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Sarah Matthews, Ph.D.

The Leadership Team behind HCC, Inc.

As the principal scientist and owner of HCC, Inc, Sarah Matthews, Ph.D. has extensive knowledge of local health department public health preparedness and response. Dr. Matthews has worked as a local state epidemiologist and managed several data driven programs including epidemiology, disease control and prevention (STD, HIV, TB, Hepatitis, VPD’s), public health surveillance and public health preparedness. In these roles, she responded to several surge capacity events that required activation of emergency support functions (ESF) and collaboration amongst all sectors of government, academia, and private and public organizations. As an applied epidemiologist, Dr. Matthews has experience evaluating, preventing, managing, and controlling infectious communicable diseases, chronic diseases, and other conditions of public health importance (e.g., opioid and overdose, water safety, mosquito abatement, social determinants of health, etc.). She has implemented just-in-time training to health department staff in surge capacity events and adapted and implemented digital tools for such events as influenza outbreaks, MERS outbreak, Ebola response, measles outbreaks, STD’s, HIV, Hepatitis, food and waterborne diseases and tuberculosis (TB). She has extensive experience with local health department infrastructure and systems, working with diverse populations on public health interventions, building workforce capacity, and research and evaluation.

Dr. Matthews also has a Graduate Certification in Training Simulation which provides higher level instructional design in training simulation technology and includes understanding of topics regarding systems requirements, design, development, and instructional design. Sarah Matthews, Ph.D. has contributed to improvement in the research andragogy for public health professionals and provided an innovative solution (i.e., intelligent tutoring system) to address the gap in educational strategies and align with public health practice. As a research scientist and scholar, Dr. Matthews has had extensive training in medical ethics and priorities. She is a published author across several disciplines.

Certifications & Trainings
University of South Florida
Certification in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
University of Central Florida
Certification in Training Simulation
State of Florida Department of Health
HIV/AIDS 501 Client Centered Counseling, Testing and Partner Notification and Elicitation
High Q
Shipping Biological Substances, Infectious Substances and Related Hazards
Critical Concepts
Certification in Phlebotomy
Migrant Clinicians Network
Evaluation of Pesticide Exposure in Farmworkers
State of Florida Department of Health
Domestic Violence Prevention Certification
Hepatitis C Support Project
Hepatitis C Health Educator
State of Florida Department of Health
Hepatitis for Counselors and Outreach Workers
State of Florida Department of Health
Tuberculin Skin Testing
State of Florida Department of Health
Viral Hepatitis Serology
State of Florida Department of Health
Vital Signs
CITI Program
CITI Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative Human Research Curriculum
Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED
CPR/AED/First Aid
Awards
  • 2015 Public Health Hero
  • 2015 State of Florida Excellence in Epidemiology-Individual
  • 2015 State of Florida Excellence in Epidemiology-Team
  • 2013-2014 Voted by Peers for Outstanding Performance
  • Extraordinary Leadership
  • 2012 Nominee for RWJ Young Leaders Award
  • Bright Idea Award
  • Davis Productivity Team Award-Kevin’s Korner
  • Epidemiology Program Team Award
  • NACCHO Productivity Award-Kevin’s Korner
  • Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention Team Award
  • Supervisor of the Quarter
  • Disease Control Department Team Award
  • Pandemic Influenza Workshop Appreciation
  • Employee of the Month
  • Above and Beyond Recognition Award-Galanin Group
  • Above and Beyond Recognition Award-Individual
Presentations & Invited Lectures

Presentations & Invited Lectures

Publications
  • Application of a Return of Investment Analysis for Public Health
    Training by Case Study
  • Public Health Informatics, Human Factors and the End-Users
  • A Patient-Centric Care Approach to Facilitate the Design of an
    Artificial Intelligence Application in Geriatric Care Management of Heart
    Failure Readmissions
  • Can Public Health Workforce Competency and Capacity be built through an
    Agent-based Online, Personalized Intelligent Tutoring System?
  • Social Network Analysis of Patient Movement Across Health Care Entities
    in Orange County, Florida
  • White Paper: A Working Template for Getting Businesses Back to Work
    During the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Local Public Health Surveillance of Heroine-Related Morbidity and
    Mortality, Orange County, Florida, 2010-2014
  • Legionella pneumophila: Legionellosis Outbreak at a Nursing Home (Orange
    County)
  • Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus: First Confirmed Case of
    MERS in Florida (Orange County)
  • Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin: Foodborne Outbreak at a Holiday Lunch
    Buffet (Orange County)
  • Use of Surveillance Systems in Detection of a Ciguatera Fish Poisoning
    Outbreak — Orange County, Florida, 2014
  • First Confirmed Cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
    Infection in the United States, Updated Information on the Epidemiology of
    MERS-CoV
  • Infection, and Guidance for the Public, Clinicians, and Public Health
    Authorities- May 201
  • Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Strain Florida/USA-2_Saudi
    Arabia_2014, Complete Genome.
  • Influenza Virus: Respiratory Illness Among International Travel Groups,
    Orange County, 2012
  • Prion Protein: Notification of a Case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease,
    Orange and Seminole Counties, 2012
  • Undetermined: Gastrointestinal Illness Outbreak Associated with a Theme
    Park Safari Excursion, Orange County, 2012
  • The American College of Preventive Medicine Prevention Committee
    Position Statement on Risk Prevention Pertaining to Texting While Driving.
  • Investigation of Internal Contamination with Strontium-82 (Sr-82) and
    Strontium-85 (Sr- 85) Following a Rubidium-82 (Rb-82) Cardiac PET Scan in
    Florida.
  • Influenza A (H3) Outbreak among Previously Vaccinated Residents and
    Staff in an Assisted Living Facility, Orange County, Florida, January 2012
  • Measles Virus — Measles Transmission at an International Trade Show,
    Multistate, Orange County, 2011
Professional & Community Service
Girl Scouts of America
Troop Leader -Troop 1109
Florida Department of Health
Mentor Epidemiology Practice Institute at DOH-Orange
University of South Florida
Mentor USF Florida Public Health Training Center
USF College of Public Health
Mentor-Field Placement Participant
St. Mary’s Catholic Church
Program Volunteer
Tampa Community Health Centers
Pediatric Assistant
Corpus Christi Catholic Church
4th Grade Teacher
Moffitt Cancer Center: Data Entry for BUCY Study
Data Entry Clerk – Entered data into the BUCY Study for cancer research

What Our Clients Say

“Thank you, Sarah for sharing this document, we plan to share with our county work group task force for “reopening” plans.”
– Disease Control Director, FL County April 27, 2020
“Thank you, Sarah will be sharing with our State Taskforce for “reopening plans.”
– State Epidemiology, FL-April 27, 2020
“This is great information and would be beneficial to local businesses.”
– Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management, FL-April 28, 2020
“This is excellent information and in particular the plan templates and employee training checklist. The preceding information/data is critical…I believe this is an excellent resource that we can provide to RSF-2 (Economic Recovery) as they work with the business community to facilitate and educate on safe reopenings.”
– Innovation and Performance Division Director, FL April 28, 2020
“Thank you, Sarah, my country was looking for a resource like this. I appreciate you sharing it.”
– Medical partner, South America
“The course was great! Sarah was awesome! Thank you!”
– Course Evaluation St. Croix Virgin Islands 2016
“Excellent facilitator; great delivery style and content knowledge. (Tuberculosis Contact Investigations and Response Planning)”
– Course Evaluation 2016
“It’s very informative and the facilitator has good knowledge of the subject. (Tuberculosis FIRST)”
– Course Evaluation 2016
“I plan to share some with my staff, and will be watching my own actions for my judgements based on -isms. Thank you for these well put- together meetings.”
– Course evaluation from Local Health Department Participant on -Isms and Health Equity 2021
“I enjoyed the overall message and the way the speaker applied it to a problem that each of us face in our work.”
– Course Evaluation from Local Health Department Participant on Motivational Interviewing and Health Equity 2021
“The trainer was amazing, and so so good at the scenarios.”
– Course Evaluation from Local Health Department Participant on Motivational Interviewing and Health Equity 2021
“Thanks for doing this zoom today. It is coming together more each time and I have a better understanding of Health Equity and using the lense. Thanks for all you have done for all of us!!!!”
– Course Evaluation on Motivational Interviewing and Health Equity 2021
“Thank you for a well-laid-out presentation”
– Course Evaluation from Local Health Department Participant on Health Equity 2021
“The monthly meeting with our NACCHO team cohort and mentors (HCC, Inc.) helped rejuvenate our spirit and inspire us to not quit. They helped us discover ways to reach our community and how to take care of ourselves during the most trying time in our public health careers. But even more so, the grant provided a constant ally in our fight to protect, prevent, and prepare for our work in this COVID 19 battle.”
– Local Health Department Administrator 2021

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