Inside the NSPS: Dr. Laura Evans’ Vision for the National Special Pathogen System

About this episode

Dr. Laura Evans discusses her vision for the National Special Pathogen System and the importance of healthcare preparedness.

In this episode of Transmission Interrupted, host Jill Morgan interviews Dr. Laura Evans, the new executive director of the National Special Pathogen System (NSPS), about her path from critical care leadership at Bellevue to national special pathogen preparedness. Dr. Evans recounts how the 2009 H1N1 pandemic and the 2014 Ebola outbreak shaped her focus on protecting healthcare workers while delivering high-quality care, and she describes Bellevue’s teamwork-driven responses, including Hurricane Sandy’s power crisis and evacuation supported by a fuel “bucket brigade.” She outlines NSPS’s goal of a tiered, trauma-like network built to be nimble and adaptable, discusses challenges such as sustaining hospital engagement, expanding Level 3 and 4 participation, and strengthening patient transport capacity, and frames upcoming mass gatherings like the World Cup as opportunities to advance preparedness nationwide. Questions or comments for NETEC? Contact us at info@netec.org . Visit Transmission Interrupted on the web at netec.org/podcast . Guest Laura Evans, MD, MSc Executive Director of the National Special Pathogen System (NSPS) Dr. Evans is a Professor of Medicine at the University…

People in this episode

Host: Jill Morgan

Guest: Dr. Laura Evans

Topics covered

• special pathogens
• healthcare preparedness
• critical care
• pandemic response
• teamwork in healthcare
• patient transport
• mass gatherings

Keywords

• NSPS
• healthcare workers
• Ebola
• H1N1
• preparedness
• patient transport
• mass gatherings
• critical care
• teamwork

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Special Pathogen System, University of Washington, NYC Health

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