Imran Siddiqui - Urdu VOA - Washington - Muslims' America -
Dr. Rashid Chotani is a Pakistani-American doctor who has designed a bio alert system for US Department of Defense which alerts Homeland security, DOD and other agencies if in case there is a biological or chemical attack in the United States. He says even though America is his adopted home and he has become an American but he hasn't forgotten his birth home Pakistan and has set up numerous projects in Pakistan to help the people. But he says as a doctor, defending innocent lives is his top priority. He also says that he does not see people as black, brown, white or red, he sees them as human beings and encourages and inspires others to do the same. Dr. Chotani currently serves as director of Chemical-Biological Defense Programs at TASC and from this position, he leads chemical and biological programs that operate in support of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the U.S. Army and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, as well as the civilian Department of Homeland Security, National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Chotani holds more than 15 years of deep experience in public health, medicine and biodefense, providing leadership in integrating chem-bio programs with warfighter, first responder and law enforcement organizations. Before joining TASC, Chotani worked as the chief scientist to the joint project manager of chemical, biological and medical systems at the Department of Defense. He led teams of scientists in the development of vaccines and therapeutics for the effects of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons systems. Before working at the DOD, Chotani held positions with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Johns Hopkins Hospital and School of Public Health. Chotani earned a master's degree in public health and a diploma in tropical medicine from The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health and his M.D. at Eugenio Maria de Hostos School of Medicine in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and has received substantial recognition for his leadership and contributions to the public health sector. Dr. Chotani also served as Director of the Global Infections Disease Surveillance and Alert System (GIDSAS) at the School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Previously he served as the medical director of several relief teams, including the Canadian Tsunami Relief Team in Indonesia and the Tsunami Relief Team in Sri Lanka. In addition to his significant contributions in the public sphere, Dr. Chotani has held numerous positions in the academic world in the capacity of mentor, researcher, and professor. He was Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine and the Department of International Health at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and has also served as Assistant Professor at the Center for International Emergency Disaster & Refugee Studies at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health & Medicine. In the capacity of Senior Scientist, he worked in the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University. Additionally at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Chotani contributed as a Research Associate and Faculty Member at the Division of Disease Control's Department of International Health.