Pietro (Peter) Marghella

Peter is an expert on medical and public health preparedness and response for large-scale disasters and catastrophic casualty events. He joined the Milken Institute School of Public Health in 2010 as a Professorial Lecturer. In addition to his appointment at the Milken Institute, Peter holds faculty appointments in disaster medicine and public health preparedness in the Doctor of Health Sciences and Doctor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) and The George C. Marshall Center for European Security Studies Program on Terrorism and International Security Studies. Recent operational assignments included Special Advisor to the Governor of Puerto Rico in the wake of the 2017 Dual Hurricanes; Senior Advisor for Medical Planning and Preparedness for the International Medical Corps (IMC) during the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) crisis in West Africa; and Director of the New York State Office of Emergency Management.

A career military officer, he served as a Medical Plans, Operations, and Intelligence (POMI) officer in the U.S. Navy's Medical Service Corps, holding the most senior medical planning positions in the U.S. Government, including: Medical Response Advisor to the President of the United States (POTUS) aboard the National Airborne Operations Center (NAOC)--better known as "Nightwatch;" Director of Medical Contingency Operations for the Office of the Secretary of Defense; Chief of Medical Plans and Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Chief of Medical Plans and Intelligence for the US Indo-Pacific Command (the largest of the Combatant Commands in the U.S. Department of Defense); Chief of Medical Plans and Operations for the US Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC); and Chief of Medical Plans and Intelligence for the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (including assignment as the Navy's RED CELL Medical Officer). His personal military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, awarded for exceptionally superior service in a position of significant responsibility to the United States Government.

Peter holds a Doctorate in Health Sciences in Organizational Behavior and Leadership in Public Health Preparedness from A.T. Still University of Health Sciences; and Master's degrees in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College and Healthcare Administration and Policy from Central Michigan University. He holds a Graduate Certificate in the Medical Effects of Chemical, Biological, Nuclear, Radiation, and High Explosive Weapons of Mass Destruction from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He was also an Executive Fellow in the inaugural cohort of the National Preparedness Leadership Institute at the Kennedy School of Government and the T.H. School of Public Health at Harvard University.  

Peter is credentialed as a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM®) in the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM). He has published more than 100 book chapters, monologues, articles, and presentations on medical planning, incident management, and the role of health service support in catastrophic-level disasters and incidents of national significance. His national-level planning credentials include the authoring of The National Smallpox Response Plan (2002);  The Catastrophic Incident Response Plan (for responding to acts of domestic nuclear terrorism) (2004); and the Center's for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Pandemic Influenza Response Plan (2006) and the National Security Council's Federal Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan (2009).