Medical Professionals Meet to Address County Reopening, Recovery Plan

Medical professionals tasked with guiding reopening amid COVID-19 met for the first time Thursday.

The seven-member team led by Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles, includes Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, Dr. Cesar Palacios, the executive director of Proyector Salud Medical Clinic and several doctors with a background in epidemiology.

Members will advise Gayles and other health service members and help create a recovery plan for the county, although it is unclear what was discussed during Thursday’s meeting.

Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles

The complete list of professionals includes:

Dr. Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association and former secretary of the Maryland Department of Health;

Dr. Amanda Castel, a professor of epidemiology at the George Washington University Milken School of Public Health;

Dr. Hongjie Liu, chair of the epidemiology and biostatistics department at the University of Maryland School of Public Health;

Dr. Tara Palmore, a hospital epidemiologist at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center;

Dr. Torey Mack, the deputy associate administrator for the Bureau of Health Workforce at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services;

Dr. Cesar Palacios, the executive director of Proyecto Salud Medical Clinic;

Dr. Brent Berger, an internal medicine physician and representative of the Montgomery County Medical Society

About Samantha Subin

Samantha Subin was a summer 2020 intern with Montgomery Community Media. At the time she was a rising senior at the University of Maryland, majoring in Multiplatform Journalism with a minor in General Business. Follow her on Twitter @samantha_subin

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