Leonard A. Cole
Leonard A. Cole (1933–2022) was an American dentist, political scientist, and a pioneer in terror medicine and bioterrorism. He taught at Rutgers University–Newark and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and he helped start and lead the Program on Terror Medicine and Security.
Born Leonard Aaron Cohen in Paterson, New Jersey, he changed his surname during his youth because of antisemitism. He studied at Indiana University, then earned his dental degree from the University of Pennsylvania. After two years in the U.S. Air Force in Japan, he worked in a Berkeley dental office and earned an undergraduate degree in political science from UC Berkeley. He started his own dental practice in 1961 and later earned a PhD in political science from Columbia University in 1970.
Cole balanced health science with public policy. He testified before Congress and advised the Defense Department, Energy Department, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He helped create the field of terror medicine and co-edited a 2012 report on WMD terrorism for the Aspen Institute. His 2021 book, Chasing the Ghost: Nobelist Fred Reines and the Neutrino, was recognized as a notable science title, and he was a 2022 Indie Book Awards finalist.
He served as national chairman of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (2000–2002) and appeared in PBS’s Avoiding Armageddon. His book The Anthrax Letters: A Medical Detective Story was named an Honor Book by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Cole held several board positions, promoted U.S.–Israel security exchanges, and contributed to many journals and major newspapers.
Married to Ruth Gerber since 1957, he had three children and lived in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He died on September 18, 2022, at age 89. He received numerous fellowships and awards, including support from the Rockefeller and Mellon Foundations, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and he was a Phi Beta Kappa fellow.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 01:09 (CET).