The field of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (PHEPR) plays a crucial role in protecting public health and responding to emergencies. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent events have revealed significant gaps in knowledge and practice within the PHEPR field. To enhance the uptake of PHEPR evidence-based interventions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to establish 10 regional PHEPR Centers across the country. These Centers will respond to specific needs and gaps in PHEPR practices at the state, territorial, local, and tribal (STLT) levels. In advance of establishing these Centers, CDC has funded projects across the US to convene Regional Coordinating Bodies and develop workplans for translating evidence into practice for preparedness and response for future regional PHEPR Centers.
This project aims to assist CDC in planning the establishment of a new PHEPR Regional Center in HHS Region 3. The Johns Hopkins University research team is coordinating the planning process and developing the PHEPR Center plan for Region 3, which includes MD, VA, WV, PA, DE, and DC. To achieve this, JHU will recruit and convene a diverse Regional Coordinating Body for Region 3 to discuss and produce a workplan to serve as a guide for the work of a future Region 3 PHEPR Center.
Project team leads: Tara Kirk Sell, PhD, MA; Crystal Watson, DrPH, MPH; J. Lee Jenkins, MD, MS, FACEP
Project team: Jonathan Links, PhD; Gabor Kelen, MD, FACEP; Brian Garibaldi, MD; Jennifer Horney, PhD, MPH; Cathy Slemp, MD, MPH; James Kendra, PhD; Aishwarya Nagar, MPH; Vanessa Grégoire, MSc; Sarah Schneider-Firestone, MSW
Project supported by: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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