Professional Affiliation

Professor (Ret.), Senior Fellow & Scientist, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University & T. H. Chan  School of Public Health

Expert Bio

Professor Frederick “Skip” M. Burkle, Jr., MD, MPH, PhD (Hon.), DTM, FAAP, FACEP is currently a Senior Fellow and Scientist with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University and a Senior International Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington DC. Dr. Burkle has published over 300 scientific articles, book chapters and books primarily on disaster medicine, disaster management, and humanitarian assistance.  He has worked in numerous humanitarian emergencies and large-scale international crises in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. From 2002-03, Dr. Burkle served as Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Global Health at the U.S. Agency for International Development and as the Interim Minister of Health in Iraq in 2003. A 1961 Saint Michael’s College and 1965 University of Vermont College of Medicine graduate, Dr. Burkle holds post-graduate degrees from Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, University of California at Berkeley, University of Geneva, and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He is qualified in Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Psychiatry, holds a Master's Degree in Public Health and Diplomas in both Health Emergencies in Large Populations and Tropical Medicine. He is a combat decorated retired Naval Reserve Captain, who served with the Marines in Viet Nam, Somalia, the Persian Gulf War, and Iraq. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Rescue Committee, serves on the Science Advisory Board for the American Red Cross, was the elected Chair of the National Disaster life Support Consortium for the American Medical Association for 4 years, and recipient of the William Crawford Gorgas Medal for "distinguished work in preventive medicine, groundbreaking work in disaster management and humanitarian assistance and the training of an entire generation of U.S. and international personnel.” In 2007 he was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine and in 2014 received the American College of Emergency Physician’s Disaster Medical Science Award. In 2017, the World Association for Disaster & Emergency Medicine named the Frederick “Skip” Burkle, Jr, Award for Global Public Health Emergencies. The first 2 recipients were Ian Norton, MD from Australia who developed the WHO Emergency Medical Team Initiative and Joanne Liu, MD, from France, President of Médecins Sans Frontières.

Wilson Center Project

"Ground Truth: Infulence of Politics on Health"

Major Publications

Dallas CE, Bell WC, Stewart DJ, Caruso A, Burkle FM Jr., Nuclear war between Israel and Iran: lethality beyond the pale. Confl Health. 2013 May 10;7(1):10.

Chan JL, Burkle FM Jr. A framework and methodology for navigating disaster and global health in crisis literature. PLoS Curr. 2013 Apr 4;5.

Burkle FM Jr. Pandering to ignorance on climate change: lessons from an investment strategist. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013 Jun;28(3):200-1.

Burkle F Jr, Garfield R. Civilian mortality after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Lancet. 2013 Mar 16;381(9870):877-9.

Burkle FM Jr. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater: can the military's role in global health crises be redeemed? Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013 Jun;28(3):197-9.

Macpherson R, Burkle FM. Neglect and failures of human security in humanitarian settings: challenges and recommendations. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013 Apr;28(2):174-8.

Burkle FM, Walls AE, Heck JP, Sorensen BS, Cranmer HH, Johnson K, Levine AC,Kayden S, Cahill B, VanRooyen MJ. Academic affiliated training centers in humanitarian health, Part I: program characteristics and professionalization preferences of centers in North America. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013 Apr;28(2):155-62.

Fox JH, Burkle FM Jr, Bass J, Pia FA, Epstein JL, Markenson D. The effectiveness of psychological first aid as a disaster intervention tool: research analysis of peer-reviewed literature from 1990-2010. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2012 Oct;6(3):247-52.

Burkle FM Jr, Nickerson JW, von Schreeb J, Redmond AD, McQueen KA, Norton I,Roy N. Emergency surgery data and documentation reporting forms for sudden-onset humanitarian crises, natural disasters and the existing burden of surgical disease. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012 Dec;27(6):577-82..

Koenig KL, Burkle FM Jr. Downwind from the great tohoku earthquake: a call to global action. West J Emerg Med. 2012 May;13(2):211-2.

Hsu EB, Burkle FM. Cambodian Bon Om Touk stampede highlights preventable tragedy. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012 Oct;27(5):481-2.

Kirsch TD, Perrin P, Burkle FM, Canny W, Purdin S, Lin W, Sauer L., Requirements for independent community-based quality assessment and accountability practices in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012 Jun;27(3):280-5.

Legemaate GA, Burkle FM Jr, Bierens JJ. The evaluation of research methods during disaster exercises: applicability for improving disaster health management. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012 Feb;27(1):18-26

Patel RB, Burkle FM. Rapid urbanization and the growing threat of violence and conflict: a 21st century crisis. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012 Apr;27(2):194-7.

Nickerson JW, Chackungal S, Knowlton L, McQueen K, Burkle FM. Surgical care during humanitarian crises: a systematic review of published surgical caseload data from foreign medical teams. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2012 Apr;27(2):184-9.

Urbanization and Humanitarian Access Working Group, Janneck LM, Patel R, Rouhani SA, Burkle FM. Urbanization and Humanitarian Access Working Group: toward guidelines for humanitarian standards and operations in urban settings. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2011 Dec;26(6):464-9.

Urbanization and Humanitarian Access Working Groups, Rouhani SA, Patel RB,Janneck LM, Prasad A, Lapitan J, Burkle FM. Urbanization and Humanitarian Access Working Group: a blueprint for the development of prevention and preparedness indicators for urban humanitarian crises. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2011 Dec;26(6):460-3.

Knowlton LM, Gosney JE, Chackungal S, Altschuler E, Black L, Burkle FM Jr,Casey K, Crandell D, Demey D, Di Giacomo L, Dohlman L, Goldstein J, Gosselin R,Ikeda K, Le Roy A, Linden A, Mullaly CM, Nickerson J, O'Connell C, Redmond AD,Richards A, Rufsvold R, Santos AL, Skelton T, McQueen K. Consensus statements regarding the multidisciplinary care of limb amputation patients in disasters or humanitarian emergencies: report of the 2011 Humanitarian Action Summit Surgical Working Group on amputations following disasters or conflict. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2011 Dec;26(6):438-48.

Dallas CE, Burkle FM Jr. Nuclear war in the Middle East: where is the voice of medicine and public health. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2011 Oct;26(5):383-5.

Previous Terms

May 1, 2008 - July 31, 2010