Dr. David Hamer Joins Xenophon’s Crisis Response Team 

Global Leader in Infectious Diseases Runs 31-Nation Early Warning Network

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Xenophon Strategies announced a partnership with Dr. David Hamer, a board-certified specialist in infectious diseases to advise clients during the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Dr. Hamer joins Xenophon’s crisis response and recovery team to provide medical and scientific data on business continuity and recovery issues.  

“Dr. Hamer has spent more than 30 years fighting the toughest diseases around the world,” said Xenophon CEO David Fuscus. “He is one of the world’s leading infectious disease experts who has supervised and added technical expertise to more than 50 scientific studies. His work has included fighting malaria, HIV/AIDS, micronutrient deficiencies, diarrheal disease, zika, ebola and respiratory diseases.” 

Dr. Hamer is a Professor of Global Health and Medicine at the Boston University School of Public Health. He also runs the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network, a global network of 70 sites in 31 countries that conducts surveillance of emerging infectious diseases using travelers, immigrants and refugees as sentinels of infection.  GeoSentinel is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the International Society of Travel Medicine. 

“Dr. Hamer’s medical and scientific knowledge coupled with Xenophon’s two decades of crisis response and recovery expertise allows us inform every level of decision making,” continued Fuscus. “We are helping clients keep their employees and customers safer and working to protect critical infrastructure.” 

Xenophon Strategies’ crisis response and recovery practice has worked on the largest and most difficult crises for dozens of clients over the past 20 years. Examples of  crisis communications engagement, include  the U.S. airline industry on 9/11 and during the SARS pandemic, mercury poisoning issues for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, a dozen major hurricanes for The Salvation Army, including Katrina, the Haitian earthquake and numerous other disasters and crises. 

Coronavirus Crisis Communications

Xenophon Strategies’ crisis team is currently supporting clients in various industries and is working with Dr. Hamer to provide a range of COVID-related services:  

• Medical Expertise. Immediate access to the latest COVID-19 scientific and medical expertise 
• Business Planning. Business continuity planning, protocols for maintaining critical personnel, protection of critical infrastructure and recovery planning. 
• Employee Issues. Production of company–specific materials for employees and customers, company-wide virtual “town-halls” and “ask the expert” webinars. 
• Alerts. Geographic and industry-specific alerts and analysis of breaking developments.  
• Company-specific Analysis – Review and analysis of medical data to inform business decisions.  
• Public Facing Communications – Guidance for external communications, including media releases, interviews and announcements.  

Dr. Hamer currently has active projects in Bangladesh, Zambia, South Africa, and the United States. Major current projects include neonatal sepsis prevention using prebiotics and probiotics in Bangladesh; using community health workers to improve early childhood development in rural South Africa; and antiretroviral adherence among congenitally infected HIV-positive children in Lusaka, Zambia. 

Xenophon Strategies is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and represents clients from the U.S./Canada, Asia, Central Asia and Europe. Xenophon is a member of the Public Relations Global Network and has 50 sister firms around the globe. 

More information can be found at www.xenophonstrategies.com