Creighton Senior Associate Dean Receives White House Appointment
Patricia Ann Fleming, Ph.D., senior associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences has been appointed by the White House to the Veterans Board on Dose Reconstruction (VBDR).
The Veterans' Benefits Act of 2003 required the establishment of an independent advisory board to provide oversight into the dose reconstruction and claims settlement programs for atomic veterans. The VBDR is required to conduct periodic, random audits of dose reconstructions and decisions on claims for radiogenic diseases and to assist the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency in communicating to veterans information on the mission, procedures, and evidentiary requirements of the Dose Reconstruction Program.
Because of her familiarity with ethical concerns regarding health effects from radiation exposure, Dr Fleming served on the National Academy of Science Committee to Assess the Scientific Information for the Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program from 2002-2005. This led to her participation on the Veteran's Board for Dose Reconstruction.
“It is a great honor for me to receive this White House appointment in order to work with our atomic veterans on ethical concerns associated with their service to the United States during World War II and its aftermath,” said Fleming.
Fleming received her masters and doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. She has published and lectured internationally on the ethical and epistemological issues associated with the disposal of high-level nuclear waste, including the use of expert elicitation methodology in site characterization, waste management and indigenous populations, informed consent in stakeholder populations, and circularity in regulatory policy.