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Public Health & Disasters Conference 2025


The University of Utah Division of Public Health, Rocky Mountains and High Plains Center for Emergency Public Health in collaboration with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services and the Salt Lake County Health Department host the Annual Public Health & Disasters Conference.

This conference has been an annual tradition, first as a part of the UCLA Center for Public Health & Disasters, then as a part of the Office for Humanitarian Leadership and Environmental Health (OHLEH) (2014-2023), and now as part of The Center (since 2024). Public Health & Disasters is a multidisciplinary national conference that brings together professionals from a variety of disciplines including academia, public health, community disaster preparedness, EMS, medical practice, and emergency response, as well as policy-makers from governmental and non-governmental organizations, and the media. The conference seeks to provide public health professionals and their partner agencies and organizations with the opportunity to exchange ideas and concepts that will improve emergency public health preparedness in their local community and support the collaboration and coordination necessary for effective and efficient preparedness and response.

Pricing 2025

The registration fee includes admission to the full conference (2.5 days) and all sessions. Complimentary breakfast, lunch, and snacks will also be provided.

REGISTRATION TYPE Price
Early Bird Registration (Closes July 1, 11:59PM PDT) $375
Regular Registration $460
Student Registration $100

Details

Dates

October 15-17, 2025

Location

Viridian Events Center, 8030 S 1825 W,
West Jordan, UT 84088

Agenda

  • Wednesday (8:00AM-5:00PM)
  • Thursday (8:00AM-5:00PM)
  • Friday (8:00AM-12:00PM)

*Check back soon for the full schedule.

Continuing Education

This conference is approved by the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) to offer Continuing Education credits for attendance. In-person attendance will earn up 20 credit hours to contribute to your Certified in Public Health (CPH) recertification.

Student Posters

The Rocky Mountains & High Plains Center for Emergency Public Health is now accepting abstract submissions for student poster presentations. Students are encouraged to submit abstracts on current & emerging emergency public health issues. The conference will be an in-person meeting & selected presenters will be required to pay for discounted student registration & attend the meeting in-person.

The submission deadline is Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at 11:59 PM (PDT). You may review or modify your abstract any time before the submission deadline by logging back into this google form. If you have already submitted your abstract & wish withdraw your application, please contact us: rmhp-ceph@utah.edu. Presenters will be notified of their abstract status via email by Friday, August 1, 2025 at 11:59 PM (PDT).

Keynote Speakers

Herrmann Headshot

Jack Herrmann, MSEd
Senior Director, Client Care Programs
American Red Cross-National Headquarters

Jack Herrmann, MSEd, serves as the Senior Director, Client Care Program for the American Red Cross-National Headquarters. His responsibilities include developing and executing the policies, standards, and guidance for disaster Client programs and services in the immediate aftermath of disasters. Prior to his work with the American Red Cross, Jack’s career spanned the areas of public health and healthcare policy, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear preparedness and response, and disaster mental health. He has served in senior leadership roles within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR); the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine); the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO); and the University of Rochester Schools of Medicine and Nursing. In December 2024, Jack was appointed as the chair of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Center for Readiness and Response, Board of Scientific Counselors.

In 1993, Jack became a volunteer with the American Red Cross and served in volunteer staff or leadership roles in response to local, state, and national disaster relief operations including the Northridge, CA Earthquake, TWA Flight 800 Aviation Incident, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 on New York City, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Sandy, and the 2016 Pulse Nightclub attack in Orlando, Florida.

Mr. Herrmann’s academic background includes a master’s degree in education in counseling, family, and work life studies from the University of Rochester. He was formerly certified by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) and was a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of New York.


Plough_Headshot

Alonzo L. Plough
VP, Research-Evaluation-Learning and Chief Science Officer
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Alonzo Plough joined the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Research-Evaluation-Learning unit in January 2014. He is responsible for aligning all of the Foundation’s work with the best evidence from research and practice and incorporating program evaluations into organizational learning. He also oversees the two grantmaking portfolios focused on innovation and emerging issues: Pioneer and Global Ideas for U.S. solutions.

Alonzo has been a national leader in public health practice for over 25 years. He came to the Foundation from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, where he served as director of emergency preparedness and response from 2009–2013. In that role, he was responsible for the leadership and management of activities protecting the 10 million residents of Los Angeles County from natural disasters and threats related to disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies. He coordinated activities in emergency operations, infectious disease control, risk communication, planning, and community engagement.

Prior to this position, Alonzo served as vice president of strategy, planning, and evaluation for The California Endowment from 2005–2009. Before this, he served 10 years as director and health officer for the Seattle and King County Department of Public Health and previously served as director of public health in Boston for eight years.

Alonzo earned his PhD and MA at Cornell University, and his MPH at Yale University School of Medicine’s Department of Epidemiology and Public Health. He has held academic appointments at Harvard University School of Public Health, Tufts University Department of Community Medicine, and Boston University School of Management. He is currently clinical professor of health services at the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle. He has been the recipient of numerous awards for public service and leadership and is the author of an extensive body of scholarly articles, books, and book chapters.

Sponsorships

Conference benefits ensure that your organization is recognized before, during, and after the conference. The total amount of monies spent on sponsorship opportunities determines your company’s level of sponsorship.

SPONSORSHIP LEVEL Minimum Spend Conference Registrations Media Promotion Tabling Materials Freestanding Banner
Diamond (Resilience Leader) $10,000 10 Yes Yes Yes
Platinum (Response Partner) $5,000 5 Yes Yes Yes
Gold (Preparedness Advocate) $2,500 2 Yes Yes -
Silver (Community Collaborator) $1,000 1 Yes Yes -
Bronze (Awareness Ally) $500 - Yes - -

To discuss the full details of our sponsorship opportunities, please contact Dr. Marci Harris at marci.harris@cppa.utah.edu.

Public Health & Disasters Conference Archives