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 a distinguished professional in the field of emergency management and hazardous materials response. He currently serves as the principal for D2 Emergency Management Consulting, LLC, where he leverages his extensive experience to provide training, evaluation, and assessment services. Additionally, David is a core faculty member and the Director of Hazardous Materials Response for the Beth Israel Deaconess/Harvard Medical School Disaster Medicine Fellowship, contributing significantly to the education and development of future disaster medicine professionals. His advisory board role with First Line Technology further highlights his commitment to advancing emergency response technologies.
David’s career is marked by his 32 years of service in the US Army and Massachusetts Army National Guard, where he held various positions, including Medical NCO, Physician Assistant, and Deputy Commander with the 1st Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team. Before retiring in 2014, he served as the Deputy State Surgeon for the Massachusetts National Guard, earning accolades such as the Legion of Merit Award, Meritorious Service Medal, and several Army Commendation and Army Achievement Medals. His academic achievements include a Masters of Science degree in Emergency Management from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and a Bachelors and Masters of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Nebraska Medical School.
Following his retirement from the military, David continued to make a significant impact in the field of hazardous materials emergency response. He served as the deputy director for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services Hazardous Materials Emergency Response/Special Operations Division from 2014 to 2016, and then as the director from 2016 to 2023. His leadership and expertise have been instrumental in enhancing the readiness and response capabilities of emergency teams in Massachusetts. In addition to his consulting and faculty roles, David’s unique background, combining medical and CBRN/hazmat expertise, allows him to offer a specialized skill set that is invaluable in improving emergency response postures.
DR. GREGORY R. CIOTTONE, MD, FACEP, FIBODM, FFSEM
Dr. Ciottone is President Emeritus of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine and an Associate 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.