Member Profiles

Suzet McKinney, DrPH, MPH, Principal, Director of Life Sciences Sterling Bay, Chicago, Illinois

Dr. Suzet M. McKinney currently serves as Principal and Director for Sterling Bay’s Life Sciences Division. In her role Dr. McKinney will oversee Sterling Bay’s relationships with the scientific, academic, corporate, tech and governmental sectors involved in the life science ecosystem. Prior to joining Sterling Bay, she served as CEO/Executive Director of the Illinois Medical District. Dr. McKinney also is the former Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response at the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), where she oversaw the emergency preparedness efforts for the Department and coordinated those efforts within the larger spectrum of the City of Chicago’s Public Safety activities, in addition to overseeing the Department’s Division of Women and Children’s Health.

Dr. McKinney serves on numerous committees and advisory boards. Current board memberships include the Board of Directors for Susan G. Komen Chicago, Thresholds, and the Fifth Third Bank Advisory Board. Dr. McKinney is Co-Chair of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), Health and Medicine Division’s Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Disasters and Emergencies and is a member of the NASEM Board on Health Sciences Policy. She also serves on the Science and Security Board for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and chairs the Board of Scientific Counselors for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response. She has served as an Incident Commander for CDPH where she was responsible for leading multiple emergency response efforts, including Chicago’s 2014-2015 Ebola response, the operational response to the 2009 H1N1 outbreak, and CDPH’s participation in the 2012 NATO Summit response and the 2010 Haiti Earthquake response.

In academia, Dr. McKinney serves as an Instructor in the Division of Translational Policy and Leadership Development at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. She also serves as a mentor for the Biomedical Sciences Careers Project, also at Harvard University.
Dr. McKinney holds her Doctorate degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, with a focus on preparedness planning, leadership and workforce development. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Brandeis University (Waltham, MA) where she was also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellow. She received her Master of Public Health degree (Health Care Administration) and certificates in Managed Care and Health Care Administration from Benedictine University in Lisle, IL.

David Fleming, MD, Distinguished Fellow, Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), Bainbridge, WA

Dr. Fleming is a Distinguished Fellow at the Trust for America’s Health, a faculty member at the University of Washington School of Public Health and is active in a number of organizations working on issues of health equity. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for PATH, a global health organization working across the world. Before joining PATH in 2014, David served as the director and health officer for Public Health – Seattle and King County. Previously, he was the director of Global Health Strategies at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. David also served as deputy director at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and as the state epidemiologist for the Oregon Health Division.

Brent Pawlecki, MD, Chief Health Officer, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Akron, Ohio

Dr. Brent Pawlecki is the Chief Health Officer at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., a position he has held since 2011. His responsibilities in this role include global health strategy, providing leadership for Goodyear’s medical clinics, fitness facilities, health benefits, health improvement and wellness programs, Employee Assistance Programs, and health related emergencies.

Prior to his current role, he was the Corporate Medical Director at Pitney Bowes, overseeing all health-related issues for the organization, including the Pitney Bowes’ award winning corporate clinics, wellness programs and absence management department, and served as the Chief HIPAA Privacy Officer.

During his career, he worked in a private medical practice as well as the Emergency Department. He attended college and medical school at St. Louis University and completed a combined residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics from Bridgeport Hospital and Yale University. He also completed the Master of Medical Management Business Degree from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Pawlecki received the 2015 Global Leadership in Corporate Health Award, recognizing his career focused on developing and promoting workplace health programs. He is involved with numerous organizations, including the National Business Group on Health, National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), and the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care. His current focus works toward improvements in health quality, global health, advanced illness and end of life care.

Catherine C. Slemp, MD, MPH, Health Consultant, Milton, West Virginia

Dr. Cathy Slemp is in private practice as a public health consultant working with organizations at community, state and national levels. Dr. Slemp most recently served as Commissioner and State Health Officer, West Virginia Bureau for Public Health from 2018 through mid 2020. She also served as West Virginia’s State Health Officer and State Emergency Preparedness Director from 2002–2011. In 2008-09 she chaired ASTHO’s Directors of Public Health Preparedness.  Dr. Slemp has worked in and helped manage responses to COVID 19, Hepatitis A and HIV outbreaks, the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, WV’s response to Hurricane Katrina, public health emergency preparedness efforts following the events of 9/11, floods, and other public health emergencies. Areas of focus have included emergency preparedness and response, community resiliency, the substance use disorder epidemic, immunization, family planning, tobacco, and work to strengthen quality improvement efforts in public health agencies.  Prior to these roles, she was the founding director of the state’s Division of Infectious Disease Epidemiology. Throughout her career, Dr. Slemp has worked closely with public health agencies, health care facilities, and other partners to build both epidemiology and emergency preparedness infrastructure within communities.

Prior to her most recent role as WV’s State Health Officer, Dr. Slemp’s activities included serving as an action-learning coach for the Public Health Institute’s National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health, working with multi-sector teams to advance health equity in communities.  Through ASTHO and the CDC Foundation, she worked to support USVI public health system recovery from hurricanes Irma and Maria and has worked as the Relief and Development Coordinator for the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia. Other initiatives have included efforts to model, measure, and advance our nation’s health security and resilience (NHSPI, COPEWELL, etc.). In addition to serving on CPR’s Board of Scientific Counselors, Dr. Slemp serves on the National Biodefense Science Board, US Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.

Dr. Slemp is board certified in both Public Health – Preventive Medicine and in Family Practice. She undertook her medical training at Duke University, her Preventive Medicine Residency and MPH at Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health, and her Family Practice Residency at St. Margaret Memorial Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. She received her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and has undertaken leadership training through both the Southeast and National Public Health Leadership Institutes.

Kasisomayajula Viswanath, PhD, MA, MCJ, Lee Kum Kee Professor of Health Communication, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and McGraw-Patterson Center for Population Sciences at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Boston, Massachusetts

Dr. K. “Vish” Viswanath is also the Faculty Director of the Health Communication Core of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC). He is the founding Director of DF/HCC’s Enhancing Communications for Health Outcomes (ECHO) Laboratory. He chairs the Steering Committee for the Health Communication Concentration (HCC) at HSPH and teaches health communication courses within this concentration.

Dr. Viswanath’s work, focuses on translational communication science to influence public health policy and practice. He has written more than 200 journal articles and book chapters concerning communication inequalities and health disparities, knowledge translation, public health communication campaigns, e-health and digital divide, public health preparedness and the delivery of health communication interventions to underserved populations. Dr. Viswanath has received awards including the Joseph W. Cullen Memorial Award For Excellence in Tobacco Research, American Society for Preventive Oncology (2014), the Dale Brashers Distinguished Mentorship Award, National Communication Association (2013), Outstanding Health Communication Scholar Award (2010) jointly given out by the International Communication Association and the National Communication Association and the Mayhew Derryberry Award from the American Public Health Association (APHA) for his contribution to health education research and theory (2009). He was a member of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) of the U. S. Department of Health & Human Services and Chaired its Working Group on Vaccine Acceptance (2012-2016) and is a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors, Office of Public Health Preparedness, CDC. His research is supported by funding from private and public agencies including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Dawn P. Wooley, PhD, SM [NRCM], RBP, CBSP, Professor, Wright State University

Dawn P. Wooley, PhD, SM [NRCM], RBP, CBSP is a professor at Wright State University and a certified biosafety professional. Her research expertise includes the molecular mechanisms of HIV mutation, recombination, and pathogenesis, the use of viral vectors for gene transfer, and the biosafety of viral vectors in laboratory and animal research. Dr. Wooley conducted postdoctoral research with Nobel Laureate Howard Temin at the University of Wisconsin. She earned her Ph.D. degree in Virology from Harvard and an honors B.S. degree in Microbiology from The Pennsylvania State University.

Kristin L. DeBord, PhD, Director, Strategy Division, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Washington, DC

Dr. DeBord is the Director for the Strategy Division within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). In this role, she is responsible for providing an anticipatory, long-term perspective on national health security to help identify and advance preparedness and response initiatives for the ASPR and HHS Secretary.

Prior to serving as a Division Director, Dr. DeBord was a Senior Public Health Analyst in the Office of Policy and Planning in ASPR, where she led a range of preparedness and response activities related to pandemic influenza and other highly infectious disease outbreaks.

Dr. DeBord has also served as the Senior Science Advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the HHS Office of Security and Strategic Information, covering issues related to emerging biotechnologies, biosafety/biosecurity, and CBRN threats. She has served as a Program Officer at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), providing microbiology and animal models expertise for programs across NIAID, and managed contracts for the development of vaccines and therapeutics against various respiratory pathogens. Finally, she was the Technical Director of the Small Animal Research Core at the University of Chicago. Here she managed the biocontainment facilities at the university and provided scientific and safety training for personnel working in these facilities. She also taught microbiology and genetics courses at the undergraduate, graduate, and medical school levels.

Dr. DeBord earned her doctorate degree in Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

RADM Denise Hinton, Chief Scientist, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD

RADM Denise Hinton is FDA’s Chief Scientist.  In this capacity, she is responsible for leading and coordinating FDA’s cross-cutting scientific and public health efforts.

The Office of the Chief Scientist works closely with FDA’s product centers, providing strategic leadership and support for FDA’s regulatory science and innovation initiatives, including the Advancing Regulatory Science Initiativeexternal icon, the Critical Path Initiativeexternal icon, health informaticsexternal icon, scientific professional developmentexternal icon, scientific integrityexternal icon, and the Medical Countermeasures Initiative (MCMi)external icon.

RADM Hinton previously served as Deputy Director of the Office of Medical Policy (OMP) in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), where she concurrently served as Acting OMP Director from 2014 to 2016.  There, she led the development, coordination, and implementation of medical policy programs and strategic initiatives, including the efficient integration of rapidly evolving science and new technologies into the drug development and regulatory review processes.  RADM Hinton’s work involved close collaboration with other CDER program areas, FDA product centers, and a broad variety of stakeholders.

RADM Hinton joined FDA in 2002 in CDER’s Division of Cardiovascular and Renal Products and, later, served in the center’s former Division of Training and Development.  Before coming to FDA, she was an officer in the U.S. Air Force.  RADM Hinton earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Florida State University and her Master of Science degree from Boston University.

Paula Bryant, PhD, Director, Office of Biodefense, Research Resources, and Translational Research (OBRRTR), Associate Director, Biodefense & Emerging Infectious Diseases Product Development, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease

Dr. Paula Bryant is the Director of the Office of Biodefense, Research Resources, and Translational Research, and the Associate Director for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Product Development at NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases (NIAID). In these roles, she oversees the late preclinical and early clinical development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for NIAID priority pathogens. Dr. Bryant joined NIAID in 2013 as a Senior Scientific Officer dedicated to vaccine concept acceleration, where she was responsible for identifying and shepherding innovative vaccine concepts and technologies into viable product development pathways. Before joining NIAID, Dr. Bryant served as the Chief of the Translational Medical Division of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Chemical and Biological Technologies Directorate, the Joint Science Technology Organization (JSTO). Prior to government service, Dr. Bryant was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at The Ohio State University where she established a research program examining the interaction of intracellular pathogens with the class II MHC antigen processing and presentation pathway. Dr. Bryant received a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Baylor College of Medicine. She conducted post-doctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School as an Irvington Institute for Immunological Research Fellow.

Christina Egan, PhD, CBSP, Deputy Director, Division of Infectious Diseases, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health

The ability to rapidly detect and respond to the intentional release of pathogens and toxins is vital in protecting the health and well-being of New Yorkers. The intentional release of Bacillus anthracis through the US Postal Service in 2001 highlighted the need for improved diagnostics in the field of Biodefense. Research at the Biodefense Laboratory focuses on the development of diagnostics for the detection of biothreat agents using platforms such as real-time PCR, DNA sequencing, and microsphere immunoassay and nucleic acid arrays.

Characterization and identification of biothreat agents is performed through analysis of multiple and varied sample types such as clinical specimens, food, water, powders, and other environmental samples. Often, these samples can be difficult to test and specialized protocols are necessary in order to perform nucleic acid testing. This work includes the development and validation of assays that can detect agents such as C. botulinum neurotoxins, Staphylococcal enterotoxins, Orthopoxviruses, Francisella tularensis, Brucella spp. Bacillus anthracis, Ricin toxin, and Yersinia pestis in different samples types in a multiplex format. Additional interests include the evaluation of biothreat samples.

In addition to serving as the Director of the Biodefence Laboratory at Wadsworth, Dr. Egan serves as Faculty Member and as the Director of Scientific Education, at the Wadsworth School of Laboratory Sciences.

Laura Magaña, PHD President and Chief Executive Officer Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH)

In August 2017, Dr. Laura Magaña Valladares became President and CEO of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH).

Prior to joining ASPPH, Dr. Magaña dedicated over 30 years to leading the transformation and advancements of public and private universities in Mexico, educational organizations in the United States, United Nations programs, and non-governmental organizations in Central America and Europe. She was most recently the academic dean of the National Institute of Public Health, and ASPPH-member, in Mexico. Her diverse portfolio features research, training, and technological developments in national and foreign universities, with a focus on learning environments and the use of technology in education.external icon

Dr. Magaña is an active member of professional and scientific educational committees around the globe, including the Public Health Institutes of the World, World Federation of Public Health Associations, Association of Schools of Public Health in Europe, Latin-American Global Health Association, National System of Researchers, and the National Academy of Medical Education in México. Dr. Magaña also has served as the ASPPH representative to the Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. She also participates in editorial boards, including Public Health Reviews and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER), the Chilean Journal of Public Health, and the Journal in Eastern Europe.

Dr. Magaña holds a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education, Master of Science in Educational Technology, and a PhD in Educational Administration.

Parham Jaberi, MD, MPH, Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Chief Deputy Commissioner for Public Health and Preparedness, Richmond, Virginia

Parham Jaberi, MD, MPH, is a board-certified preventive medicine physician with 10 years of experience as a public health official in Virginia and Louisiana.

In his current role at VDH, Dr. Jaberi provides direct oversight to the offices of Emergency Preparedness, Radiological Health, Environmental Health Services, Drinking Water, Chief Medical Examiner, and Emergency Medical Services.  Prior to his current role, Dr. Jaberi served as Louisiana’s Assistant State Health Officer and Assistant Secretary for Public Health and in prior years has served as a local health director in both Virginia and Louisiana.

Dr. Jaberi obtained his Bachelor’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University, his Medical Doctorate from the University of Maryland School of Medicine; and he completed his Preventive Medicine Residency and Master of Public Health at Tulane University.

Benjamin P. Chan, MD, MPH, State Epidemiologist, New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services, Division of Public Health Services

Benjamin Chan, MD, MPH has served as State Epidemiologist for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services since July 2014. He provides medical and epidemiology support to the Division of Public Health Services where he is intricately involved in public health emergency preparedness and response, which has included responding to emerging infectious disease threats such as Ebola and Zika, and to emerging environmental health concerns from perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) drinking water contamination. He has also been working closely with local, state, and national partners to prevent and respond to emergent antibiotic resistant infections through strengthening state and national surveillance and promoting antibiotic stewardship. He has made it a priority to work towards closer collaboration and integration between the fields of public health and clinical medicine.

Dr. Chan is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) in the specialties of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, and by the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine. He completed internal medicine residency and infectious disease fellowship at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC). He received his MD degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and his MPH degree through the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, with a focus on improving healthcare delivery systems. He maintains clinical and academic professional appointments at DHMC and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

Michele Askenazi, MPH
Tri-County Health Department
Director of Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communicable Disease Surveillance

Michele Askenazi is the Director of Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communicable Disease Surveillance for the Tri-County Health Department (TCHD), the largest local health department in the State of Colorado. She has been working in Public Health at TCHD since late 2006. Michele has served in a lead role for many response related efforts including outbreaks, mass casualty incidents, and natural disasters such as floods and fires and established a Public Health Incident Management Team for TCHD to enhance their depth and skills to provide management to all-hazards incidents, whether TCHD serves in a lead or support role. Further, she has been key to the development of the Emergency Support Function (ESF) #8 system in place for the TCHD jurisdiction of Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas Counties, where TCHD serves as the ESF #8 lead if activated by their partners in Emergency Management.

Michele oversees the Emergency Preparedness and Response, Communicable Disease, Syndromic Surveillance, and Workplace Safety and Security Programs at TCHD. Michele serves as the chair for the NACCHO Preparedness Policy Advisory Group (PPAG) and serves as the NACCHO liaison to the CDC CPR Board of Scientific Counselors.

Before coming to TCHD, Michele first served as an Epidemiologist for the Michigan Department of Community Health and worked in HIV Surveillance. She then served first as an Epidemiologist in Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention and then as a Research Analyst for the Bioterrorism Program at the Orange County Health Care Agency in Orange County, California.

A.J. Schall, Jr., BS
National Emergency Management Associationexternal icon
Director, Delaware Emergency Management Agency
Department of Safety & Homeland Security
Smyrna, DE

A.J. Schall Jr. became the Director of the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) in 2015 and in 2020 was named the Governor’s Homeland Security Advisor. Director Schall’s background includes business, public safety, and emergency management.

Director Schall graduated from Marmion Military Academy in Aurora, Illinois, and then attended St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. He was Student Government President and in 1998 received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance.

Upon graduation, Director Schall began his professional career with Bank of America, where he completed a rigorous management development program. He held multiple positions, negotiated key contracts, and has nearly two decades of experience in upper level management.

Director Schall has also been actively engaged in the front lines of emergency response, serving as the Chief of the Aetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Company (Newark, DE), and currently is Deputy Chief.

Under Mr. Schall’s Directorship, DEMA has facilitated multiple State of Emergencies, FEMA Graded Exercises and launched an UAV program. Notable accomplishments of 2019 are revitalization of the Mitigation Program and the Agency’s first Accreditation through the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP).

Over the years Director Schall has continued his professional development, completing the US Army War College Commandant’s National Security Program in 2016, and most recently the Naval Post Graduate School Executive Leaders Program. In the winter of 2020, Schall began as an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware.

Jamie Ritchey PhD, MPH, Director, Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. Tribal Epidemiology Center (ITCA TEC), Phoenix, Arizona

Jamie Ritchey is a solution-oriented public health practice epidemiologist with nearly 20 years of applied public health experience. Her key skills include: public health revenue generation, leadership, program evaluation, disease surveillance and epidemiologic analysis, report and publication development, and public speaking.

Dr. Ritchey has been in her current role as the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. Tribal Epidemiology Center (ITCA TEC) Director for over five years. In this role, her main focus is to enhance public health capacity in Tribal communities in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. The ITCA TEC currently supports Tribal programs through grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including the Tribal Public Health Infrastructure Project and Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country, Indian Health Services TEC Core funding and IHS Behavioral Health Division funding to support Tribal Methamphetamine & Suicide prevention and Domestic violence prevention, National Institutes of Health funding to support disease surveillance and reporting activities, and a contract with National Indian Health Board for Zika virus preparedness activities.

Deputy Associate Director for Science

Designated Federal Officer, OPHPR Board of Scientific Counselors

Kimberly Lochner, ScD

Dr. Kimberly Lochner is Deputy Associate Director for Science (DADS) in the Center for Preparedness Response (CPR) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She provides guidance for and oversight of CPR’s scientific integrity and quality and Board of Scientific Counselors’ activities and is the Designated Federal Official for CPR’s Board of Scientific Counselors. Prior to joining CPR, Dr. Lochner was a senior researcher in the Office of Enterprise Data and Analytics at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) where she led a comprehensive research and data development program on the health status of Medicare beneficiaries focused on chronic conditions, including the epidemiology and implications for Medicare spending and clinical care. She worked for CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) leading the Data Linkage Program, which links NCHS surveys to data collected from U.S. vital statistics records, Medicare/Medicaid, and the Social Security Administration. Before entering Federal service, she was a Program Officer with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and an advisor to the RWJF Health & Society Scholars Program. Dr. Lochner received her doctoral degree from the Harvard School of Public Health with a concentration in social epidemiology.