Isaac B. Weisfuse, MD, MPH

Isaac Weisfuse

Department of Public & Ecosystem Health

Adjunct Professor


Department of Public & Ecosystem Health
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
Ithaca, NY 14853

Email: ibw7@cornell.edu

Research Interest

  • Leadership/Management of large organizations
  • Project Management
  • Public Health Administration
  • Strategic Planning
  • Translating Science for Lay/Political Audiences
  • Public Health Surveillance, Interventions and Evaluations
  • Working across Intra- or Inter-Organizational ‘silos’ to achieve Public Health Goals
  • Incident Command
  • Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
  • Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases

Education

  • 1992, MPH, Columbia University, New York, NY
  • 1982, MD, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY
  • 1977, BA, Columbia University, New York, NY

Biography/Professional Experience

Isaac B. Weisfuse, is a medical epidemiologist with over 25 years of experience in public health at the local and national levels.  For much of this time, he was a Deputy Commissioner of Health at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene where his responsibilities included the control of infectious diseases in New York City, and public health emergency preparedness and response.  He led his agency as an incident commander in a number of emergency activations including the 9/11 attack, NYC’s anthrax attack, and the 2009 influenza pandemic.  He has an MPH in Health Policy and Management.  Dr. Weisfuse has an extensive record of research and publications, and has published a book on public health emergency preparedness.

Publications

Alter MJ, Ahtone J, Weisfuse I, Starko K, Vacalis TD, Maynard JE.  Hepatitis B virus transmission between heterosexuals.  JAMA 1986; 265: 1307-1310.

Bradley DW, Andjaparize A, Cook EH, McCaustland KA, Balayan M, Stetler H, Velazquez O, Robertson HB, Humphrey CD, Kane MA, Weisfuse IAetiological agent of enterically transmitted non-A, non-B hepatitis. Journal of General Virology 1988; 69: 731-38.

Weisfuse IB, Hadler SC, Fields HA, Alter MJ, O'Malley PM, Judson FN, Ostrow DG, Altman NL. Delta hepatitis in homosexual men in the United States.  Hepatology 1989; 9: 872-874.

Weisfuse IB, Graham DJ, Will M, Parkinson D, Snydman DR, Atkins M, Karron RA, Feinstone S, Rayner AA, Fisher RI, Mills BJ, Dutcher JP, Weiss GR, Glover A, Kuritsky JN, Hadler SC.  An outbreak of hepatitis A among cancer patients treated with interleukin-2 and lymphokine activated killer cells.  JID April 1990; 161: 647-652.

Stoneburner RL, Chiasson MA, Weisfuse IB, Thomas PA.  Editorial Review:  The epidemic of AIDS and HIV-1 infection among heterosexuals in New York City.  AIDS 1990; 4: 99-106.

Stricof RL, Kennedy JT, Nattell TC, Weisfuse IB, Novick LF.  HIV seroprevalence in a facility for runaway and homeless adolescents.  AJPH 1991; 81(S): 50-53.                         

Weisfuse IB, Greenberg BL, Back SD, Makki HA, Thomas P, Rooney WC, Rautenberg EL.  HIV-1 infection among New York City inmates.  AIDS 1991; 5: 1125-1130.

Araneta MR, Weisfuse IB, Greenberg B, Schultz S, Thomas PA.  Abortions and HIV-1 infection in  New  York City, 1987-1989.  AIDS 1992; 6: 1193-1199.

Thomas PA, Weisfuse IB, Greenberg AE, Bernard GA, Tytun A, Stellman SD.  Trends in the first ten years of AIDS in New York City.  AJE 1993; 137: 121-133.

Blum S, Tejinder PS, Gibbons JA, Lessner L, Fordyce EJ, Chiasson MA, Weisfuse IB, Thomas PA.  Trend in Survival among Persons with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome in New York City.  The Experience of the First Decade of the Epidemic.   AJE 1994; 139: 351-361.

Greenberg BL, Weisfuse IB, Makki H, Adler J, Elsadr W, Clarke L, Gainey S, Alford T, McFarland  K, Thomas P.  HIV-1 Seroprevalence in Chest Clinic and Hospital Tuberculosis Patients in New York City, 1989-1991.  AIDS 1994; 8: 957-962.

Blank S, Simonds RJ, Weisfuse I, Rudnick J, Thomas P, Chiasson MA.  Possible Noscomial Transmission of HIV.  Lancet 1994; 344: 512-514.

Panlilio AL, Shapiro CN, Schable CA, Mendelson MH, Montecalvo MA, Kunches LM, Perry SW, Edwards JR, Srivastava PU, Culver DH, Weisfuse IB, Jorde U, Davis JM, Bell DM, Chamberland ME.  Serosurvey of Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Hepatitis B Virus, and Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Hospital-Based Surgeons.   Journal of American College of Surgeons 1995; 180: 16-24. 

Torian LV, Weisfuse IB, Makki HA, Benson DA, DiCamillo LM, Toribio FE.  Increasing HIV-1 Seroprevalence Associated with Genital Ulcer Disease, New York City, 1990-1992.  AIDS 1995; 9: 177-181.

Turret GS, Telzak EE, Torian LV, Alland D, Blum S, Koyande DN, Saclolo, RC, Weisfuse I, Hall G, Fazal BA.  Improved Outcomes of Patients with Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis.  Clinical Infectious Diseases 1995; 21: 1238-1244.

Torian LV, Weisfuse IB, Makki HA, Benson DA, DiCamillo LM, Patel PR, Toribio FE.  Trends in HIV Seroprevalence in MSM Attending New York City Department of Health STD Clinics, 1988-1993.  AIDS 1996; 10: 187-192.

Rogers SJ, Doino-Ingersoll J, Hayes-Cozier R, Weisfuse IEvaluating HIV Prevention Community Planning.  Evaluation & the Health Professions 1996; 19: 465-587.

Weisfuse IBGonorrhoea Control and Antimicrobial Resistance.  Lancet 1998; 351: 928.

Rogers SJ, Tross S, Doino-Ingersol J, Weisfuse IPartner notification with HIV-Infected Drug Users: Results of Formative Research.  AIDS Care 1998; 10: 415-429.

Mertz KJ, Trees D, Levine WC, Lewis JS, Litchfield B, Pettus KS, Morse SA, St. Louis ME, Weiss JB, Schwebke J, Dickes J, Kee R, Reynolds J, Hutcheson D, Green D, Dyer I, Richwald GA, Novotny J, Weisfuse I, Goldberg M, O’Donnell JA, Knaup R.  Etiology of Genital Ulcers and Prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Coinfection in 10 US Cities.  JID 1998; 178: 1795-8.

VanDevanter N, Cicatelli B, Weisfuse I, Halpern O, Levinson M, Deli K, Dunn A.  Transfer of Behavioral Intervention Technology to a Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic.  Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.  1999; 5: 40-51.

Blank S, Sternberg M, Neylans LL, Rubin SR, Weisfuse IB, St. Louis ME.  Incident Syphilis among Women with Multiple Admissions to Jail in New York City.  JID 1999: 180: 1159-1163.

Torian LV, Makki HA, Menzies IB, Murrill CS,  Benson DA, Schween FW, Weisfuse IBHigh HIV Seroprevalence Associated with Gonorrhea: New York City Department of Health, Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Clinics, 1990-1997.  AIDS 2000; 14(2): 189-195.

New York City Department of Health HIV Epidemiology Group. 25 Years of HIV in New York City: Lessons from Surveillance.  Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine 2001; 78: 669-678.

VanDevanter N, Hennessy M, Howard JM, Bleakley A, Peake M, Millet S, Cohall A, Levine D, Weisfuse I, Fullilove R.  Developing a Collaborative Community, Academic, Health Department Partnership for STD Prevention: The Gonorrhea Community Action Project in Harlem.  Journal of Public Health Management and Practice 2002: 8(6), 62-68.

Jernigan DB, Raghunathan PL, Bell BP, Brechner R, Bresnitz EA, Butler JC, Cetron M, Cohen M, Doyle T, Fischer M, Greene C, Griffith KS, Guarner J, Hadler JL, Hayslett JA, Meyer R, Petersen LR, Phillips M, Pinner R, Popovic T, Quinn CP, Reefhuis J, Reissman D, Rosenstein N, Schuchat A, Shieh WJ, Siegal L, Swerdlow DS, Tenover FC, Traeger M, Ward JW, Weisfuse I, Wiersma S, Yeskey K, Zaki S, Ashford DA, Perkins BA, Ostroff S, Hughes J, Fleming D, Koplan JP, Gerberding JL, and the National Anthrax Epidemiologic Investigation Team.  Investigation of Bioterrorism Related Anthrax, United States, 2001: Epidemiologic Findings.  Emerging Infectious Diseases 2002: 8(10), 1019-1028.

Torian LV, Makki HA, Menzies IB, Murrill CS, Weisfuse IBHIV Infection in Men Who Have Sex with Men, New York City Department of Health Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinics 1990-1999.  Sexually Transmitted Diseases 2002: 29(2), 73-78.

Samoff E, Dunn A, VanDevanter N, Blank S, Weisfuse IPredictors of Acceptance of Hepatitis B Vaccination in an Urban Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic.  Sexually Transmitted Diseases 2004: 31(7), 415-420.

Beatty, M., Phelps, S., Rohner, C., and Weisfuse, I.   Blackout of August 2003: Public Health Effects and Emergency Response.  Public Health Reports 2006: 121, 36-44.

Weisfuse IB, Berg D, Gasner R, Layton M, Misener M, Zucker JR.  Pandemic Influenza Planning in New York City.  Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine 2006:  83, 351-354.

Hennessy RR, Weisfuse I, Schlanger K.  Does Integrating Viral Hepatitis Services into a Public STD Clinic Attract Injection Drug Users for Care?  Public Health Reports 2007: 122, supplement 2, 31-35.

Buffington J, Murray PJ, Schlanger K, Shih L, Badsgard T, Hennessy RR, Wood R, Weisfuse IB, Gunn RA.  Low Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Antibody in Men Who Have Sex with Men Who Do Not Inject Drugs.  Public Health Reports 2007: 122, supplement 2, 63-67.

Rude EJ, Weisfuse IA Community Experience Responding to Hepatitis C.  Public Health Reports 2007: 122, supplement 2, 89-90.

Bell DM, Weisfuse IB, Hernandez-Avila M, del Rio C, Bustamante X, Rodier G.  Pandemic Influenza as 21st Century Urban Public Health Crisis.  Emerging Infectious Diseases 2009: 15(12), 1963-1969.

Farley TA, Weisfuse IRedefining of public health preparedness after 9/11.  Lancet 2011: 378 (9794), 957-959.

Burton D, Confield E, Gasner MR, Weisfuse IBA qualitative study of pandemic influenza preparedness among small and medium-sized businesses in New York City.  Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning 2011: 5 (3).

Weisfuse IB, Tsibane T, Konty KJ, Egger JR, Waddell EN, Rahmat S, Harris E, Olson DR, Basler CF.  Seroprevalence of Pandemic Influenza Viruses, New York, New York , USA, 2004.  Emerging Infectious Diseases 2012; November: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/18/11/12-0156_article.htm

Simon Cauchemez, Maria D Van Kerkhove, Brett N Archer, Martin Cetron, Benjamin J Cowling, Peter Grove, Darren Hunt, Mira Kojouharova, Predrag Kon, Kumnuan Ungchusak, Hitoshi Oshitani, Andrea Pugliese, Caterina Rizzo, Guillaume Saour, Tomimase Sunagawa, Amra Uzicanin, Claude Wachtel, Isaac Weisfuse, Hongjie Yu and Angus Nicoll.   School closures during the 2009 influenza pandemic: national and local experiences.   BMC Infectious Diseases 2014, 14:207.  http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/14/207

Awards and Honors

  • Master Teacher Award in Preventive Medicine. Alumni Association College of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center: April 28, 2007 (For teaching excellence)
  • 2001 New York City Department of Public Health Award for Excellence: December 12, 2001 (For guiding the Health Department’s response to the World Trade Center Disaster)
  • 1999 Public Health Achievement Awards presented by the New York City Department of Health, and the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University: April 14, 1999. (For a collaboration with Columbia University to improve STD control in Harlem)

Professional/Academic Affiliations

  • 2016-present: Adjunct Professor of Public Health, Core Faculty, MPH Program, Department of Public & Ecosystem Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
  • 1996-2018: Associate Professor of Clinical Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University School of Public Health
  • 1991-1996: Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University School of Public Health
  • 1999-2001: Associate, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health