Dreamers, Doers, and Disruptors: Lisa Koonin

Lisa Koonin, DrPH, has been a leading voice in U.S. preparedness and pandemic planning for decades. She is a family nurse practitioner, epidemiologist, and adjunct assistant professor at the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and Indiana University’s Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health.

After earning a Master of Public Health from Emory University in 1986 (when public health was still a program at the university, not a school), she embarked on a career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There, Koonin led the development of key national pandemic plans and policies and served in leadership positions for multiple national and international emergency responses. 

Koonin founded Health Preparedness Partners after a 30-year career at the CDC. Through this organization, she consults with businesses, nonprofit organizations, and public health agencies as they prepare for health emergencies. 

In this interview, Koonin discusses her path to public health, the moments that have defined her career, and how she stays motivated in uncertain times. 

What inspired you to pursue the career path you’re on now? Was there a defining moment or influence?  

My grandmother always told me that each of us can make the world a better place, and that is why I pursued a career in nursing and public health. 

I was accepted into Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing as a Woodruff Fellow in 1984 in pursuit of a Master of Nursing degree, planning to train as a family nurse practitioner. On the first day of class, we were offered the opportunity to also pursue a Master of Public Health degree, and I accepted that invitation. Rollins shaped my career for the next 40 years. 

The opportunity to earn these degrees at Emory changed my entire career from being a health care provider helping one patient at a time to becoming a public health professional. I was recruited by the CDC in 1987 to develop and launch the national Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System, which gave me the opportunity to help entire populations. I am forever grateful to Emory for this unexpected chance to broaden my horizons and make the world a better place.  

What is the biggest risk you’ve taken in your career, and how did it pay off?  

The biggest risk I have taken in my career was in 2005, when I changed my focus at the CDC to partnerships and pandemic planning. The highlight of that time was in 2006 and 2007 when I helped develop the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan and worked with a small group of CDC and White House leaders to develop national policies for social distancing during pandemics.

These policies, which were used during the COVID-19 pandemic, are the only strategies available to us before a well-matched vaccine or therapeutic are available to prevent or treat a pandemic disease. 

How do you stay motivated and focused, especially during difficult or uncertain times?  

I stay motivated by focusing on the importance of the critical work that federal, state, and local public health professionals accomplish every day. No matter how many challenges they face, public health professionals are dedicated to continuing their important work to protect and save lives.