Whitney Tillman, MPH

Manager III
Texas Department of State Health Services, Emerging and Acute Disease Unit, Vaccine Preventable Diseases

Whitney Tillman obtained a Master’s of Public Health (MPH) degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. She has been involved in epidemiology surveillance and investigations in various jurisdictions for over 10 years. Currently, she is the Manager for the Vaccine Preventable Disease Group at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and oversees daily operations of the Vaccine Preventable Disease, Acute Flaccid Myelitis and Influenza, and the Invasive and Respiratory Infectious Disease Teams.

Emerging and Acute Infectious Disease (EAID) Unit | Texas DSHS

Luis Valenzuela

Jurisdictional Preparedness Support Coordinator
Texas Department of State Health Services Health Emergency Preparedness Response

Carol Davis, DRPH, MSPH, CPH

Deputy Regional Director
Texas Department of State Health Services, Public Health Region 7

Carol M. Davis has over 20 years of experience working in public health at the local, regional, and state level in Texas.  She is currently the Deputy Regional Director at the Department of State Health Services Public Health Region 7 headquarters in Temple, Texas.  In this position, she provides senior level leadership to guide public health initiatives, supports regional administration and programmatic operations, and promotes professional development of regional employees.  She routinely provides technical assistance to local health departments and serves on public health workgroups.  Prior to assuming this leadership position, she was the regional preparedness and epidemiology manager and directly oversaw public health preparedness planning, public health and medical emergency response operations, infectious disease surveillance, and outbreak response activities for a 30-county region.   She also has extensive experience as an infectious disease epidemiologist including previously serving as the state's lead epidemiologist for respiratory and invasive infectious diseases.
Carol earned her Masters of Science in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health where she graduated with honors.   She studied intra-organizational collaboration in Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health where she earned her Doctorate of Public Health with a concentration in Public Health Leadership in 2022.
 

Dan Luong, MPH

Flu Surveillance Specialist
Tarrant County Public Health

Dan is the Flu Surveillance Specialist for within the Epidemiology Division at Tarrant County Public Health. He serves as the subject matters expert for flu and other respiratory diseases and oversees respiratory surveillance efforts for Tarrant County. Dan earned both his Bachelor's Degree in Health Science Studies and his Master of Public Health from Baylor University.

Shehzana Hussaini, M.S.

Epidemiologist
Harris County Public Health, Office of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Emerging Diseases

Shehzana Hussaini performs weekly surveillance of respiratory illnesses such as Flu, Covid, and RSV during the Flu Season and reports this data to DSHS. She holds a MS in Biology from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and a BS in Biology from the University of Houston. With expertise in responding to respiratory outbreaks as well as providing guidance on disease prevention and control, she is dedicated to improving the health of the community.
 

Flor Munoz, MD

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases
Baylor College of Medicine, Molecular Virology and Microbiology

Flor Munoz is Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), Houston, TX. She is a physician-scientist with research activities focusing on the evaluation of vaccines in pregnant women, children and immunocompromised hosts, vaccine safety, and the epidemiology and treatment of infectious disease in these special populations. Dr. Munoz serves as the Chair of the RSV Task Force in Texas.
 

Amy Gonzalez, MPH

Epidemiologist III - Lead Epidemiologist
Hidalgo County Health and Human Services

Amy Gonzalez has over eight years of experience in public health with Hidalgo County Health and Human Services where she currently serves as the Lead Epidemiologist. She has managed a wide range of outbreaks, including Zika, Dengue, Mumps, Influenza, Mpox, Fungal Meningitis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Her extensive experience has provided her with deep expertise in disease surveillance, outbreak response, and community health strategies. Born and raised in South Texas, Amy is passionate about serving her local community and expanding public health efforts to protect and improve the well-being of those in the region. When not working, she enjoys exploring the national park systems.

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/AmyGonzalezMPH
Facebook: hidalgocountyhealthandhumanservices
Instagram: hidalgocountyhealthdepartment

Kirstin Short, MPH

Bureau Chief, Epidemiology
Houston Health Department

Kirstin Short earned her master’s in public health from Drexel University in Philadelphia, and she started her career in public health with a civilian fellowship with the Air Force Institute for Operational Health at Brooks City-Base in San Antonio, Texas.  In 2004 she accepted a position as a senior epidemiologist with the Houston Health Department.  During her time with the department, she has served in many positions across epidemiology and public health preparedness.  In 2017 she accepted her current position as the chief for the Bureau of Epidemiology.  She serves as principal director for the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity grant and co-director for the Integrated HIV Surveillance and Prevention grant.  She has been involved in infectious disease responses with the Houston Health Department including H1N1, Ebola, Zika, COVID-19, and measles, as well as weather-associated disaster responses to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike, and Harvey, and the numerous freezes and flooding events in the Houston area.
 

Olivia Smith, PHD, MPH

Epidemiologist III
Texas Department of State Health Services, Emerging and Acute Disease Unit, Invasive Respiratory & Infectious Diseases

Emerging and Acute Infectious Disease (EAID) Unit | Texas DSHS
 

Greg Leos, MPH

Director II
Texas Department of State Health Services, Immunizations

Immunizations | Texas DSHS
 

Teniola Balgun, MPH

Texas Syndromic Surveillance (TxS2) Epidemiologist II
Texas Department of State Health Services, Regional and Local Health Offices, Analytics and Information Management Unit

Teniola serves as the Texas Syndromic Surveillance (TxS2) Epidemiologist II at the Division for Regional and Local Health Operations' Data Analytics and Information Management Unit. Her unit analyzes and transforms public health information into insights that empower RLHO stakeholders to make data-driven decisions. She primarily using ESSENCE data to monitor health events of interest across the state for special events, and for situational awareness. Prior to joining RLHO, Teni held positions focused on Vaccine Preventable Disease Surveillance in Georgia and HIV/AIDS care programming for Peace Corps Botswana. Teni additionally holds a Master’s degree in Global Epidemiology from Emory University.

https://www.dshs.texas.gov/texas-syndromic-surveillance-txs2 
 

Jessica Smith, MPH

Epidemiologist
United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Jessica is an epidemiologist with the Pneumonia and Streptococcus Epidemiology Branch in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at CDC. She coordinates CDC’s technical assistance to state and local health departments responding to outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease. Prior to joining CDC in 2016, she was an epidemiologist with the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services in Dallas, Texas.
 

Sadia Almas, MPH

Epidemiologist IITexas Department of State Health Services, Public Health Region 1, Preparedness & Response Section, Epidemiology Program

Sadia Almas is an Epidemiologist II with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) in Public Health Region 1 (PHR 1), based in Lubbock, Texas. Since joining the agency in 2024, she has been responsible for communicable disease surveillance and comprehensive case investigations related to infectious diseases, including waterborne, foodborne, and respiratory illnesses.
Sadia recently played a pivotal role in the Region’s response to a measles outbreak, initially serving as the Epidemiology Investigative Lead before stepping into the role of Epidemiology Branch Director. In these capacities, she led efforts to identify and investigate measles cases and trace associated contacts, including in schools and childcare settings. Sadia provided training and technical support to the regional epidemiological investigation and data management team members and the local health departments, strengthening the region’s surveillance and outbreak response capacity. Her team’s work helped ensure timely public health interventions including guided school exclusion policies, as well as tailored education and communication throughout the affected communities.
Before joining Texas DSHS, Sadia worked at the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services in the Enteric and Respiratory Illnesses Epidemiology Unit. Sadia is a Master of Public Health (MPH) graduate from Oakland University School of Health Sciences and holds a Bachelor of Science in Honors Behavior, Cognition, and Neuroscience from the University of Windsor.

Greg Leos, MPH

Director II
Texas Department of State Health Services, Immunizations

Immunizations | Texas DSHS

Elise Huebner, MS, CPH, CIC

Epidemiology Team Lead
Texas Department of State Health Services, Emerging and Acute Disease Unit, Vaccine Preventable Diseases

Emerging and Acute Infectious Disease (EAID) Unit | Texas DSHS

Maria Nolen, BS MICROBIOLOGY

Virology and Immunology Branch Manager
Texas Department of State Health Services Laboratory Services Section

Laboratory Services | Texas DSHS
 

Brittany Johnson, M.S. Chemistry

Water Risk Management Specialist
Chem-Aqua, Inc.

Brittany has developed >100 water management plans for facilities ranging from hotels to data centers to commercial buildings to nursing homes to healthcare facilities. She has assisted in numerous epidemiological investigations, providing guidance on sampling frequency, sampling locations, and appropriate response strategies. Brittany is a current member of AWT and CTI and has assisted with various Legionella Task Groups.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-e-johnson-64717820a
 

Kyle Starr

Account Manager

Pall Medical

Texas born and raised, Kyle graduated from Texas A&M’s Class of 2008 Biomedical Sciences.  He has been in the water business for 16 years and in Hospital water for 7 years.

Rebecca Kahn, PHD, MS

Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, Inform Division, Analytic Products Team Lead
United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Rebecca Kahn is the Team Lead for the Analytic Products Team in CDC’s Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics (CFA). She is an infectious disease epidemiologist and modeler and previously completed her Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) fellowship in CDC’s Respiratory Diseases Branch in the Division of Bacterial Diseases. Prior to EIS, she was a founding member of and Senior Scientist in CFA. She also worked as a Research Fellow in the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She previously worked in the U.S. State Department’s Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator and for Partners In Health in Sierra Leone. She earned her MS in Epidemiology in 2018 and her PhD in Population Health Sciences and Epidemiology in 2020 from Harvard.

Caitlin Williams, PHD, MS

Postdoctoral Associate in Pediatrics
Weill Cornell Medical College

Dr. Williams researches maternal and neonatal immunity at Weill Cornell Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics. Her work largely focuses on vaccine elicited humoral immunity and how maternal antibody affect infant immune responses.

Alison Bridendolph, MPH

Epidemiologist III
Texas Department of State Health Services, Emerging and Acute Disease Unit, Vaccine Preventable Diseases

Ali Bridendolph is the Acute Flaccid Myelitis Epidemiologist with the Emerging and Acute Infectious Disease Unit at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). She is currently the acting state flu coordinator for Texas. 
Previously, Ali worked as a Disaster Epidemiologist in the Center for Health Emergency Preparedness and Response at DSHS. She was also an epidemiologist at Williamson County and Cities Health District, where she worked on foodborne and waterborne diseases and COVID-19 in Long Term Care Facilities. Ali got her start in public health as an intern in the Tuberculosis Program at DSHS, where she continued her work as a Public Health and Prevention Specialist.
Ali attended the University of Texas at San Antonio where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Public Health and her Bachelor of Art in Sociology. She later attended the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, earning her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology.
Ali was raised in Round Rock and currently lives in Austin with her two dogs. In her free time, she enjoys doing anything crafty (especially cross stitching), taking her dogs to new parks and trails around town, and spending time with her friends and family.

Emerging and Acute Infectious Disease (EAID) Unit | Texas DSHS

J. Bradford Bertumen, MD, MPH

Medical Officer, Epidemiologist
United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases

J Bradford Bertumen is a medical officer and epidemiologist in the Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division (CORVD) in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  He is also a lieutenant commander in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service.  He received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 2010 and completed his internal medicine residency at Brown University, Alport School of Medicine in 2013.   He completed his fellowship in infectious diseases at Duke University Hospital in 2016.  Dr. Bertumen worked for 5 years as a private practice consultant at Metro ID Consultants, based in the suburbs of Chicago, IL.  During this time, he received his Masters of Public Health at Loyola University Chicago in 2021.  He joined CDC in 2021 as a fellow in the Epidemic Intelligence Service, assigned to the TB Control Branch of the California Department of Public Health in Richmond, CA.  He was re-assigned to CORVD in Atlanta, GA in 2023 as part of the Outbreak Response and Community Transmission team.  His areas of study include MERS, RSV and SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and impact of ventilation on respiratory viruses.

Angie Benedetto, MPH, CIC

Epidemiologist III, Data Team Lead
Texas Department of State Health Services, Healthcare Safety Unit, Data Team Lead

Angie is the Data Epidemiologist Team Lead for the Healthcare Safety Unit of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Angie and her team use data science and statistical methods to help improve and maintain the integrity of healthcare data reported through the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Their work focuses on increasing the accuracy and usability of reported healthcare infections and other key clinical data across Texas. Before joining DSHS, Angie held positions in healthcare, laboratory, and public health. Angie holds a B.Sc. in Biology, an MPH in Epidemiology, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Epidemiology.

Healthcare Safety Unit | Texas DSHS

Krista Kniss, MPH

Epidemiologist
United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Krista Kniss is an epidemiologist in the influenza division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with over 15 years of experience in influenza surveillance.  She holds an MPH from Emory University.  Her interests focus around both seasonal and novel influenza surveillance, response, and investigations (including highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses).  She currently works in all aspects on the national surveillance system for Influenza.