Protocol dictates that we don't talk to the white house without going through hhs. It would be okay to yak with one of our detailees but this has taken a turn. Plus, I suspect you know next to nothing about biosecurity and BARDA. This is not really your domain and frankly, not a central issue to NCTS at the outset. It IS the domain of other NIH staff who would probably be a little miffed about why you are suddenly in the middle of their "space." NIAID has programs in this arena and you should learn about them but they ain't coming into to ncts at the get go and the politics around biosecurity is complex. I would suggest to Richard that the meeting be "delayed" until you have a better understanding of what Francis has in mind, yadda yadda.

In context

A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.

— Rajesh Ranganathan open

Countermeasures Initiative (MCMI) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:17:50 -0500 Importance: Normal Ok, thanks. Will deflect. I was not asking to be involved in this stuff - it was just meant to be a casual conversation with one of our detailees... Rajesh On 11/18/10 9:14 PM, "Hudson, Kathy (NIH/OD) [E]" @nih.gov wrote: Thanks for asking. My knee jerk reaction is to support your misgivings. I > think it is a bad idea for a whole bunch of reasons. JJ erred in pointing you to the white house. Protocol dictates that we don't talk to the white house > without going through hhs. It would be okay to yak with one of our detailees but this has taken a turn. Plus, I suspect you know next to nothing about > biosecurity and BARDA. This is not really your domain and frankly, not a central issue to NCTS at the outset. It IS the domain of other NIH staff who > would probably be a little miffed about why you are suddenly in the middle of their "space." NIAID has programs in this arena and you should learn about > them but they ain't coming into to ncts at the get go and the politics around biosecurity is complex. > I would suggest to Richard that the meeting be "delayed" until you have a > better understanding of what Francis has in mind, yadda yadda. > > > -----Original Message-----
— Rajesh Ranganathan open

Countermeasures Initiative (MCMI) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:51:28 -0500 Importance: Normal Kathy: Some background for you (I was able to tell Larry in person)..Tony sent me to JJ McGowan, who thought that Richard Hatchett, currently on detail to the White House is someone I should talk to because he might have the skill set to help with NCTS. I checked in with Larry and we agreed that I should certainly meet such people and hear them out. So, when Richard reached out, I agreed to go down to the EEOB to meet him. He appears to have mentioned that he is meeting me to Ms. Heidi Avery (Deputy Homeland Security Adviser to the President), who now wants to join in and the meeting got moved to Monday to accommodate her schedule. Please see below for what Richard thinks Ms. Avery wants to know. Two issues: a) there is not much I can say about CAN or anything else re: NCTS on Monday, and b) as a contractor, I should not be reprenseting the NIH externally. Larry has arranged from Robin from DPCPSI to go with me to ensure that the NIH is represented by an employee. But I am wondering if this meeting with Ms. Avery should even happen - feels too early in the process Please advise on the ramifications of cancelling/postponing on her vs. taking the meeting and not saying anything substantive... Thanks. Rajesh ------ Forwarded Message
— Robin Kawazoe open

Countermeasures Initiative (MCMI) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2010 22:30:37 -0500 Importance: Normal Larry, Do you know what Raj means when he said he would "deflect?" Does that mean postpone the meeting? Robin
— Robin Kawazoe open

Countermeasures Initiative (MCMI) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2010 22:46:32 -0500 Importance: Normal Yes! Thank you. Robin
— Kathy Hudson

Countermeasures Initiative (MCMI) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:14:33 -0500 Importance: Normal Thanks for asking. My knee jerk reaction is to support your misgivings. I think it is a bad idea for a whole bunch of reasons. JJ erred in pointing you to the white house. Protocol dictates that we don't talk to the white house without going through hhs. It would be okay to yak with one of our detailees but this has taken a turn. Plus, I suspect you know next to nothing about biosecurity and BARDA. This is not really your domain and frankly, not a central issue to NCTS at the outset. It IS the domain of other NIH staff who would probably be a little miffed about why you are suddenly in the middle of their "space." NIAID has programs in this arena and you should learn about them but they ain't coming into to ncts at the get go and the politics around biosecurity is complex. I would suggest to Richard that the meeting be "delayed" until you have a better understanding of what Francis has in mind, yadda yadda.

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