Robert W. Amler

Dr. Amler was appointed by New York’s governor in 2006 to chair the regional advisory council for the Berger Commission on hospital and long-term care utilization. He helped secure independent access for physical therapists in New York and has consulted for academic medical centers on clinical research support, graduate medical education, regional service integration, and disaster preparedness. Dr. Amler previously was Regional Health Administrator, US Dept of Health and Human Services, where he secured supplemental SCHIP funding for Medicaid programs. He oversaw hospital emergency preparedness and directed federal medical emergency assets during heightened external threats to the region. As chief medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), he coordinated medical monitoring for anthrax response teams, launched a nationwide program to protect children from chemical hazards, established standardized environmental medicine biomarkers, and created a nationwide clinical network (Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units, PEHSU) that has since expanded to several other countries. He led CDC’s development of the evidence-based risk models for Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) that underlie standards used today by government, military, and industry. At NYMC, he secured funding to repurpose the Dana Road and Skyline facilities, oversaw growth of the physical therapy and speech-language pathology programs, and launched the Institute of Public Health which includes the Public Health Practice Council and centers of excellence in Disability and Health, Disaster Medicine, Environmental Health, and Long-Term Care.