Overview
The Northwest Preparedness and Resilience Conference brings together an interdisciplinary group of regional practitioners, researchers and other partners working across a range of disaster-related fields. We are looking forward to engaging with our partners across the region and strive towards bridging the gap between practice and research.
Where: University of Washington Campus, Seattle, WA
When: September 16-17, 2026, with optional pre- and post-conference programming
General registration closes soon
Registration for this year’s conference is now live. Please visit our registration site to secure your spot. Registration will close July 31st, 2026. Secure your spot today!
Registration discount codes are available for select groups while supplies last. Please view the FAQs below for more information on eligibility and feel free to contact us at cdrc-conference@uw.edu with any questions.
Keynote speaker announced
Beyond the Blueprint: How Experience Shapes Readiness for the Next Special Pathogen Response, Angela Vasa, MSN, RN
Angela Vasa, a national leader in special pathogen preparedness and emergency response, will share insights from the recent Hantavirus response and other high-consequence infectious disease events. She will highlight practical strategies for preparedness organizations and leaders seeking to transform lessons identified into lessons applied – ensuring readiness extends beyond the plan and into practice when the next special pathogen response occurs.
Additional conference details
This year’s conference features sessions across a range of disaster related fields, including community resilience and preparedness partnerships, extreme weather events, public health and healthcare preparedness, emerging technologies, critical infrastructure and geological hazards.
Please note that the draft, simplified agenda is subject to change; additional Peer Sharing Sessions will be announced. Stay tuned for a complete conference agenda.
Angela Vasa, MSN, RN
Director, Emergency Preparedness and Special Pathogen Programs, Nebraska Medicine
Director, Readiness Consultations and Metrics Development, National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center
As Director for Emergency Preparedness and Special Pathogen Programs at Nebraska Medicine, Ms. Vasa serves as the Principal Investigator for the Regional Emerging Special Pathogens Treatment Center (RESPTC) and the National Quarantine Unit (NQU). A nurse with over 20 years of specialized experience in trauma, critical care, solid organ transplant, and high consequence infectious diseases, she has been part of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit team since 2009. Ms. Vasa provided direct patient care for the patients with Ebola Virus Disease admitted to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit in 2014-2015, the first individuals admitted to the NQU with SARS-CoV-2 in 2020, led the operational response team supporting Iowa during care of a patient with Lassa Fever, and directed the Andes Hantavirus operation within the RESPTC and the NQU.
She also directs consultative services and metrics development for the National Emerging Special Pathogen Training and Education Center (NETEC), supporting special pathogen preparedness for healthcare facilities and EMS agencies nationwide through assessments and readiness tools. Ms. Vasa is a Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiatives Fellow and a Health Policy Fellow with the Nebraska Nurses Association. She has contributed extensively to publications and presentations domestically and internationally.
The Northwest Preparedness and Resilience Conference has a reserved block of rooms at the Residence Inn by Marriott, Seattle, University District. Standard rooms are available for booking at an event-specific rate until Friday, August 14, 2026. After August 14th, individuals may still book at the Residence Inn by Marriott as room availability allows, but will not be eligible for the room block or our event-specific rate.
Visit the Hotel’s Booking Portal
Hotel venue logistics:
- Residence Inn by Marriott – 4501 12th Avenue NE Seattle, Washington, USA, 98105.
- Commute times from the hotel to the conference venue are as follows:
- Drive: 5 minutes
- Public Transportation (Bus): 7 minutes
- Walk: 13 minutes
- Please note that individual cancellations must be made 24 hours prior to arrival or a fee of one night plus tax will apply.
- Overnight parking is available onsite at $35 a night plus taxes.
Contact information:
- For questions regarding the room block or standing reservations, please contact Michelle.Soe@marriott.com or call (206) 548-8719.
- For conference attendees receiving travel accommodations, please contact Theresa Sabala, tsabala@uw.edu, with any questions.
Are there any discounts for registration?
Yes, registration discount codes are available* for the following, select groups:
- Attendees working in state, tribal and local public health agencies
- Tribal organizations
- Full-time Students
- Community / Faith-based organizations
- Conference presenters
If you qualify with one of these groups, please contact us at cdrc-conference@uw.edu to inquire for a code. *Codes are available while supplies last.
What food options are available at the conference?
During both days of the conference the following food options will be available and included in your registration:
- Coffee, tea, and a light breakfast (ex. pastries, fruit, yogurt)
- Lunch and snacks
Following the first day of the conference (9/16), there will be a networking reception for attendees with light snacks and refreshments.
If you have any questions regarding the conference, please contact our planning team at cdrc-conference@uw.edu.
Prior Northwest Preparedness and Resilience Conferences
The materials from the 2025 conference have been archived in the following tab.
Thank you to those who attended the inaugural 2025 Northwest Preparedness and Resilience Conference. More than 100 representatives and partners working in disasters and community resilience came together to share expertise during our two-day conference in Seattle last September. For more reflections on the conference, please visit our blog or view the conference photo gallery.
September is Preparedness Month. As part of the month’s activities, the Northwest Center for Evidence-Based Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (NWPHEPR) – which is housed in the Center for Disaster Resilient Communities – will be holding a two-day, in-person conference on the University of Washington’s Seattle Campus.
The Northwest Preparedness & Resilience Conference will feature speakers and sessions based on regional public health preparedness topics, including workforce and communications. Conference participants will have opportunities to share and learn from peers across the region through oral and poster presentation sessions. Participants will also have an opportunity to inform the regional center’s future work through an interactive workshop.
Logistics
- When: September 9-10, 2025
- Location: University of Washington, Seattle Campus
- Registration for the conference is complimentary
- Both days include breakfast and lunch
- Discounted hotel rooms will be available for attendees
Registration
Capacity for the conference is limited, and we hope to invite a balance of colleagues from around the region. If you are interested in attending, please complete our registration form> and we will add you to our waitlist.
Agenda
The conference will feature a mix of plenary and breakout sessions covering a range of different topics.
Keynote speakers
Tara Kirk-Sell
Senior Scholar, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
Tara Kirk Sell is a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
She leads the Region 3 Center for Public Health Preparedness and Response and focuses her work on preparedness, public trust, and risk communication. She led work on the TRUST in Public Health project and the Practical Playbook to Address Health Rumors, both funded by CDC. Prior to her work in academia, she was a professional athlete and won a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics.
Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer
Director of Climate Initiatives, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Division of Environmental Health & Engineering (DEHE)
Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer, an Iñupiaq from Kotzebue, Alaska, is the Director of Climate Initiatives program at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. For decades she has worked across Alaska holistically infusing indigenous knowledge into a variety of sectors she has experience in, including comprehensive planning, energy, housing, water security, sanitation and climate change adaptation for rural communities. Her current work includes leading the team of the Center for Climate and Health and the Center for Environmentally Threatened Communities within the Climate Initiatives program.
Qataliña has co-authored six regional Energy Plans for the State of Alaska, the Oscarville Tribal Adaptation Plan, 2019. She was instrumental in the publication of the Unmet Needs Report for Environmentally Threatened Alaska Native Villages, 2024. She is a Co-PI on the Human Wellbeing team for the Study of Environmental Arctic Change, serves on the National Academies Board on Environmental Change and Society (BECS) and as a Board Director for Arctic Encounter Symposium and Rural Community Assistance Corporation. Qataliña also enjoys traditional sewing, art, mentoring youth and young leaders, and is passionate about designing fashion for modern Inuk. Her designs have featured in Santa Fe: Museum of International Folk Art, Anchorage, Alaska: Anchorage Museum, La Connor, Washington: Museum of Northwest Art, Juneau, Alaska: Alaska State Museum, Bunnell Street Art Center, Portland, Oregon: Native Arts and Culture Foundation Museum, and Tulsa, Oklahoma: Tulsa Living Arts Museum.