Georges Benjamin, MD, FACP, is well known in the world of public health for his work on bioterrorism and emergency preparedness, West Nile virus, and mental health care. Benjamin has been the executive director of the American Public Health Association since January 2003. He came to that post from his position as secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where he played a key role developing Maryland's bioterrorism plan. Benjamin became secretary of the Maryland health department in 1999, following four years as its deputy secretary for public health services.
Benjamin, of Gaithersburg, Md., is a graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He is board-certified in internal medicine and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. His career has included work as chief of the Acute Illness Clinic at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash.; chief of emergency medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center; chairman of the department of community health and ambulatory care at the District of Columbia General Hospital; interim director of the District's Emergency Ambulatory Bureau; and District of Columbia health commissioner.