Ashok Patel, CNSP ’14
I had the opportunity to participate in the 2014 Commandant’s National Security Program (CNSP) as a younger civilian leader in the health sector (Mayo Clinic, physician educator) after being nominated by now retired Chief of Staff (Wisconsin ARNG) COL Brian Wolhaupter, DDE ‘14. Subsequent to that experience in 2014 and under the guidance of our Emergency Management group, Mayo Clinic leadership units, as well as our Global Security Operations executive team, we have continued to build capacity for interprofessional and multi-sector coordination of responses to High Consequence Infectious (HCI) hazards, including day 50+ HCI activation for COVID-19 within and beyond Mayo Clinic. As part of a complex, matrixed, and networked institution which arose from a tornado disaster in Midwest Minnesota in 1883, our 65,000+ employees have joined forces with many other teams to help understand SARS-CoV-2 at the RT-PCR level (swab test), improve care coordination/communication to all concerned, protect our students/professional ethics-standards, and actively partner with researchers (local to global) re: clinical trials, epidemiology, systems dynamics, and predictive analytics. We are all in this global pandemic response together and for our generation, the only way out of this mega-challenge is with science, faith in global cooperation/innovation, integral/servant leadership, and high performing teamwork!
Dr. Ashok M. Patel
Commandant’s National Security Program 2014
