Posted on May 7, 2004 at 9:05 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — U.S. Public Health Service Cmdr. Robert Tosatto, R.Ph., of Gaithersburg, Md., has been selected to receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Tosatto received his master’s degrees in public health and business administration from UAB in 1997. The award will be announced during the school’s convocation ceremonies to be held at 10 a.m. on May 7 at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Tosatto will be further recognized at the school's Distinguished Alumnus Lecture in September.

Tosatto was commissioned as a public health officer in 1988 and initially served as a clinical pharmacist with the Indian Health Service. Following his graduation from UAB, he was detailed to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, then to the D.C. Commission on Mental Health Services, where he served as director of the Medical Staff Office.

In 2000, he was tapped by the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to serve as a senior international health officer in the Office of Global Health Affairs (OGHA). This is where he began his career in bioterrorism preparedness and prevention, an area of expertise for which he is now internationally recognized.

His primary role with OGHA was managing the HHS Biotechnology Engagement Program (BTEP), which is charged with engaging former Soviet biologic weapons scientists in collaborative research on applied high priority public health problems. He was responsible for a budget of more than $35 million and a portfolio of more than 100 projects and research studies aimed at bioterrorism prevention. Later, he was named director of OGHA’s Office for Eurasia, where he continued to manage the BTEP program as well as coordinate HHS activities with Russia and other Eurasian countries.

In December 2003, he was selected by the U.S. surgeon general to head the newly formed Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). MCSs are community-based units of medical and public health volunteers who work with their local communities to improve emergency preparedness and response capabilities.

Details about the Distinguished Alumnus Lecture to be given by Tosatto at UAB this fall will be announced at a later date.