On-Demand Webinar | Panel: How to Attain and Operationalize Your Level 2 SPTC Status

Dr. Heather Young is an infectious disease physician and Medical Director of Infection Prevention at Denver Health, an integrated safety-net healthcare system, since 2015. She cares for patients from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, many of whom are socially marginalized, non–English-speaking or immigrants. Dr. Young also serves as the Principle Investigator for Region 8’s Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) grant, part of a national preparedness network. She has participated in two activations for patients under investigation for special pathogens and has coordinated with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on multiple related cases. Her research focuses on infection prevention across the care continuum, including early identification of infectious patients, protection of others in clinical settings, appropriate use of personal protective equipment and implementation of evidence-based practices to prevent healthcare-associated infections. She has built strong interdisciplinary partnerships and authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications.

Robert J. Saunders Jr. is a seasoned emergency services professional with nearly five decades of experience spanning firefighting, emergency medical services, hazardous materials response, and emergency management. Beginning his career as an EMT with the City of Camden, NJ in the late 1970s, Robert went on to serve as a Career Firefighter-EMT and Captain with the City of Gloucester City, NJ, while simultaneously building an extensive career in pre-hospital care as a Mobile Intensive Care Paramedic (MIC-P) at Underwood-Memorial Hospital.

Since 2004, Robert has served Cooper University Hospital as an Emergency Management Officer, where he has taken on leadership roles including NJDOH South Region ESF #8 MACC Coordinator, Regional Healthcare Coalition Co-Chair, and National Disaster Life Support Regional Training Center Program Director. He has also served as Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator for Camden County, NJ.

A recognized expert in Weapons of Mass Destruction and HazMat response, Robert has served as an instructor for the New Jersey State Police Department of Homeland Security and as WMD/HazMat Manager for New Jersey Task Force 1. He is the author and co-author of several EMS curricula, including courses on operating in contaminated environments and managing radiological, chemical, and biological patients.

Robert holds an Associate in Science in Biochemistry from Gloucester County College and has held numerous certifications in emergency medicine, hazardous materials, and emergency management throughout his career.

John Harahus, RN is an emergency preparedness coordinator for Geisinger and functions as the project manager for the Geisinger Biocontainment Unit Level 2 STAND Award. John has been a member of Geisinger’s Biocontainment Unit team since its inception in 2014, coordinating training, exercises and the unit’s multidisciplinary leadership team. John’s current work experience also includes flight nurse with Geisinger Life Flight, instructor cadre at the Center for Domestic Preparedness and nurse specialist with a HHS Disaster Medical Assistance Team. John has prior experience in EMS and as an Emergency Department nurse.

Alana Martin is an Emergency Management Coordinator and the Special Pathogens Coordinator at UC Davis Health. She brings over 15 years of experience in healthcare operations, program management, and relationship building. Since 2021, Alana has helped lead the Emergency Management team in providing systemwide support for planning, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts for incidents impacting patient care, staff safety, education, and research.  Alana holds a Bachelor of Science from California State University, Sacramento, and a Master of Public Health from San José State University.