UNMC named new public health regional center for CDC

From left, Rachel Lookadoo, JD, and Lauren Sauer

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded UNMC one of 10 Regional Centers for Public Health Preparedness and Response across the nation.

These regional centers will play an essential role over the next five years in advancing the uptake of evidence-based strategies and interventions across communities, enhancing their ability to prepare for and respond to public health threats, according to the CDC.

UNMC will administer the center for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Region Seven – Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.

The center will work with a coalition of regional partners, including the University of Iowa and the University of Iowa College of Public Health. Other collaborators will include health departments from across the four states, as well as various rural and tribal partners.

The goal is to implement evidence-based practices in public health and emergency preparedness and response, especially in scenarios such as extreme weather events. The center also will work to address concerns around public health workforce development, workforce resiliency and improving community trust in public health, said principal investigator Rachel Lookadoo, JD, assistant professor of environmental, agricultural and occupational health.

The center will build upon an existing culture of regional cooperation within the four states, as well as a depth of expertise.

“Our preparedness efforts in the region are strong – but we can continue to strengthen them through coordination and collaboration,” said Lauren Sauer, associate professor of environmental, agricultural and occupational health, and associate director of research at the Global Center for Health Security, a co-principal investigator. “And so, we’ll work that our preparedness activities are not siloed and are evidence-based. One of the key goals of this contract is to improve regional coordination and improve a nationwide dialogue on evidence-based practice.”

Lookadoo added, “The goal of this center will be to help create a more interconnected regional approach to responding to some of the public health emergency threats that are particularly concerning to our region.”

The other regional centers are at Harvard University, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of Minnesota, Tulane University, University of Utah, University of California San Francisco and University of Washington.