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Symposium II - Preparing for Future Pandemic Risks: What Will it Take?

Speaker: Assistant Professor Dr. Rebecca Singer, University of Illinois Chicago

Biography:
Rebecca Singer, DNP, RN, is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Population Health at the University of Illinois
Chicago College of Nursing. With nearly two decades of experience in global health and community
partnerships, Rebecca has worked in conflict zones, post-conflict areas, and other unstable regions,
providing essential healthcare services. Her domestic experience includes roles in torture treatment
centers, correctional institutions, and reproductive health clinics. During the global pandemic, she
Symposium Sessions
co-led an outbreak response program in Chicago, focusing on vulnerable populations in shelters,
long-term care facilities, and correctional institutions. Rebecca was a Fulbright Scholar in Sofia,
Bulgaria in 2022, teaching at the Medical University of Sofia and supporting strategic planning at
Shalom: the Organization of the Jews of Bulgaria.

Abstract:
University of Illinois Chicago’s Outbreak Response Team (ORT) was established in 2020 at the start
of the COVID-19 global pandemic. We have collaborated with the Chicago Department of Public
Health, academic medical centers, and community-based organizations to provide testing and
vaccine services, as well as infection control advice with a focus on those most likely to experience
poor outcomes during outbreaks. Our work has focused on congregate settings, such as shelters for
the unhoused, migrant shelters, jails, residential treatment centers, and long-term care facilities. We
have also worked closely with community-based organizations to provide services where people live,
love, work, pray, and play. The ORT has responded to numerous outbreaks including COVID-19, mpox,
measles, group A strep, multi-drug resistant organisms, and measles. Additionally, we have developed
testing protocols for highly infectious diseases such as ebola virus disease and emerging infectious
diseases, such as A(H5N1), or avian influenza. We have also provided post-exposure prophylaxis for
unvaccinated people exposed to viruses who are most at risk of poor outcomes. While the focus of
our work is on rapid response, the ORT positions itself to prevent future outbreaks with an emphasis on
community-based collaboration and training of future healthcare providers. During this presentation,
the ORT model will be presented, successes and challenges will be reviewed, and future preparedness
will be discussed.

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