Ronald K. St. John, MD, MPH began his public health career in 1973 at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 1980-89, he was responsible for infectious disease control programs in the Americas for the Pan American Health Organization.
With the Canadian Department of Health, he directed quarantine, migration health, travel medicine, and counter-terrorism. He was responsible for Canada’s National Emergency Stockpile System.
With a colleague, he created the Global Public Health Intelligence Network, the first computer-based system to scan the globe to detect unusual health events that might result in a pandemic. He was the first Director-General of the Federal Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
During his tenure, he managed several emergencies such as Canada’s response to the 9/11 attack and the federal response to SARS 2003. He has consulted on the use of the Incident Management System for responding to epidemics.
