In 2017, many natural and manmade disasters affected communities across the United States. Each of these disasters posed many public health challenges, including funding, interagency, and workforce issues. Two subject matter experts, Director Cheryl Petersen-Kroeber from the Minnesota Department of Health’s Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response and Deputy Director Harry Bruce (Jeff) Jeffries Jr. from the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Division of Health Protection, share their lessons learned from these disasters and provide insight on public health concerns that need to be addressed. This is Segment 2 of a two-part interview.
Click here to listen to Segment 1.

Andrew Roszak
Andrew Roszak, JD, MPA, EMT-P, serves as the senior director for emergency preparedness at Child Care Aware® of America. He is a recognized expert in emergency preparedness, public health, and environmental health. His professional service includes work as the senior preparedness director of environmental health, pandemic preparedness, and catastrophic response at the National Association of County and City Health Officials; at the MESH Coalition and the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, Indiana, as the senior preparedness advisor supporting Super Bowl 46 and the Indianapolis 500; as a senior advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; on the Budget and HELP Committees of the United States Senate; and at the Illinois Department of Public Health. Before becoming an attorney, he spent eight years as a firefighter, paramedic, and hazardous materials technician in the Chicago-land area. He has an AS in Paramedic Supervision, a BS in Fire Science Management, a Master of Public Administration, and a Juris Doctorate degree. He is admitted to the Illinois and District of Columbia Bars and is admitted to the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. Twitter: @AndyRoszak
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Andrew Roszak#molongui-disabled-link
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Andrew Roszak#molongui-disabled-link
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Andrew Roszak#molongui-disabled-link
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Andrew Roszak#molongui-disabled-link

Cheryl Petersen-Kroeber
Cheryl Petersen-Kroeber is the director of the Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). She has over 20 years of experience in governmental public health, and has worked in emergency preparedness since 2003. In addition to her leadership and policy development responsibilities at MDH, she also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, where she teaches several courses to students enrolled in the Regent’s Certificate in Emergency Preparedness program. She is the current member at large for the ASTHO Directors of Public Health Preparedness Executive Committee.
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Cheryl Petersen-Kroeber#molongui-disabled-link

Harry Bruce (Jeff) Jeffries Jr.
Harry Bruce (Jeff) Jeffries Jr., PA, MA, is deputy director at the Division of Health Protection, Georgia Department of Public Health. Active member of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) Directors of Public Health Preparedness (DPHP) since 2009, he is currently serving as the chair of the Directors of Public Health Preparedness Executive Committee. He is the DPHP representative for the Joint Policy Work Group of the National Emergency Management Association, ASTHO, and the Governors’ Homeland Security Advisors Council. He has over 40 years of healthcare experience as a licensed practical nurse, emergency medical technician, paramedic, Air Force medic, and physician assistant. Retiring from the Air Force in 2002 after 26 years, he was the senior planner when he joined public health in 2002. He has served as the director of Public Health Preparedness and Response; director of Preparedness Alignment and Federal Liaison Activities; and acting deputy director of Health Protection. He completed Harvard University’s “Leadership in Crisis” course in 2009, the Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s Naval Post-Graduate School’s Executive Leaders Program in April 2012, and University of Georgia’s School of Public Health’s Public Health inaugural Leadership Academy in 2013.
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Harry Bruce (Jeff) Jeffries Jr.#molongui-disabled-link