Congrats to Dr. Rajeev Venkayya

In April, Rajeev Venkayya (Fairborn, '85) was appointed as a special assistant to President Bush for biodefense. In his job, he will help to plan our country's strategy for addressing the potential bird flu pandemic and other disease threats. He reports to Frances Townsend, the Senior Advisor for Homeland Security, and advises Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.

After graduating as the class valedictorian, Rajeev graduated from Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. He also worked and taught at University of California, San Francisco, and is still on the faculty while working at the White House.

The Dayton Daily News interviewed Rajeev, and posted their Q&A session. He was also interviewed for an in-depth article about the pandemic flu risks for The Economist magazine last year.