Ebola Virus – Subject Matter Experts

WASHINGTON (May 19, 2026) — Georgetown University professors offer expertise for journalists seeking interviews on a variety of subjects related to Ebola. Topics include infectious disease control and treatment, vaccine development, clinical trials, global health security, and international health regulations.

To schedule an interview, please contact Karen Teber at km463@georgetown.edu.

Infectious Diseases

Julie Fischer, PhD, is a global health security and biosecurity professional with more than two decades of experience forging collaborations with a broad range of partners to understand and address biological threats. She focuses on research and practice to strengthen the capabilities needed to prevent, detect, and respond rapidly and effectively to outbreaks around the world. She is a microbiologist by training, and an expert in infectious diseases. Fischer is a member of the faculty in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Jesse L. Goodman, MD, MPH, is professor of medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center. A member of the National Academy of Medicine, Goodman is trained in infectious diseases and public health. He formerly served as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Chief Scientist and Deputy Commissioner. He worked extensively on emerging infectious diseases at FDA and with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and has served as an advisor to the World Health Organization and others on medical countermeasures and vaccines, including for the Ebola virus. Goodman is a clinician at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, the Washington D.C. VA Medical Center and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

International Health Regulations/Global Health Security

Rebecca Katz, PhD, MPH, is director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University Medical Center. For more than two decades, Katz has worked to design systems and implement policies to facilitate a coordinated response to potential microbial outbreaks and pandemics in 22 countries — many low-resourced and developing. She is an expert on the World Health Organization and its International Health Regulations, and can comment on the international response to Ebola.

Matthew M. Kavanagh, PhD is the director of Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Policy & Politics. An expert on the politics of pandemics, he currently directs the UN-Georgetown Center on Inequality Policy, AIDS, and Pandemics. Previously, he served on various advisory bodies for UNAIDS and WHO. He can discuss how the Ebola outbreak has been fueled by global health inequality; the failure to implement the Pandemic Treaty; and what the U.S. government’s WHO funding cuts mean for the ongoing response.

Additional Experts

Georgetown University hosts the Expert Vaccine Analysis Team (EVAT), a multi-institutional group of internationally recognized scientists and physicians with deep expertise in infectious diseases, public health, vaccine development, safety, regulation, and outbreak response. The team provides independent, rapid analysis on issues related to vaccines and immunization and on emerging threats like Ebola. With a track record of trusted, unbiased expertise dating back to COVID-19 (previously named COVAT), EVAT works with journalists, public health partners, and policymakers to provide information that helps individuals, families, and communities make informed decisions to keep healthy.