Irwin Redlener

Irwin Redlener, M.D., is the founding director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Earth Institute and director of the Center’s Pandemic Resource and Response Initiative. He is also the co-founder, with singer Paul Simon, of The Children's Health Fund.

Dr. Redlener is the author of "Americans at Risk: Why We’re Not Prepared for Megadisasters and What We Can Do Now" and the Nautilus Book Prize-winning "The Future of Us: What the Dreams of Children Mean for 21st Century America." He has been featured in the video "Surviving a nuclear attack - Irwin Redlener." His expertise and insights are frequently sought, and he has contributed more than 50 opinion pieces to various publications, including the Washington Post, the Daily Beast, and The Hill.

Since 2020, Dr. Redlener has served as an on-air public health analyst for NBC & MSNBC. He currently holds a position as a special advisor on emergency preparedness to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and maintains regular communication with leadership in U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services as well as Homeland Security. He has been an advisor to political figures including Vice President Joe Biden, and played a significant role as an advisor during the 2015 Ebola outbreak. Dr. Redlener also worked with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2019 to address the treatment of immigrant families and children on the SW U.S. border.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Redlener directed the development of the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM), and served as medical director of USA for Africa, overseeing the distribution of significant funds for African famine relief raised by the song "We Are the World." He has collaborated with various celebrities to support his humanitarian projects and continues to be a strong advocate for the health and well-being of children facing adversities such as extreme poverty, domestic violence, and homelessness. Dr. Redlener's extensive experience has established him as a valuable advisor to numerous Democratic presidential campaigns since 1988.

Dr. Redlener completed his undergraduate degree at Hofstra University and received his M.D. from the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. His specialty training was received at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, the University of Colorado Medical Center, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He holds honorary degrees from Hofstra University and Hunter College of the City University of New York.