John J. Cohrssen

John J. Cohrssen, M.Sc., J.D., an attorney in private practice, served in senior positions for the White House and for Congressional Committees and as a consultant to governmental and international organizations with a focus on health and science policy and regulation.  During the administrations of Presidents Reagan and G.W. Bush, Mr. Cohrssen was legal counsel to the White House Domestic Policy Council Working Group responsible for developing and implementing U.S. biotechnology regulatory policy.

Mr. Cohrssen is the author of technical books, professional reports and opinion pieces including the Council on Environmental Quality text Risk Analysis: A Guide to Principles and Methods for Analyzing Health and Environmental Risks.

Government positions included: Counsel, Commerce Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; Staff Director, Subcommittee on Aging, HELP Committee, U.S. Senate; Domestic Policy Advisor, Office of the Vice President; Associate Director, President's Council on Competitiveness; Senior Advisor to the Chairman, Council on Environmental Quality; Regulatory Counsel, Office of Science and Technology Policy; and General Counsel, U.S. Regulatory Council.

Early in his career, Mr. Cohrssen was a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Public Health Service and a staff member of the President's Advisory Council on Executive Organization that recommended the creation of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Upon retiring from the U.S. government, Mr. Cohrssen was Executive Director, Public Health Policy Advisory Board, an independent non-profit public health advocacy group affiliated with the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Sciences.  Subsequently, he represented non-government clients at the Organization for Economic Development (OECD) in Paris.