Leonard A. Cole
Encyclopedia
Leonard Cole, an expert on bioterrorism and terror medicine, is an adjunct professor of political science at Rutgers University-Newark, New Jersey, where he teaches on terrorism issues in the Division of Global Affairs. Trained in the health sciences and public policy, he has testified before congressional committees and made invited presentations to the United States Department of Energy
, United States Department of Defense
, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
, and the Office of Technology Assessment
. He is on the Advisory Board of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism. Appointed by the Governor of New Jersey to the New Jersey-Israel Commission, he has coordinated exchanges on terror medicine and domestic security between American and Israeli academics and professionals. He lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey
with his wife, Ruth.
Cole’s articles have appeared in numerous professional journals as well as general publications including The New York Times
, The Washington Post
, Los Angeles Times
, Scientific American
, and The Sciences
. He has appeared frequently on network and public television and has been a regular on MSNBC
. He is the author of eight books and editor of one, including The Anthrax Letters: A Medical Detective Story, which was named a 2004 Honor Book by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Other recent books include Terror: How Israel Has Coped and What America Can Learn and Essentials of Terror Medicine (co-editor).
Cole was a featured commentator in Avoiding Armageddon, a PBS documentary on biological and chemical warfare. He has also been featured in a 2008 television program on Anthrax entitled "Airborne Attack," part of the "Mega Disasters" series on the History Channel. Other recent interviews and presentations have been posted by the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
, FrontPage magazine, and Eye on Books. He served as national chairman of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, 2000-2002, and since 2006 has chaired the Birthright Israel
Committee of the United Jewish Communities
.
Cole holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in political science from Columbia University
, a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
, and a B.A. with highest honors from the University of California, Berkeley
. He has been awarded grants and fellowships by the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities
, and the Rockefeller Foundation
and received the 2008 alumni merit award from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
. He is a Fellow of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and board member of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
and the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Alumni Association.
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
, United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
, and the Office of Technology Assessment
Office of Technology Assessment
The Office of Technology Assessment was an office of the United States Congress from 1972 to 1995. OTA's purpose was to provide Congressional members and committees with objective and authoritative analysis of the complex scientific and technical issues of the late 20th century, i.e. technology...
. He is on the Advisory Board of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism. Appointed by the Governor of New Jersey to the New Jersey-Israel Commission, he has coordinated exchanges on terror medicine and domestic security between American and Israeli academics and professionals. He lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey
Ridgewood, New Jersey
Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village population was 24,958. Ridgewood is an affluent suburban bedroom community of New York City, located approximately northwest of Midtown Manhattan.The Village of Ridgewood was...
with his wife, Ruth.
Cole’s articles have appeared in numerous professional journals as well as general publications including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
, and The Sciences
The Sciences
The Sciences was published from 1961 to 2001 by the New York Academy of Sciences. Each issue contained articles that discussed science issues with cultural relevance, illustrated with fine art and an occasional cartoon. The periodical won seven National Magazine Awards over the course of its...
. He has appeared frequently on network and public television and has been a regular on MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
. He is the author of eight books and editor of one, including The Anthrax Letters: A Medical Detective Story, which was named a 2004 Honor Book by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Other recent books include Terror: How Israel Has Coped and What America Can Learn and Essentials of Terror Medicine (co-editor).
Cole was a featured commentator in Avoiding Armageddon, a PBS documentary on biological and chemical warfare. He has also been featured in a 2008 television program on Anthrax entitled "Airborne Attack," part of the "Mega Disasters" series on the History Channel. Other recent interviews and presentations have been posted by the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Washington Institute for Near East Policy
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy is a think tank based in Washington, D.C. focused on United States foreign policy in the Middle East. It was established by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in 1985...
, FrontPage magazine, and Eye on Books. He served as national chairman of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, 2000-2002, and since 2006 has chaired the Birthright Israel
Birthright Israel
Taglit-Birthright Israel is a Jewish Israeli registered charity that sponsors free 10-day heritage trips to Israel. Birthright Israel's goals are to diminish the division between Israel and Jewish communities around the world and to strengthen participants' personal Jewish identity and...
Committee of the United Jewish Communities
United Jewish Communities
The Jewish Federations of North America , is an American Jewish umbrella organization representing 157 Jewish Federations and the Network of Independent Communities, 400 smaller Jewish communities across North America. The JFNA was formed from the 1999 merger of the United Jewish Appeal, the...
.
Cole holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in political science from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
The University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine is one of twelve graduate schools at the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, and a B.A. with highest honors from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He has been awarded grants and fellowships by the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
, and the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
and received the 2008 alumni merit award from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
The University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine is one of twelve graduate schools at the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
. He is a Fellow of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and board member of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Washington Institute for Near East Policy
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy is a think tank based in Washington, D.C. focused on United States foreign policy in the Middle East. It was established by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in 1985...
and the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Alumni Association.
Books
- The Anthrax Letters, Revised Edition (2009)
- Essentials of Terror Medicine (co-editor, 2009)
- Terror: How Israel Has Coped and What America Can Learn (2007)
- The Anthrax Letters: A Medical Detective Story (2003)
- The Eleventh Plague: The Politics of Biological and Chemical Warfare (1997)
- Element of Risk: The Politics of Radon (1993)
- Clouds of Secrecy: The Army's Germ Warfare Tests Over Populated Areas (1990)
- Politics and the Restraint of Science (1983)
- Blacks in Power: A Comparative Study of Black and White Elected Officials (1976)