JJ Burke

JJ Burke, MS-HEM ’11, Sandwich Fire Department

“I entered the HEM program unsure as to what direction I would take once I was in the program. I found that doing research and helping ‘special’ populations would be the area I would concentrate on. I was fortunate enough to have the HEM program sponsor a live webinar that I did on LEAPS TV regarding drive thru vaccinations. The program was picked up by the Indian Health Service, a spoke of the United States Public Health Service. I was invited to consult on a drive-thru flu clinic on the Colville Indian Reservation in Nespelem, Washington in September 2009. I was sponsored by the HEM program to go out and assist in the project. The program was a hit and now we are working with all of the Tribal Nations in the three-state northwest region to implement this distribution practice. I was also invited to speak at the 2010 US Public Health Service Conference on the Indian Nation drive-thru case study.

None of this would have been possible without being in the Healthcare Emergency Management Program!”