Overview:

This is a 90-minute recording of a live webinar on May 6, 2025.

In this presentation, you will learn about the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and its impact on Tennessee. We will highlight public health and medical response efforts, including critical deployable equipment and strike teams utilized during the disaster. Additionally, we will explore pharmacy-related planning and response topics addressed throughout the event. This session will also cover successes and lessons learned from the response, providing valuable insights to inform strategies for mitigating the impact of future disasters.

Paul E. Petersen, PharmD, MPH, CEM, is the Director of the Tennessee Department of Health’s Emergency Preparedness Program. Dr. Petersen leads Tennessee’s response to all public health and medical emergencies. Tennessee has experienced a wide range of threats and public health emergencies requiring decisive action by program staff, health care coalitions, and other response partners. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he also served as the interim Director for the Vaccine-Preventable Disease and Immunization Program.  

Originally from California, he earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of the Pacific Thomas L. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2001. Dr. Petersen completed his PGYI Pharmacy Practice Residency at Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville, where he also served as the Clinical Operating Room Pharmacist prior to his move to state government in 2005. He completed his Master of Public Health degree at East Tennessee State University in 2022. He serves on various national preparedness policy committees, including work with the National Academies, National Emergency Management Association, and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. He is also an active member of several professional public health and pharmacy associations, including the 2025 President of the Nashville Area Pharmacists Association. 

Learning Objectives: By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe the aftermath of Helene on infrastructure in Tennessee.
• Summarize the health and medical response efforts, including deployable equipment leveraged during Helene.
• Illustrate pharmacy-related planning and response topics that were navigated during Helene.
• Prioritize critical emergency preparedness and response efforts to mitigate the impact of future disasters.

CERTIFICATE: The course contains two modules: a module to access the webinar and an evaluation module. After accessing the two modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.