Our Staff
Meet the members of the Center for Disaster Medicine (CDM) team at Massachusetts General Hospital.
CDM Leadership
Dr. Paul Biddinger is the Chief Preparedness and Continuity Officer at Mass General Brigham in Boston. He holds the Ann L. Prestipino MPH Endowed Chair in Emergency Preparedness and is also the Director of the Center for Disaster Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Dr. Biddinger additionally serves as the Director of the Emergency Preparedness Research, Evaluation and Practice (EPREP) Program at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and holds appointments at Harvard Medical School and at the Chan School. Dr. Biddinger serves as a medical officer for the MA-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) in the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) in the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Dr. Biddinger is an active researcher in the field of emergency preparedness and has lectured nationally and internationally on topics of preparedness and disaster medicine. He has authored numerous articles and book chapters on multiple topics related to disaster medicine and emergency medical operations and has responded to numerous prior disaster events, including Hurricane Katrina, Superstorm Sandy, the Boston Marathon bombings, the Nepal earthquakes, and many others.
He completed his undergraduate study in international relations at Princeton University, attended medical school at Vanderbilt University, and completed residency training in emergency medicine at Harvard.
Jennifer Andonian Shearer, MPH: Associate Director, Center for Disaster Medicine; Vice President for Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity, Mass General Brigham
Jennifer provides system-wide leadership to ensure MGB operations are resilient in the face of all hazards emergencies, including natural, man-made, and technological incidents. She supports MGB in fulfilling its commitments to patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community without interruption, while ensuring that MGB continues to lead in supporting the nation’s healthcare preparedness planning, research, and innovation. Jennifer has most recently served as the Director of Emergency Preparedness at MGH and has also had oversight for the emergency preparedness programs of Mass Eye and Ear and Cooley Dickenson. She initially joined MGB in 2019 and has worked in multiple roles within the preparedness programs of MGH.
Beyond her day-to-day responsibilities, Jennifer is actively engaged in local, regional, and national preparedness initiatives. She recently served as Chair of the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals Emergency Management Committee and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Academic Healthcare Emergency Management Consortium, where she collaborates with peer health systems to strengthen healthcare preparedness practice. She also serves as a Visiting Associate Editor for Health Security and as a peer reviewer for journals in disaster medicine and public health preparedness.
Prior to joining the system, Jennifer managed the Biocontainment Unit program at Johns Hopkins Hospital, focusing on high-consequence infectious disease preparedness and patient and staff safety. Jennifer will work with the other extremely talented leaders and teams who support our integrated system-wide preparedness programs and preparedness research programs.
Eileen F. Searle, PhD, RN, CCRN: Director, Funded Projects
Eileen Searle is the Director of Funded Projects within the Center for Disaster Medicine. In this role she serves as the Biothreats Program Director, overseeing development and implementation of MGH’s hospital-wide special pathogens program and status as the Region 1 Emerging Special Pathogens Treatment Center (RESPTC), and as the Executive Director of the Region 1 Regional Disaster Health Response System (RDHRS). During the COVID response, Dr. Searle led the Mass General Brigham system-wide PPE Taskforce. She is a registered nurse with extensive experience caring for critically ill adult patients in acute care and community settings. Dr. Searle is a Supervisory Clinical Nurse for the MA-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) and has responded to multiple disasters. She received her BS, MS, and PhD in Nursing from Boston College and a Master of Public Health degree from Boston University School of Public Health.
Stacey Kokaram, MPH: Assistant Director, Funded Projects
Stacey Kokaram serves as the Assistant Director of Funded Projects at the Center for Disaster Medicine. In this role, she collaborates with leadership and staff to establish strategic direction for CDM’s externally funded projects. She helps oversee the Center’s administrative and financial operations, ensuring alignment between funder objectives and programmatic priorities to strengthen healthcare system readiness.
Stacey has over 20 years of leadership, planning and all-hazards public health emergency management experience. She has brought together partners to build equitable preparedness plans, programs, and emergency response systems that have proven successful during emergencies such as the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. Stacey helped lead the City of Boston’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring implementation of data-driven public health interventions, including strategic vaccination strategies to protect the health of Boston’s residents. Stacey also serves as a peer reviewer for journals on various topics in public health and healthcare emergency management. She holds a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in epidemiology from Boston University School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Community Health from Tufts University.
Stefanie Lane, MS, MPH, NREMT: Assistant Director, Biothreats Program
Stefanie Lane serves as the Assistant Director of the Biothreats Program at the Center for Disaster Medicine. She oversees strategic and operational readiness efforts for the Region 1 Emerging Special Pathogens Treatment Center (RESPTC), guiding hospital and regional preparedness for high‑consequence infectious diseases.
In her role, Stefanie leads program development, strengthens systems for coordinated HCID response across New England, and directs initiatives that enhance operational efficiency and regional integration. With two decades of experience as an Emergency Medical Technician, she brings deep expertise in hospital–EMS coordination and operational planning for complex, high‑risk events.
Stefanie holds a BA in Biology from the University of Vermont, an MS in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University, and an MPH from Harvard University.
Katelyn Fleming, MA, MS: Senior Program Manager
Katelyn Fleming serves as the Senior Program Manager for the Region 1 Regional Disaster Health Response System within the Center for Disaster Medicine. In this role, she oversees the development, implementation, and optimization of the patient movement portfolio. She has over 15 years experience in program leadership and management in healthcare and health system strengthening. Prior to joining CDM, Katelyn was the Senior Project Manager at the Harvard School of Public Health/Ariadne Labs, partnering with international research and academic sites across the United States, Malawi, Tanzania, and India. Before Ariadne Labs, Katelyn worked as the Global Health Service Partnership Project Director with Seed Global Health, building and managing partnerships in health systems strengthening and enhancing medical and nursing education and care delivery through training and mentorship. Katelyn holds a BA from Saint Anselm College, an MS from Simmons College, and an MA from George Washington University.
CDM Staff
Christine A. Amore: Program Coordinator
Christine Amore provides administrative support for the Center for Disaster Medicine’s Director and staff. She serves as the primary contact for external offices and assists on special projects. She provides logistical support for meetings, conferences, and workshops.
Ms. Amore previously served for three and a half years as Staff Assistant to Massachusetts General Hospital’s Department of Emergency Medicine physicians. She has extensive business experience having owned her own company for 26 years.
Kaili Chen, MHS: Project Manager
Kaili Chen is a Project Manager with the Region 1 Regional Disaster Health Response System, where she manages the Disaster Telehealth portfolio. In this role, she also supports external RDHRS communications by curating and sharing education and training opportunities focused on emergency preparedness and response. Prior to joining the CDM team, Kaili served as a Community Engagement Manager for Massachusetts, working closely with Medicare–Medicaid populations. She is deeply committed to advancing equity in disaster medicine and strengthening emergency response capacity and community resilience. Kaili holds a Master of Health Science from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science from Tufts University in Biology and International Relations.
Vianelly García, MPH: Program Coordinator
Vianelly Garcia joined MGH's Center for Disaster Medicine (CDM) team as a Biothreats Program Coordinator for the Region 1 RESPTC. Vianelly is a public health professional with experience in community health, emergency medicine education and infection prevention and control training. Most recently she worked as a Lead Research Assistant with CDM, coordinating stakeholder interviews and analyzing findings on the National Disaster Medical System and emergency preparedness for Large-Scale Combat Operations. In her previous role as Clinical Research Coordinator with MGH’s Division of Infectious Diseases, she coordinated pilot studies and developed Virtual Reality (VR) Infection Prevention and Control training for healthcare personnel across the country and supported the evaluation of electronic health record (EHR) tools for screening and evaluating patients at risk for high consequence infectious diseases (HCIDs). Vianelly earned a Master of Public Health from Boston University on Community Assessment, Program Design, Implementation and Evaluation and a bachelor's degree in Health Science with a minor in Sociology. Vianelly is also a nationally certified EMT and an experienced Medical Assistant.
Chloe Green, MA: Senior Program Manager
Chloe V. Green is a Senior Program Manager on the Biothreats Team, Region 1 RESPTC within the MGH Center for Disaster Medicine. Chloe is an experienced people and program manager with a background in public health education, infectious disease prevention, quality improvement, novel technologies, and Social Determinants of Health integration into healthcare. Chloe has led multi-site, multi-year research projects and learning collaboratives, including the national Collaborative to Advance Social Health Integration through Health Leads. Most recently, Chloe led a 3-year CDC-funded project: Novel Approaches to Integrating Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Education, Workflows, and Assessment for Diverse Learners at MGH. Chloe has an undergraduate degree in community health from Tufts University and a master's degree in urban and regional planning from UCLA.
Robert Kramer, MPH: Senior Project Manager
Robert Kramer is a Senior Project Manager for the Region 1 Regional Disaster Health Response System within the Center for Disaster Medicine. In this role, he oversees the development, implementation, and optimization of the patient movement platform which is designed to support large-scale patient movement between hospitals in the event of an incident requiring hospital evacuation. Prior to joining CDM, Robert served as a federal employee for 16 years at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. At HRSA, he served as the state lead for Maine and New Hampshire, overseeing the National Health Service Corps and Nurse Corps programs, which focus on addressing health workforce shortages in rural and underserved communities. At the NIH, he managed large-scale, longitudinal epidemiological studies examining the structural and functional changes that occur in the brain during the aging process. Robert holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Sheffield.
Jacquelyn M. Nally, BSN, MA, RN, NHDP, BC: Senior Program Manager
Jacquelyn Nally is the Senior Program Manager within the Center for Disaster Medicine. Ms. Nally has extensive experience as a nurse in emergency medicine, international and domestic disaster response, and healthcare emergency management. Ms. Nally is responsible for the development, coordination and maintenance of the hospital-wide all-hazards HazMat response capability at MGH, including updating and publishing the annual HazMat Emergency Preparedness Plan and planning and execution of hospital-wide Hazmat drills and exercises. She also serves as part of the leadership team for the hospital’s Biocontainment Unit (BCU) Response Protocol. As part of the newly establish Massachusetts/Region 1 Partnership for Regional Disaster Health Response, Ms. Nally serves as the Disaster Medical Teams, Specialty capabilities working to coordinate with internal and external task forces, committees, and agencies regarding emergency preparedness at the local, state, regional, and federal levels. In addition to her MGH responsibilities, Ms. Nally also serves as the Operations Section Chief for the MA-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) in the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) in the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and has responded to over 30 national and international disasters in the past 29 years.
Bijal Patel, MPH: Senior Project Manager
Bijal Patel is a Senior Project Manager supporting the development of plans, trainings, and exercises for the Center for Disaster Medicine, primarily through the Region 1 Regional Disaster Health Response System. Bijal comes to MGH after six years in the federal government working for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala and worked as an Emergency Preparedness Analyst with the New Orleans Health Department. Bijal received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Public Health degree from Tulane University.
Aileen Patel, MS, RN, CCRN: Biothreats Professional Development Specialist
Aileen Patel is a Biothreats Professional Development Specialist for the Center for Disaster Medicine, supporting the hospital’s capabilities as the Region 1 Emerging Special Pathogens Treatment Center. She develops training programs for bedside staff and collaborates on exercise development and program operations. A registered nurse with 20 years of critical care experience, she has been a member of the MGH Biothreats Response Team since its inception. She received a BS from Boston University, a BSN from Simmons College, and an MS from the University of Michigan.
Samantha Pellicane, MPH: Program Coordinator
Samantha Pellicane serves as a Program Coordinator at the Center for Disaster Medicine. In this role, she provides key administrative coordination for several of the Center’s funded projects, including a CDC-funded grant to mitigate infectious disease spread in the Emergency Department and the Center’s Project ECHO Healthcare Emergency Preparedness learning network. She received a BS in agriculture from The Ohio State University and an MPH in epidemiology and infectious diseases from Boston University School of Public Health.
Kimberly Radke, NRP: Senior Project Manager
Kimberly Radke serves as the Senior Project Manager for training and education at the Center for Disaster Medicine, primarily through the Region 1 Emerging Special Pathogens Treatment Center (RESPTC). With a strong background as a paramedic, combined with expertise in project management, stakeholder engagement, EMS operations, and disaster response, she leads training programs and exercises to enhance both internal capabilities and regional preparedness.
Julia Rocheleau, MBA, MPH, PMP: Project Manager
Julia Rocheleau serves as a Project Manager with the Center for Disaster Medicine, primarily supporting efforts through the Region 1 Emerging Special Pathogens Treatment Center (RESPTC). In her role, she supports clinical staff training, collaborates on exercises and operational planning and contributes to the management of multiple CDM grants. She has received a BS in Clinical Neuroscience from Virginia Tech, a Health Sector Management MBA from the BU Questrom School of Business and an MPH in Global Health from Boston University School of Public Health.
Subject Matter Experts
Jennifer Hendrickson: Senior Director of Emergency Preparedness and Continuity, Mass General Brigham
Jennifer currently leads the enterprise emergency preparedness and business continuity team for Mass General Brigham. She brings nearly two decades of experience in developing and implementing innovative strategies to solve complex challenges including experience in emergency management/preparedness, business continuity and physical security and security operations. Her expertise includes overseeing all-hazards risk management and continuity of operations programs and leading strategic planning for mitigation initiatives. Jennifer holds an MA in Global Security Studies from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in International Politics and Latin from Pennsylvania State University.
Declan Carbery: Director of Emergency Preparedness and Continuity for Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Mass General Brigham
Declan leads the enterprise-wide operational preparedness and continuity strategy across Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, and Nantucket Cottage Hospital. With deep expertise in risk management and business continuity, Declan builds robust governance frameworks, leads major continuity initiatives, and transforms regulatory requirements into effective programs. Declan partners with senior leaders and public agencies to strengthen cross-sector preparedness, and champions staff training and improvement efforts to ensure hospitals remain ready for any disruption. Delcan holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Bently University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health Sciences from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Robert Krupa, MS: Assistant Director, Planning, Operations and Analytics, Department of Emergency Preparedness and Continuity, Mass General Brigham
Robert Krupa is the Assistant Director for Planning, Operations, and Analytics in the Department of Emergency Preparedness and Continuity at Mass General Brigham. With over a decade of experience in health care emergency planning, he manages various components of the health system’s emergency preparedness and response programs including risk assessment and mitigation, emergency plan development, training and exercise design, process improvement, and regulatory readiness. Robert holds a master’s degree in healthcare emergency management from the Boston University School of Medicine.
Erica S. Shenoy, MD, PhD: Chief of Infection Control, Mass General Brigham; Medical Director, Region 1 Emerging Special Pathogens Treatment Center
Scott Goldberg, MD, MPH: Director of EMS, Mass General Brigham; Medical Director of Emergency Preparedness, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Eric Goralnick, MD, MS: Civilian Military Advisor, The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation
Jarone Lee, MD, MPH, FCCM: Emergency Medical Specialist; Critical Care Physician; Medical Director, Blake 7 Intensive Care Unit; Director, Surgical Critical Care, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital
Colleen M Ryan MD, FACS: Staff Surgeon, Sumner Redstone Burns Center, Massachusetts General Hospital; Staff Surgeon, Shriners Burns Hospital, Boston MA