Peter Dull, M.D.: 9/11 Responder
Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Class of 2000
CDC, National Center for Infectious Diseases
Division of Bacterial & Mycotic Disease, Meningitis and Special Pathogens Branch
Dr. Peter Dull, 34, was among more than 30 Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers who traveled to New York City within days of the September 11, 2001 attacks, in the largest single deployment of EIS officers to one location in the program’s history. Like many others, he performed emergency room surveillance around the clock, monitoring patients for signs of bioterrorism-related illnesses.
A newlywed at the time, Dull and his wife had just returned from their honeymoon in Spain when he was called up for travel to New York City.
“We worked 12-hour shifts and switched off every three days, going from nights to days. We tried to do efficient, accurate surveillance in very busy, overloaded ERs, which was quite challenging,” he says. “No one really knew what was going to happen next, which contributed to the strain.”
While in New York, Dull spent a night at Ground Zero, fitting rescue workers with respirator masks. “We had to convince firefighters and rescue workers to look out for themselves, when they just wanted to do their jobs. It was tough,” he recalls.
Once the first anthrax case emerged in October, Dull was deployed to North Carolina to backtrack the victim’s recent visit to the state. “We followed his steps and set up surveillance in area hospitals to see if there were other cases developing, or any that had been missed,” he says.
Subsequently, Dull got involved with the anthrax investigation in Florida, joining other EIS officers who were assisting with clinical evaluations of patients, antibiotic provision, data collection and environmental sampling. He also worked on the investigation in Washington, D.C., and later from Atlanta, coordinating a myriad of logistics and details to assist the D.C. team.
“It was stressful, but a lot of people at CDC knew that they were part of something bigger than themselves,” says Dull, who is now working as an infectious diseases fellow at Emory University. “When these events were going on, everyone wanted to pitch in. Instead of watching from the sidelines, it was very gratifying to actually have the opportunity to do something to help.”