Esther Chernak

Dr. Esther Chernak is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Environmental Health at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health and Drexel University College of Medicine. She directs the Center for Public Health Readiness and Communication (CPHRC), focusing on enhancing public health and healthcare capacity, improving community resilience, and advancing emergency risk communication. Her academic roles include leadership of Drexel's MD/MPH dual degree program and a graduate minor in Infectious Diseases.

Education:

• MD: UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
• MPH: Medical College of Wisconsin
• AB in Comparative Literature: Princeton University

Her research emphasizes public health emergency preparedness, infectious disease management, and crisis communication strategies. Current work includes a CDC-funded study on disaster communication needs for children with special health care needs. She teaches population health sciences in the College of Medicine's 'Frontiers' course and has pioneered curricula in global health and environmental health.

Before academia, Dr. Chernak spent over 25 years at Philadelphia's Department of Public Health, holding roles such as Medical Director for Acute Communicable Disease Control and Public Health Emergency Preparedness. She continues clinical work in Philadelphia's primary care safety-net system as a board-certified Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases physician.

Key Contributions:

• Leads CDC-funded disaster communication research
• Pioneer of interorganizational resilience frameworks
• Developed emergency risk communication protocols
• Authored influential public health preparedness guidelines

Her work bridges clinical practice, public health systems, and policy to address emerging threats such as pandemics and climate-related disasters.