JPHMP Direct Talk Podcast: Dr. Celeste Philip on Preparedness Efforts During a 2016 Zika Outbreak in Florida
JPHMP Direct TALK is a podcast series that explores the many voices of public health and brings listeners conversations that bridge the gap between research and practice. Today’s guests are Dr. Lloyd Novick, editor of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, and Dr. Celeste Philip, former Surgeon General and Secretary of the Flordia Department of Health. Celeste Philips Zika podcast
In this JPHMP Direct Talk feature, Dr. Lloyd Novick speaks with Dr. Celeste Philip about preparedness efforts and major actions that were essential during a 2016 outbreak of Zika in the Florida counties of Miami-Dade and Broward.
Dr. Philip is former Surgeon General and Secretary of the Florida Department of Health. Board certified in family medicine as well as preventive medicine and public health, she brings a wealth of academic excellence and professional experience to her roles. She has served as interim director for three county health departments, and as interim bureau chief for the Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Communicable Diseases. She began her career with the Florida department in Polk County, Florida, where she served as medical director and served on the board of the Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine, through which she provided primary care to uninsured patients. Dr. Philip’s contributions to public health are not limited to Florida. She is president of the American Heart Association’s six-state Greater Southeast Affiliate, and previously served at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer and preventive medicine resident. Celeste Philips Zika podcast
Dr. Philip holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from Loma Linda University in California. She completed her residency at Florida Hospital in Orlando and has remained committed to improving health in Florida throughout her career. Dr. Philip was named the 2016 Outstanding Public Health Woman of the Year by the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health. Celeste Philips Zika podcast
For more information about the outbreak described in this podcast, read Dr. Philip’s article “Local Transmission of Zika in Miami-Dade County: The Florida Department of Health Rises to the Challenge.”
Related Reading:
- A Conversation with Florida Surgeon General Dr. Celeste Philip
- Disparities in Zika Virus Testing and Incidence Among Women of Reproductive Age—New York City, 2016
- Accreditation’s Role in Bolstering Resilience in the Face of the Zika Virus Outbreak
- Use of Obstetric Practice Web Sites to Distribute Zika Virus Information to Pregnant Women During a Zika Virus Outbreak
- Of Mosquito Nets and Condoms: The Zika Virus Challenge
- Examining Mosquito Surveillance and Control Capacity in the Top 10 Areas at Risk for Zika Virus Exposure in the United States
- Public Health Acts to Detect, Respond to, and Prevent the Latest Public Health Threat—Zika Virus Disease

Dr. Lloyd F. Novick
Lloyd F. Novick, MD, MPH is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Public Health at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University. Previously, he was chair of this Department. He has served as the Commissioner of Health and Secretary for Human Services of Vermont, Director of Health Services for Arizona, and Director of the Office of Public Health for New York State. Previous academic positions include Professor and Director of the Preventive Medicine Program for SUNY Upstate Medical University, Professor and Chair of Epidemiology at the University of Albany School of Public Health, and Clinical Professor and Director of the Teaching Program in Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Vermont, College of Medicine. He is the Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. [Full bio]
Author Profile

Latest entries
Students of Public HealthSeptember 27, 2023Call for Nominations: Students Who Rocked Public Health in 2023
JPHMP Direct VoicesJuly 6, 2023Dr. Katie Schenk Is Now on Substack
Students of Public HealthJanuary 23, 2023Students Who Rocked Public Health 2022
Students of Public HealthDecember 1, 2022Deadline Extended to Nominate a Student Who Rocked Public Health in 2022