2014 Conference Overview
The 2014 Program "Recovering after Disaster" included:
Mary Clark, JD, MPH, Director, Emergency Preparedness Bureau Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Mary Clark has served as the Director of the Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management (formerly the Emergency Preparedness Bureau) at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health since 2007. In that role, she oversees state and local emergency preparedness and response for the Department. She is the principal investigator for both the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement grant through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Hospital Preparedness Program activities funded through the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). Ms. Clark is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Directors of Public Health Preparedness for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO).
Previously, Ms. Clark was the Regional Public Health Preparedness Manager at the Cambridge Public Health Department, coordinating public health emergency preparedness planning for a coalition of 27 local health departments in the Metro Boston area. Ms. Clark has also served as an associate counsel for the Massachusetts Medical Society, and managed programs to improve access to healthcare at the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, Community Research Initiative of New England, and JRI Health in Boston. She received her MPH from Harvard School of Public Health, and her law degree from New York University
Peter Brown, Chief of Staff, Office of the CEO, Partners HealthCare
is Chief of Staff to the office of President and CEO of Partners HealthCare. In this role, Mr. Brown works directly with the CEO and senior leadership; among his responsibilities, he oversees external affairs for Partners, which includes Community Health, Government Affairs, Public Affairs and Communication. Prior to his current position, Mr. Brown was Vice-President of Public Affairs, and Communication for Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of Partners HealthCare.
Mr. Brown spent more than 25 years in television journalism. After graduating from the University of Rhode Island, he worked as a broadcast producer at television stations in Providence (WJAR-TV), Philadelphia (WPVI-TV), and Boston (WBZ-TV), where he also served as News Director. Over the years, Mr. Brown’s work has been recognized by the Associated Press and United Press International. He has received an Emmy Award; a Best of Boston Award as Best News Director from Boston Magazine; and in 2000, he and his WBZ-TV news team received the Edward R. Murrow
Award for best local news station in America.
Mr. Brown currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Boston Athletic Association, supporting the Boston Marathon and its various community activities. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Hugh O’Brien Leadership Conference. Mr. Brown has worked with government agencies and groups, both locally and internationally, to provide direction on how best to deliver communication during a crisis. As examples, he was involved in Operations “Atlas” and “Poseidon” through the City of Boston Department of Homeland Security and the City of Cambridge, MA.
Cynthia Kennedy, LICSW Clinical Coordinator, Center for Violence Prevention & Recovery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Cynthia Kennedy is the Clinical Coordinator at the Center for Violence Prevention & Recovery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston where she oversees counseling and support services for victims of community violence, survivors of homicide, and those impacted by the Boston Marathon bombings.
Ms. Kennedy received her Master’s in Social Work and Master’s in Pastoral Ministry from Boston College in 2004. She completed a post-graduate fellowship in trauma and post-traumatic stress at the Victims of Violence Program at Cambridge Hospital. In addition to her work at BIDMC, Ms. Kennedy is a consultant and a former staff member of Project REACH, a program of the Trauma Center at the Justice Research Institute (JRI) in Boston that offers trauma-focused mental health services to victims of human trafficking and consultation and training to providers working with trafficking victims throughout the United States. She has previously worked with survivors of all forms of trauma, including domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and torture.
"Hurricanes Irene and Sandy: VA Medical Center in Manhattan" -video
Martina A. Parauda, Director, VA New York Harbor Healthcare System
Martina A. Parauda has been a federal employee at the Department of Veterans Affairs for 25 years. Since July 2010, Ms. Parauda has been the Director of the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, which has 3400 employees, covering four of the five boroughs of New York City, and is responsible for the healthcare of 50,000 veterans. During her tenure, Hurricanes Irene and Sandy were tracking for New York City, and Ms. Parauda was responsible for the actions taken during the hurricanes to avoid harm to patients and staff.
Prior to this appointment, Ms. Parauda served as Associated Director for Finance and Information Management at New York Harbor, a post she held since 1999. Ms. Parauda also served as the Acting Associate Medical Director at the Brooklyn Campus of the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System from July 1997 until October 1999. From August 1996 until her appointment as Associate Director, Ms. Parauda served as the VISN 3 Chief Operations Officer.
She began her VA career as an administrative resident to complete her graduate training. She serves as a mentor for employees in the field of healthcare administration. Ms. Parauda also served as faculty for supervisory and mentorship programs.
"A Tale of a Twister and a Community's Response" - video
Marilyn Sumerford, Executive Director, ACCESS Family Health Services, Inc.
Marilyn Sumerford has worked in the healthcare field with consistently increasing responsibilities in policy development and implementation, planning and analysis, grant writing, personnel management, and employee training for the past 35 years. Ms. Sumerford returned to her hometown of Smithville, Mississippi in 1995 to serve as Executive Director of Access Family Health Services, a federally qualified health center providing comprehensive medical, dental, and mental health services to the residents of Chickasaw, Itawamba, Lee, and Monroe Counties in northeast Mississippi.
Ms. Sumerford has held various leadership roles within the Mississippi Primary Health Care Association. She served as President from 2004-2006 and held other offices within the association, including Secretary and Member-at-Large. In 2001 and 2011, she was named the Mississippi Primary Health Care Association’s Executive Director of the Year.
Ms. Sumerford received a Master of Science in Nutrition and a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Mississippi University for Women. As a proud graduate of Itawamba Community College, she was appointed to the institution’s Board of Trustees in 1988. In 1998, she became the first female board chair. She has also served on numerous community boards, including the United Way, Sanctuary Hospice House, Head Start, and Salvation Army. From 1993-2005, she co-chaired the Hospitality Committee for Stars over Mississippi/Entertainment for Education which raised thousands of dollars in scholarships for local youth.
"The Long Road to Recovery: Rebuilding a Community after Disaster" - video
Sundée Warren, MSPH, Public Health Emergency Response Coordinator, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals/Office of Public Health
Sundée Warren is the lead for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response in Louisiana, Region 1. She is responsible for assessing, planning, and responding to natural disasters (hurricanes, floods, tornados, etc.), accidental and/or intentional releases of infectious agents, hazardous chemicals, and/or nuclear substances. Ms. Warren’s work in public health has included plan development, exercise planning and implementation, staff training and responses to: Hurricane Gustav, H1N1 Pandemic, Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Mississippi River Flooding, and Hurricane Isaac.
Ms. Warren has extensive knowledge of the resources and capabilities of the Office of Public Health and partnering agencies. She is also a member of the Regional Healthcare Coalition in the Metropolitan New Orleans area. Before serving in her current capacity, she was the Cities Readiness Initiative Coordinator for Region 1. She received her MSPH from Tulane University School of Public Health.
Conference Planning Committee
Donna Auger, EMT-P, EMS Liaison/Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Milford Regional Medical Center
Judith A. Bernice, FACHE, Region 4AB Hospital Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Colleen Bolen, MPH, Region 2 Health and Medical Partnership Grant Coordinator, City of Worcester Division of Public Health
Joan Cooper-Zack, RN, Emergency Preparedness Manager, South Shore Hospital
David Denneno, APRN-BC, MSN, MEd, CEN, Resource Specialist/Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Sturdy Memorial Hospital
Matthew Donahue, Emergency Management Coordinator, Harrington Hospital
Edward Hennegan, EMS/Hospital Preparedness Planner, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Office of Preparedness & Emergency Management
Christian Lanphere, PhD, Director of Emergency Management and Safety Officer, Cambridge Health Alliance
Charlotte Roy, MHS, Safety Officer and Emergency Management Coordinator, Newton-Wellesley Hospital
R. Lynn Schoeff, Public Health Consultant
Steven Shea, MBA, LSSGB, Safety Coordinator, Winchester Hospital
Sheila Wallace, BSN, BA, MA, CHPA, CHC, Regional Director of Environmental Health & Safety, Steward Health Care System
Tina T. Wright, Program Manager - Emergency Management & Public Information, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers