Assistant Professor
Director, International Partnerships and Programs, National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center
Scholar, Global Center for Health Security
Department of Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health
University of Nebraska Medical Center
College of Public Health
Professional Summary
- 2022-Present, Assistant Professor
- 2020-Present, Director, International Partnerships and Programs, National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center
- 2019-Present, Director, Sub-Sahara Africa Region, Global Center for Health Security
- 2020-2021, Research Assistant Professor
- 2019-2020, Co-Director, National Disaster Medical System Infectious Disease Training, Global Center for Health Security
- 2017-2020, Program Coordinator, Global Center for Health Security
- 2015-2017, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health
Education
- 2018, PhD Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center
- 2017, Certificate in Emergency Preparedness, University of Nebraska Medical Center
- 2016, MPH Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center
- 2013, BA Global Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Professional Interests
Jocelyn Herstein, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the College of Public Health and a Scholar of the Global Center for Health Security. She also serves as Director of International Partnerships and Programs for the US National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center.
Dr. Herstein specializes in high-consequence infectious disease preparedness and management, with focus on infection prevention and control, high-level isolation, training and education, and U.S. national preparedness infrastructure. Dr. Herstein’s research includes exposure assessment, health systems preparedness for emerging special pathogens, training program evaluation, and validation of operational and containment protocols for occupational health and safety in high-consequence infectious disease environments, with a focus on transportation, waste management, and personal protective equipment. She has authored over 40 publications in the fields of biopreparedness, high-level isolation, and infection prevention and control.
Dr. Herstein has provided technical expertise and conducted biopreparedness trainings on Ebola virus disease, Lassa fever, and Covid-19 for healthcare workers and public health officials in the US, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia. She has coordinated and led national training programs on high-consequence infectious diseases and multiple national and international health security projects. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Herstein co-led the development of a national online just-in-time training program for federal first responders, was part of a team that provided technical assistance to meat processing facilities, schools, and other sectors, and led the development of guidelines and Playbooks for a number of these industries. Dr. Herstein also serves as a UNMC focal point for their partnership with the World Health Organization’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network.
Selected Publications
- Herstein J.J, Biddinger P.D., Kraft C., Saiman L, Gibbs S.G., Le A.B., Smith P.W., Hewlett AL., Lowe J.J. Current Capabilities and Capacity of Ebola Treatment Centers in the United States. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. 2016 Mar;37(3):313-318. doi: 10.1017/ice.2015.300.
- Herstein J.J., Biddinger P.D., Gibbs S.G., Le A.B., Jelden K.C., Hewlett AL., Lowe J.J. Sustainability of High-Level Isolation Capabilities among U.S. Ebola Treatment Centers. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2017 Jun;23(6):965-967. doi: 10.3201/eid2306.170062.
- Herstein J.J., Springer J., Anzalone J., Medcalf SM., Lowe J.J. A Needs Assessment of Infection Control Training for American Red Cross Personnel Working in Shelters. American Journal of Infection Control.2018 Apr;46(4):471-473. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2017.09.018
- Herstein J.J., Biddinger P.D., Gibbs S.G., Le A.B., Jelden K.C., Hewlett AL., Lowe J.J. U.S. State Health Department Special Pathogen Planning. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. 24(5): E28-E33. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000000714
- Herstein J.J., Iwen P., Jelden K.C., Biddinger P.D., Gibbs S.G., Le A.B., Hewlett A.L., Lowe J.J. U.S. High-Level Isolation Unit Clinical Laboratory Support Update. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 2018: 56(2); e01608-17. doi:10.1128/JCM.01608-17
- Herstein J.J., Degarege A., Stover D., Austin C., Schwedhelm M.M., Lawler J.V., Lowe J.J., Ramos A.K., Donahue M. Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission among Meat Processing Workers in Nebraska, USA, and Effectiveness of Risk Mitigation Measures. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2021 Feb 16;27(4). doi: 10.3201/eid2704.204800.
- Le A.B. & Herstein J.J. Revisiting the need for an infectious disease care network in the United States. Health Security. 2021 Mar 12. doi: 10.1089/hs.2021.0054.
- Herstein J.J., Abdoulaye A.A., Jelden K.C., Le A.B., Beam E.L., Gibbs S.G., et al. A pilot study of core body temperatures in healthcare workers wearing personal protective equipment during patient care activities in a high-level isolation unit. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. 2021 Aug. doi: 1080/1549624.2021.1949459
- Herstein J.J., Gibbs S.G., Kupzyk K.A., Beam E.L. Using a Critical Safety Behavior Scoring Tool for Just-in-Time Training for N95 Respirator Use.Workplace Health & Safety. August 2021. doi:1177/21650799211031169
- Herstein J.J., Lowe J.J., Wolf T., Leo Y.S., Vasoo S., Shen Y., Chin B.S., Hewlett A.L., Lawler J.V. Leveraging a pre-existing global infectious disease network for local decision-making during a pandemic. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 28 July 2021. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab660.
- MEDLINE-indexed literature is available here
Professional Affiliations
- American Public Health Association
- American Industrial Hygiene Association