Plenary Sessions
Illinois Response to Severe Weather: A Director-Level
Discussion
(Panel)
Sameer Vohra, MD, JD, MA
Director, Illinois Department of Public Health
Ted Berger, MA
Acting Director, Illinois Emergency Management Agency &
Office of Homeland Security
James Jennings, JD
Acting Director, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Jerry Costello II
Director, Illinois Department of Agriculture
Moderator: Jack Herrmann, DVM, MPH, DACT
Illinois State Board of Health
View Bios
Community Leadership in Public Health Preparedness:
Centering Local Voices in Weather-Related Health Planning (Panel)
Sunshine Clemons
Illinois Department of Public Health
Elizabeth Scrafford
Sierra Club
Paulina Vaca (she/her)
Associate, Urban Resilience, Center for Neighborhood
Technology
(CNT)
Moderator: Lubia Suterwala, MPH
Manager of Community Public Health Outreach
Illinois Department of Public Health
View Bios
Illinois Climate Health Explorer
Ian Brooks, PhD
Director, Center for Health Informatics UIUC
View Bio
Combating Urban Heat with Smart Surfaces
Mimi Guiracocha, DNP, RN
American Lung Association
View Bio
Time |
Session |
7:30 AM-8:30 AM
|
Registration and Breakfast
|
8:30 AM-8:45 AM
|
Welcome Address
Chancellor Marie Lynn
Miranda, PhD,
MA
University of Illinois Chicago
|
8:45 AM-9:00 AM
|
Welcome
Video:
Governor JB Pritzker
|
9:00 AM-10:00 AM
|
Community Leadership in Public Health Preparedness:
Centering
Local Voices
in
Weather-Related Health Planning (Panel)
Sunshine Clemons
Illinois Department of Public Health
Elizabeth Scrafford
Sierra Club
Paulina Vaca (she/her)
Associate, Urban Resilience,
Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT)
Moderator: Lubia Suterwala, MPH Manager of Community Public Health
Outreach Illinois Department of Public
Health
View Bios
|
10:15 AM-11:00 AM
|
Breakout Session 1: Thompson Room
Clinician and Health System Responses to Extreme
Weather
(Panel)
Lindsey Realmuto, MPH, PhD Cand.
Sheetal Khedkar Rao, MS, MD
Robert Needleman, MD
Michael Lenzi
View Bios
Breakout Session 1: SCW 206AB
The Grow Institute - A Community Perspective on
Extreme
Weather
and Potential
Solutions
Lisset Perez Carapia, MPH
View Bio
Breakout Session 1: SCW 213AB
Home Air Conditioning Use in Chicago, 2023-24:
Description of
Older Adults at Highest Risk of Harm from Heat.
Emile Jorgensen, MPH Hannah Matzke, PhD, MS
View
Bios
|
11:15 AM-12:00 PM
|
Breakout Session 2: Thompson Room
Building Back Better: Sustainable Recovery in a
Changing
Climate
Daniel Wallach, CEO of Birdhouse Farm Ama Hapke Rosen,
MPA
View Bios
Breakout Session 2: SCW 206AB
Disaster Strikes! How Do You Communicate with
Your
Partners?
Kelli Hun, BS
View
Bio
Breakout Session 2: SCW 213AB
Critical Temperature Thresholds for Identifying
Vulnerability to Heat-Related Excess Cardiovascular
Morbidity and Mortality in Chicago.
Peter Graffy, PhD, MPH
View
Bio
|
12:00 PM-12:45 PM
|
LUNCH
|
12:45 PM-1:45 PM
|
Illinois Climate Health Explorer Ian
Brooks, PhD
Director, Center for Health Informatics UIUC
View Bio
|
2:00 PM-2:45 PM
|
Breakout Session 3: Thompson Room
The National Weather Service and Public Health:
How Do
We Fit
In?
Mike Bardou, BS Edward Shimon, BS
View Bios
Breakout Session 3: SCW 206AB
Printing Preparedness -- How Hyperlocal
Manufacturing
Can Save
the
Planet
Tyler Woodard, CEM
View Bio
Breakout Session 3: SCW 213AB
Dust Storm Exposure and Allergy-Related
Ambulatory
Visits in a
Chicago Pediatric Clinic
Allison Raymundo, BS
View Bio
|
3:00 PM-3:45 PM
|
Breakout Session 4: Thompson Room
Flood to Drought - How IDNR prepares and responds
to
water
emergencies
Wes Cattoor, P.E., CFM
View
Bio
Breakout Session 4: SCW 206AB
Child Health, Extreme Weather, and Parents’ Risk
Perceptions
Marie Heffernan, PhD Annika Macy
View
Bios
Breakout Session 4: SCW 213AB
Illinois Climate & Health Data System:
Advancing
Climate-Health Solutions
Trent Ford, PhD, MS Illinois State Climatologist
View
Bio
|
4:00 PM-5:00 PM
|
Combating Urban Heat with Smart
Surfaces Mimi
Guiracocha, DNP, RN
American Lung Association
View Bio
|
5:00 PM-5:30 PM
|
UIC Sustainability Tour
|
Time |
Session |
7:30 AM-8:30 AM
|
Registration and Breakfast
|
9:00 AM-10:00 AM
|
Heat Wave and Lessons Learned Eric
Klinenberg, Ph. D
Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Social Science
Director, Institute for Public Knowledge
New York University
Author of Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago
(University of
Chicago Press, 2002)
View Bio
|
10:15 AM-11:00 AM
|
Breakout Session 1: Thompson Room
"Weathering" the Storm: A Look at Disparities
Caused
by
Intentional Inequity
& Severe Weather
Sunshine Clemons
View Bio
Breakout Session 1: SCW 206AB
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? Tiny Biters and
Their
Expanding Empire
Samantha Kerr, MS April Holmes, MPH
View Bios
Breakout Session 1: SCW 213AB
Early Warning System for the State of
Illinois
Ashish Sharma, PhD
View Bio
|
11:15 AM-12:00 PM
|
Breakout Session 2: Thompson Room
2023 Derecho Led to the Establishment of a New
MRC
Unit
Connor Dotson, BS, CHEC-II
View Bio
Breakout Session 2: SCW 206AB
Community-Centered, Health-Safe Nature-Based
Solutions
for
Cooling
and Flood
Mitigation
Ahram Cho, PhD Miquel Gonzalez-Meler, PhD
View Bios
Breakout Session 2: SCW 213AB
Tagging, Tracking, and Responding: ESSENCE
Surveillance
Strategies During Extreme Weather Events
Joel Flax-Hatch, MSPH Brandon Paetznick, BS
View Bios
|
12:00 PM-12:45 PM
|
LUNCH
|
12:45 PM-1:45 PM
|
Illinois Response to Severe Weather: A Director-Level
Discussion
(Panel)
Sameer Vohra, MD, JD, MA Director, Illinois Department of
Public
Health
Ted Berger, MA Director, Illinois Emergency Management Agency
& Office of
Homeland Security
James Jennings, JD Director, Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency
Jerry Costello II
Director, Illinois Department of Agriculture
Moderator: Jack Herrmann, DVM, MPH, DACT Illinois State Board of
Health
View Bios
|
2:00 PM-2:45 PM
|
Breakout Session 3: Thompson Room
Hazard Mitigation throughout Illinois
Zachary Krug, MPA, BA Jeffrey Thompson
View Bios
Breakout Session 3: SCW 206AB
When the Power's Out: Food Safety Actions for
Emergencies
Darrah Dunlap, MPH, LEHP Anna Yates, BS
View Bios
Breakout Session 3: SCW 213AB
Curating and Integrating Heterogeneous Weather,
Nature, and
Health
data:
Geospatial Data and Analysis Core of UIC
CECHE
Sanjib Basu, PhD Melissa Fiffer, PhD
View Bios
|
3:00 PM-3:45 PM
|
Breakout Session 4: Thompson Room
Hot Mess: Extreme Heat, Failing Infrastructure,
and
the Strain
on
Healthcare
Systems
KC Booth, DNP, RN, CNL Mackenzie Daniels, BSN, RN
View Bios
Breakout Session 4: SCW 206AB
Applying Community Health Needs Assessments to
Promote
Resilience to Adverse Weather Events
Warren Lavey, JD, MS Holly Rosencranz, MD
View Bios
Breakout Session 4: SCW 213AB
Building a Community-Driven and Public Health
Data
Informed Heat Vulnerability Index
Finley Miles Hay-Chapman, PhD
View Bio
|
3:45 PM-4:00 PM
|
Closing Remarks
Sameer Vohra, MD, JD Director, Illinois Department of
Public Health
|
Hotels
While we do not have dedicated room blocks for this event, we have compiled a list of
recommended hotels located conveniently near the venue. We encourage attendees to book early
to secure the best rates and availability.
Approved government rates are listed based on each hotel’s website and may vary. Please
confirm current rates directly with the hotel when booking. If reserving under the
government rate, valid government-issued ID matching the reservation name is required at
check-in.
Transportation
Airports
Airports:
CTA Buses & Trains
Chicago Transit
Authority - CTA Buses & Train Service
1-888-YOUR-CTA
Train Stops near venue:
- BLUE LINE - UIC / Illinois Medical District – 10min walk
- PINK LINE - Polk – 5min walk
Bus Stops near venue:
- Damen & Polk (#50) - 4min walk
- Polk & Wolcott (#157) - 2min walk
- Polk & Wood (#7 / #157) - 5min walk
Bikes
Locate bikes and
docks | Divvy
Car/Parking
Parking passes may be purchased in advance for $12 for each day.
Parking purchased on-site at the conference will be $15 per day.
Visitor Parking Lots:
Amex, Bills, Checks, Coins, Debit cards, Discover, MC/Visa accepted on-site
About the Summit
The Illinois Department of Public Health’s first annual Illinois Weather and Public Health Response
Summit will bring together public health professionals, emergency preparedness staff, healthcare
providers, administrators, and community-based organizations from across Illinois to examine the
health impacts of adverse weather events.
The summit will include presentations and discussions on preparedness strategies, community-led
responses, and public health approaches to weather-related emergencies. Sessions will highlight
grassroots initiatives, partnerships, and programs serving vulnerable and historically underserved
populations.
This conference is proudly Green Certified by the University of Illinois System,
reflecting our commitment to sustainability. We’re taking steps to reduce the environmental
footprint of the event and encourage attendees to do the same.
As an in-person attendee, you can help support a greener conference by:
- Bringing a reusable water bottle and coffee
mug — hydration and coffee stations will be available on-site
- Using green transportation options,
such as public transit, carpooling, biking, or walking whenever possible
- Participating in waste reduction
efforts, including recycling stations available throughout the venue
- Minimizing printed materials
— digital agendas will be provided via QR code
Together, these actions contribute to our shared goal of
building healthier communities—not just through public health, but through environmental
responsibility.
Venue Amenities
Restrooms: Gendered restrooms can be found down the hallways along either side of
the Thompson Room. One or more restrooms may be converted into a gender-fluid restroom upon request.
Water Fountain & Bottle Filling Station: There is a combined water
fountain-bottle filling station down the hallways next to the restrooms along either side of the
Thompson Room.
Lactation Room: The Lactation Room can be found on the second floor of
Student Center West along the west corridor of the building in Room 216C. Room 216C can be found by
entering the hallway just west of the Thompson Room, turning left down the second hallway. Room 216C
is the first door on your right, across from Room 213.
The Lactation Room is only accessible by one user at a time using the designated key. The key for
the Lactation Room must be retrieved from the Building Manager team in the Student Center
Administration office on the east side of the second floor by leaving an ID card, or other form of
collateral. Please do not leave Student Center West before
returning the key and retrieving your ID card.
Wheelchair Lift: Student Center West offers a wheelchair lift to get
from the main event space/second floor to Room 218/219, located behind the Thompson Room. The
wheelchair lift is accessible by all building guests. To use the lift simply press the switch found
directly next to the wheelchair lift door. The wheelchair lift door will not open until the lift has
reached either the top or bottom of its track. If you have any trouble using the lift, please visit
the Student Center Administration down the hallway to receive assistance.