CONTRIBUTORS
D2EMC seeks to partner with national and international experts in the field of emergency and disaster medical response and hazmat/CBRN command and field operations. These individuals are regarded as leaders and visionaries in their respective fields of expertise.
David DiGregorio, MPAS, MSEM
David DiGregorio is one of a small number of practitioners in the United States who has commanded both at the operational hazmat/CBRN end and at the clinical disaster medicine end of emergency response. A board-eligible Physician Assistant who spent three decades in uniform including operational command on a Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team he brings a dual perspective most consultants can't: the medicine of what hazards do to people, and the field operations of how teams actually detect, contain, and respond to them.
He founded D2 Emergency Management Consulting to bring that combined expertise to healthcare systems, public safety agencies, and industrial clients who need preparedness work grounded in operational reality, not theory.
Principal, D2 Emergency Management Consulting, LLC
Director of Hazardous Materials Response, Division of Disaster Medicine, Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC)
Advisory Board, First Line Technology
Current roles
David served 32 years in the US Army and the Massachusetts Army National Guard, advancing from Medical NCO to Physician Assistant to Deputy Commander of the 1st Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team one of the federally resourced National Guard units charged with assessing and supporting civil authorities at suspected WMD events. He retired in 2014 as Deputy State Surgeon for the Massachusetts National Guard.
Following his military retirement, he led hazardous materials response for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, serving as Deputy Director (2014–2016) and then Director (2016–2023) of the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services Hazardous Materials Emergency Response and Special Operations Division. In that role he was responsible for the readiness, training, and operational doctrine of the state's regional hazmat response teams.
CAREERS
Legion of Merit
Meritorious Service Medal
Multiple Army Commendation Medals
Multiple Army Achievement Medals
Decorations
education
Master of Science, Emergency Management — Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Master of Science, Physician Assistant Studies — University of Nebraska Medical Center
Bachelor of Science, Physician Assistant Studies — University of Nebraska Medical Center
DR. GREGORY R. CIOTTONE, MD, FACEP, FIBODM, FFSEM
Dr. Ciottone is President Emeritus of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine and a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is an Instructor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH), and the Founding Director of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Fellowship in Disaster Medicine, where he has trained over 120 postdoctoral fellows.
Dr. Ciottone also serves as the Director of Medical Preparedness for the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard University, a joint program of the HSPH and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians, the International Board of Disaster Medicine, and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and has been a Visiting Professor at three international universities.
As a former member of the United States National Disaster Medical System, Dr. Ciottone was Commander of the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) Massachusetts-2 when it was one of the first federal teams deployed into Ground Zero responding to the 9/11 attacks. He was a Founding Member of the US Department of Homeland Security and has been a consultant to the White House Medical Unit for the past three administrations.
Dr. Ciottone is an expert in the healthcare system response to Chemical / Biological / Radiological / Nuclear (CBRN) events. He worked closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Geneva Switzerland and the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) in Oakridge Tennessee to create and implement a training program in nuclear accident preparedness for Eastern Europe and served as a Fellowship Director for the IAEA. In 2018, Dr. Ciottone published a sole author article in the New England Journal of Medicine on his triage and treatment algorithm for chemical weapons attacks that is now being used extensively around the world. He continues to work around the world on CBRN preparedness and response for healthcare systems, including serving as a consultant to the Abu Dhabi Department of Health.
Dr. Ciottone has published over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles on Disaster Medicine and Emergency Management and serves as founding Editor-in-Chief of his textbook Ciottone’s Disaster Medicine, now in its 3rd edition and considered the leading textbook in the field. In 2017, he was recognized by the Physician to the President for “Outstanding Achievement in Support of the White House Medical Unit and the President of the United States”. He is the 2018 recipient of the American College of Emergency Physicians Disaster Medical Sciences Award, and the 2020 recipient of the American Academy of Disaster Medicine Distinguished Service Award. In 2024 Dr Ciottone was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa for his work in Disaster Medicine from Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier in France.
DR. FADI SALAH ISSA
Dr. Fadi Salah Issa is an accomplished expert in Emergency and Disaster Medicine, serving as a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and Director of Education for the Disaster Medicine Fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Dr. Issa specializes in developing and delivering comprehensive training programs, including teaching medical students and healthcare professionals about Disaster Medicine, CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) preparedness, decontamination protocols, and proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE). His initiatives also include facility emergency assessments, hands-on training, and online courses.
Dr. Issa has extensive experience in disaster response, including deployments to Syrian refugee camps and leading relief efforts during Hurricane Dorian. A dedicated academic, he has authored numerous publications, contributed to Ciottone’s Disaster Medicine, and mentored fellows internationally. His work continues to shape the fields of Disaster Medicine and emergency preparedness.