Collaboration of the NIH and PHS Commissioned Corps in the International Ebola Clinical Research Response
The U.S. response to the Ebola epidemic resulted in many federal agencies assessing their ability to respond to global threats and improve the efficiency of humanitarian efforts.
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Dr. Pierson is director, Office of Clinical Research Policy and Regulatory Operations; CDR Kirchoff is clinical research oversight manager for international research pharmacy operations; RADM Orsega is chief nurse of the PHS Commissioned Corps and a clinical research oversight manager; Ms. Herpin is a clinical research oversight manager; Ms. Kelly is a retired clinical research oversight manager; all in the Division of Clinical Research at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland. LT Holshue is a nurse in the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. LCDR Ready is a regulatory officer at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research of the FDA in Silver Spring, Maryland. At the time of the Ebola response, RADM Giberson was the commander of the Commissioned Corps Ebola response. He currently is serving as assistant surgeon general and deputy director, Office of Human Capital at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Baltimore, Maryland.
Conclusion
The increasing connectedness of this world, as demonstrated by the Ebola epidemic, requires that the HHS engage globally to provide international leadership and technical expertise in science, policy, and programs and work in concert with interagency partners.23 The missions of the PHS and NIH intersected in a synergistic manner in the research response to the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016. The PHS Corps mission includes to “protect, promote, and advance the health and safety of the Nation...through rapid and effective response…and advancement of public health science.”24 The Corps mission directly supported the NIH mission to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.25
The scope and scale of DHHS’s response to the Ebola epidemic was unprecedented. The NIH research program, although successful and an important component, was but a small part in bringing the Ebola crisis to an end. The CDC (including the many Corps officers assigned to that agency) worked successfully with the international community and the host countries to bring the disease under control. The Biological Advanced Research and Development Authority provided expert project management, making vaccines and therapeutics available for research.
The DoD was a partner in the development of countermeasures and phase 1 clinical research programs as well as establishing laboratory facilities in Liberia. The Department of State facilitated the many interactions required for the mobilization of resources into West Africa. The collective efforts of the U.S. government contributed immensely to the protection of U.S. borders and to the successful resolution of the Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016.
