Dr. Richard E. Besser, the chief health and medical editor for ABC News, delivered a public talk at the Woodrow Wilson School on April 30, 2013. His talk titled, "Pandemics, Public Health, and Political Change: The Critical Importance of Communication," was cosponsored by the Center for Health and Wellbeing and the Woodrow Wilson School. Besser’s discussion was followed by a book sale and signing of his new book, “Tell Me the Truth Doctor.” Dr. Besser led the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) during the start of the H1N1 flu pandemic. He learned the critical importance of communication to shape perceptions of the crisis and health behaviors. The result was that people increased their actions to protect their health. Besser has taken that experience to ABC News— where he is now practicing public health in front of the camera. He will explain why in health the biggest impacts can be made by talking rather than by testing. In his role as ABC News' Chief Health and Medical Editor, he provides medical analysis and commentary for all ABC News broadcasts and platforms, including "World News with Diane Sawyer," "Good Morning America," and "Nightline." In 2011, he led ABC's global health coverage, "Be the Change: Save a Life," reporting on health issues from seven different countries. Dr. Besser came to ABC News in 2009 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he served as director of the Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response. In that role, he was responsible for all of the CDC's public health emergency preparedness and emergency response activities. He also served as Acting Director for the CDC and Acting Administrator for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry from January to June 2009, during which time he led the CDC's response to the H1N1 influenza outbreak.

Author James Breiding joined in conversation with Harold James, the Woodrow Wilson Schools' Claude and Lore Kelly Professor in European Studies, professor of history and international affairs, and director of the Program in Contemporary European Politics and Society, to discuss Breiding’s new book, “Swiss Made: The Untold Story Behind Switzerland’s Success.” The discussion was cosponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School and the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination at Princeton University (LISD) and the Consulate General of Switzerland in New York. Breiding is the founder and owner of Naissance Capital, a Swiss investment firm, and was formerly a managing director of Templeton Investment Management and a director of Rothschild Corporate Finance. He graduated with a master’s degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and International Institute for Management Development, Lausanne. He is the co-author of the book Wirtschaftswunder Schweiz (NZZ Libro - The Swiss economic miracle), and he has written for several years for The Economist on Swiss issues.

José De Gregorio, professor of economics at the Universidad of Chile and former governor of the Central Bank of Chile, deliver a public talk cosponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School and the Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy and Finance (JRC) on April 24. De Gregorio served as governor of the Central Bank of Chile from 2007 until 2011. He was formerly vice-governor from 2003, and member of the Bank's board from 2001. During 2000 and 2001, Mr. De Gregorio was minister of the combined portfolios of economy, mining and energy. Between 1997 and 2000 De Gregorio was professor and head of post-graduate programs at the Center of Applied Economics at the University of Chile. He also served on the executive committee of the Latin American Doctoral Program in Economics, carried out jointly by Mexico’s Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo De Mexico (ITAM), Torcuato di Tella University, Argentina, and the University of Chile. From 1994 to 1997, he was coordinator for economic policy at the Ministry of Finance, Chile. From 1990 to 1994 he worked as an economist in the research department of the International Monetary Fund. He has been visiting scholar at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, visiting fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics, and visiting professor at the Anderson School, UCLA.

Ambassador Princeton N. Lyman, who served as United States Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, delivered a public talk at the Woodrow Wilson School on April 23, 2013. Lyman served as United States Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan from March 31, 2011 - March 22, 2013. In that role, he led the U.S. team focused on supporting on-going negotiations between the parties to Sudan’s 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Immediately preceding his tenure as special envoy, he served as U.S. senior adviser on Sudan’s North-South Negotiations. Prior to returning to government service for work on the Sudanese conflict, Ambassador Lyman was the Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) 2003-2006 and was adjunct senior fellow at CFR 2006-2010. He has also been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. From 1999 to 2003, he was executive director of the Global Interdependence Initiative at the Aspen Institute. Ambassador Lyman’s earlier career in government service included assignments as deputy assistant secretary of State for African Affairs (1981-1986), U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria (1986-1989), director of refugee programs (1989-1992), U.S. Ambassador to South Africa (1992-1995), and assistant secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (1996-1998). From 2008-2010, he was a member of the African advisory committee to the United States Trade Representative. He began his government career with the U.S. Agency for International Development and served as USAID director in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 1976 to 1978.

Bruce Blair, co-founder of Global Zero, the international movement for the elimination of nuclear weapons, delivered a public talk at the Woodrow Wilson School on April 22, 2013. Titled "Global Zero's Fight for Hearts and Minds: Is Nuclear Disarmament Possible in Your Lifetime?" the discussion was cosponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School and the Program on Science and Global Security (SGS) at the Woodrow Wilson School. Blair also serves as president of the World Security Institute, a nonprofit organization that he founded to promote independent research and journalism on global affairs. He is also an executive producer of Countdown to Zero, a feature film about nuclear danger and is a member of the Secretary of State's International Security Advisory Board. Blair is an expert on nuclear weapons who has frequently testified before Congress. He has taught security studies as a visiting professor at Yale and Princeton universities. In 1999, he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship Prize for his work and leadership on de-alerting nuclear forces. Blair was a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution from 1987 to 2000. In previous positions, he served as a project director at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, and as a minuteman launch control officer. He holds a Ph.D. in operations research from Yale University.