Kaitlin Emrich, MPH received her Master of Public Health degree in 2009 in Epidemiology. She is currently the Assessment and Health Promotion Manager at Linn County Public Health in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In this role, she was instrumental in Linn County Public Health receiving accreditation by the national Public Health Accreditation Board in 2015, the first health department in the state of Iowa to achieve this honor. She has also managed her organization’s development and completion of the community health assessment and community health improvement plan, and has contributed to and overseen many successful community health initiatives. She previously held positions as an Applied Epidemiology Fellow in Environmental Health with the Iowa Department of Public Health and as a Disease Surveillance Program Manager with the Black Hawk County Health Department. She has built strong relationships within the public health community across Iowa and has been very involved in local and state-level public health efforts. She currently serves as the chair of the Benton County Board of Health and as a co-chair of the Iowa Public Health Association’s membership committee. She also holds leadership positions with the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the Cedar Rapids Wellbeing Advisory Committee, and the Public Health Advisory Council. In 2016, she graduated as a scholar from the Great Plains Public Health Leadership Institute.  She has stayed connected with the College of Public Health, returning to campus to share her experiences with students and serving as a preceptor for several students.

Ann Garvey, DVM, MPH, MA received her Master of Public Health degree in 2003 in the practicing veterinarian program. She received her doctoral degree in veterinary medicine in 2002 from Iowa State University and her master’s degree in homeland security studies in 2006 from the Naval Post Graduate School. She is currently the State Public Health Veterinarian and Deputy State Epidemiologist at the Iowa Department of Public Health. In her current role, she provides oversight of infectious disease surveillance and investigation, develops state plans for infectious disease emergencies, and conducts educational sessions and outreach to a wide range of stakeholders on current and emerging public health issues. She collaborates with local public health partners, the State Hygienic Laboratory, and other government agencies to serve Iowa in public health practice, education and training, and research. In her previous position as Agriculture Specialist and State Exercise Training Officer for Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division, she developed and implemented agriculture related security and emergency management policies and programs as well as state plans for infectious animal diseases and pets in disasters. She serves in a leadership role with the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians. She has continued her relationship with the College of Public Health serving as a preceptor for students, and has been a guest lecturer in zoonotic disease and intro to public health classes.