Biography
Brianna Rooney, DrPH, MPH, is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Public Health Practice, Policy, and Translational Research and the Center for Rural Health at the University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. She leads Arizona’s Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program and the rural health initiatives for Arizona’s Overdose Data to Action Program. Dr. Rooney is co-investigator of a project supported by the Arizona Hospital Preparedness Program H5N1 supplemental grant, supporting rural and regional healthcare systems in strengthening preparedness and surge capacity for high-consequence infectious diseases and applying evidence-based model language to artificial intelligence platforms.
Dr. Rooney’s research focuses on healthcare preparedness, policy, and rural health system resilience, with an emphasis on using disaster epidemiology and translational research methods to generate actionable evidence for practice and policy. Her work investigates how organizational structures, health policy, continuity of care, and social factors shape preparedness outcomes and health system performance. She applies mixed methods and program evaluation approaches to develop equitable, data-informed strategies that enhance community and organizational resilience.
With over a decade of experience in emergency preparedness and response, Dr. Rooney has worked extensively with healthcare coalitions, hospitals, emergency services, and local health departments to advance public health planning, evaluation, and capacity building.
Degrees
- DrPH Health Policy and Management
- University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States
- Risk Assessment as the Foundation of Healthcare Emergency Management: The Impact of Rural and Urban Differences in Factors Associated with Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis
- MPH Epidemiology
- University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States
- B.S. Biology and Spanish
- University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States
Awards
- Making Action Possible Dashboard White Paper Grant
- The Economic and Business Research Center in the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, Fall 2025
- NIH/NSF Investigations in Disasters and Emergencies: Advanced Applied Learning in Disaster Research Response
- University of Washington Center for Disaster Resilient Communities, Summer 2025
Interests
No activities entered.
Courses
2025-26 Courses
-
Climate Change & PH Policy
CPH 466 (Fall 2025) -
Climate Change & PH Policy
CPH 566 (Fall 2025) -
Climate Change & PH Policy
GHI 566 (Fall 2025)
Scholarly Contributions
Journals/Publications
- Koch, B., Arora, M., Rooney, B., Thompson, A., Scott, B., Gomez, D., Galindo, M., Ward, K., Wightman, P., & Derksen, D. (2024). Promoting Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccinations in Rural and Underserved Arizona: Experiences From Three County Health Departments. American Journal of Public Health, 114. doi:10.2105/ajph.2024.307714
- Block Ngaybe, M., Schmitt, H., Mallahan, S., Sena, R., Werts, S., Rooney, B., Magrath, P., & Madhivanan, P. (2023). Qualitative assessment of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among healthcare workers in Pima County. Qualitative Health Research, 19(1). doi:10.1080/21645515.2023.2211464More infoIn the Spring of 2021, the COVID-19 vaccination was authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are one of the most trusted sources of information for vaccination choices. However, HCWs at this time appeared to continue to have lower rates of COVID-19 vaccination uptake than expected in Arizona. The objective of this study was to examine factors that play a role in the vaccination decision-making process among Arizona HCWs. Between January and April 2021, 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted among physicians, emergency medical technicians and long-term care nurses in Pima County. The informed consent process was completed for each participant. The interview guide was informed by the Increasing Vaccination model to collect information on vaccination decision-making. A codebook was developed using an inductive approach. Coding and analysis was conducted using the software MAXQDA. Participants were primarily male (11/18, 61%) and white (11/18, 61%). Three participants identified as Hispanic. Initial themes that emerged included: mixed opinions concerning the innovations in COVID-19 vaccine development, access-related barriers, issues related to distribution inequities, concerns about misinformation and conspiracy theories, and dialogue concerning the benefits of requiring mandatory vaccination. The results gathered from this study indicate that there continues to be hesitancy among some healthcare professionals in Pima County. These results will be used to help Arizonan Health Departments promote rollout of novel vaccines more effectively through targeting relevant vaccination decision-making factors among HCWs.
Presentations
- Rooney, B. C., & Arora, M. (2025, February). Beyond the Urban Heat Island: Rural Arizona’s Hidden Heat Crisis. 2025 Arizona Rural Health Policy Forum. Phoenix, AZ: Arizona Center for Rural Health.
- Rooney, B. C., & Bullock, J. (2025).
Securing the Bottom Line: Financial Resilience for CAHs Through Flex
. Federal Office of Rural Health Policy’s 2025 Flex Program Reverse Site Visit. Washington D.C.: Health Resources Service Administration, Federal Office of Rural Health. - Rooney, B. C., Arora, M., & Rath, L. (2025, April).
Heat Waves, Wildfires, and Floods—Oh My! How to Become a Wizard of CascadingClimate Threats
. Preparedness Summit. San Antonio, TX: National Association of City and Council Health Officials.More infoClimate change poses significant risks to human health and wellbeing through an increase in duration, frequency, and intensity of disasters from extreme heat to storms and wildfires. However, these disasters are being felt by communities and individuals unequally; local impacts to this global phenomenon are being mediated by social determinants of health that influence both risk and resilience. Public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) programs and local health departments are on the front lines of the response and are now faced with not just managing and responding to climate threats but also engaging in mitigation and adaptation strategies. This session will present findings from a content analysis of over 15 county level hazard mitigation and emergency response plans to understand commonalities and differing approaches to integrating climate-informed practices into preparedness and response activities. While all plans discuss and address climate driven hazards, including floods, extreme heat, and wildfires, there is a need for better alignment of preparedness plans and actions with other county and state level climate action commitments. This session will present the integrative approach that Pima County Health Department has taken to the extreme heat response by engaging with cross-sectoral partners in planning, mitigation, response, and recovery. The session will close out with an engaging breakout group conversation to allow participants to identify a) barriers and facilitators to integrating climate change into hazard planning and response; b) approaches to equity-centered climate preparedness and resilience; and c) approaches to plan for climate-driven cascading or compounding disasters. - Rooney, B. C. (2024, June). Examining Arizona's Quality Improvement Infrastructure Assessment. 50th Annual Arizona Rural Health Conference. Flagstaff, AZ: Arizona Center for Rural Health.
- Rooney, B. C. (2024, March). Introduction to Healthcare Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis. Arizona Coalition for Healthcare Emergency Response Quarterly Meeting. Virtual: Arizona Coalition for Healthcare Emergency Response.
Poster Presentations
- Kajal, F., Arora, M., Rooney, B. C., Lewis, L., & Schweers, L. (2025).
Arizona Libraries at the Front Lines: Addressing Health Disparities and Serving as Hubs of Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic
. University of Arizona Public Health Research Forum. Tucson, AZ.
Others
- Koch, B. D., Koch, B. D., McMahon, E., McMahon, E., Rooney, B. C., Rooney, B. C., Bullock, J. B., Bullock, J. B., Derksen, D. J., & Derksen, D. J. (2025, October).
Rural Maternal Health Transformation Program Opportunities
. University of Arizona Center for Rural Health. https://crh.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2025-10/251022MCH_RHTP.pdf - Koch, B. D., Rooney, B. C., Drake, C., & Derksen, D. J. (2025, October).
Arizona’s Rural Facilities & Population Factors
. University of Arizona Center for Rural Health. https://crh.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2025-10/251017RHTPEligible-Facilites.pdf - Murphy, B. S., Murphy, B. S., Rooney, B. C., Rooney, B. C., Koch, B. D., Koch, B. D., Garn, A., Garn, A., Derksen, D. J., & Derksen, D. J. (2025, October).
Rural Arizona Opioid Morbidity & Mortality, Prevention & Treatment Services
. University of Arizona Center for Rural Health. https://crh.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2025-10/251017RHTP-AZ-Opioid.pdf - Rooney, B. C., Hospodar, J. A., Bullock, J. B., & Derksen, D. J. (2025, June).
Summary of Arizona Critical Access Hospital’s Community Health Needs Assessments 2025
. University of Arizona Center for Rural Health. https://crh.arizona.edu/arizona-critical-access-hospitals-community-health-needs-2025 - Rooney, B. C., Wightman, P., Bullock, J. B., Koch, B. D., & Derksen, D. J. (2025, August).
Critical Access Hospitals and Rural Health Transformation Program Opportunities. Arizona Center for Rural Health
. University of Arizona Center for Rural Health. https://crh.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2025-09/250903AzCAHs.pdf - Rooney, B. C., Wightman, P., Bullock, J. B., Koch, B. D., & Derksen, D. J. (2025, September).
Rural Health Clinics and Rural Health Transformation Program Opportunities. Arizona Center for Rural Health
. University of Arizona Center for Rural Health. https://crh.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2025-09/250916RHTP-RHCs.pdf - Rooney, B. C., Rooney, B. C., Peters, J. S., Peters, J. S., Derksen, D. J., Derksen, D. J., Koch, B. D., Koch, B. D., Arora, M., & Arora, M. (2024, April 23). Arizona Public Health System Capacity: COVID-19 Action Item Summary. Arizona Center for Rural Health. https://crh.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2024-04/240422AZPH%20System%20Capacity%20Action%20Summary.pdf
- Arora, M., Rooney, B. C., & Koch, B. D. (2023, September). Arizona Public Health Workforce: Recruitment and Retention. Arizona Center for Rural Health. https://crh.arizona.edu/arizona-public-health-workforce-recruitment-and-retention
- Koch, B. D., Moore, M., Rooney, B. C., Arora, M., & Peters, J. S. (2023, August). Public Health System Capacity in Arizona: Learning from the COVID-19 Pandemic Response. Arizona Center for Rural Health. https://crh.arizona.edu/public-health-system-capacity-arizona-learning-covid-19-pandemic-responseMore infoThe Advancing Health Equity, Addressing Disparities (AHEAD AZ) project is housed in the Arizona Center for Rural Health (AzCRH) at the University of Arizona. The ArizonaDepartment of Health Services (ADHS) funded this report via an interagency services agreement with AzCRH as part of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national initiative to address COVID-19 health disparities among populations at high risk for morbidity and mortality. The public health system addresses acute diseases such as COVID-19, responds to natural disasters, identifies unmet health needs, makes recommendations and implements interventions to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities. Businesses, schools, churches, organizations and individuals all play roles in improving community health. The U.S., state, county and local public health systems comprise the foundation for assuring the health of the community and responding to factors that threaten the health and well-being of individuals and communities by identifying problems and supporting solutions. Public health emphasizes prevention using education, awareness and other tools to help people avoid getting sick or injured. Public health works with partners to make sure our communities have what is needed to stay healthy including nutrition, clean air, safe water and access to services.The national, state and local public health systems are responsible for assessing what is needed to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities. COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of deathfor both the U.S. and Arizona - making it one of the top priorities for public health (CDC, 2022a, CDC, 2023). Arizona has COVID-19 morbidity and mortality disparities by factors including geography (rural >urban), income (low-income > high income), age (elderly > those less than age 65) (CDC, 2020). These alarming COVID-19 disparities in morbidity and mortality disproportionately affected rural, low-income, elderly and minority individuals and populations. These disparities require proactive interventions by public health systems to assess, prioritize, and act to better support community health.
