Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center

Deputy Director
Elena Savoia, MD, MPH, has a background in medicine, outcomes research, hygiene, and public health emergency preparedness, as well as extensive experience in the assessment of public health systems’ emergency preparedness capabilities. From 2008 to 2010, Dr. Savoia was the principal investigator of the Harvard School of Public Health Center for Public Health Preparedness (HSPH-CPHP). She is currently co-investigator of the Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Center (HSPH-PERLC).

As principal investigator for HSPH-CPHP, Dr. Savoia’s work focused on coordinating the training activities of the Center to meet the needs of the public health workforce in Massachusetts and Maine. She collaborated with state and local partners and leveraged the expertise of faculty affiliated with the Center. Dr. Savoia implemented several training activities in emergency preparedness, such as symposia, seminars, online lectures, exercises, conferences, and public engagement activities.

Dr. Savoia has conducted several projects related to public health emergency preparedness, and has analyzed data from over 200 surveys in the field, focusing on the assessment of different types and levels of emergency preparedness capabilities and on the development of a methodology to validate instruments designed to measure preparedness.