137: First Signals: Nurse Intelligence on the Frontline of Ebola
52 min
Why Nurses Are Public Health's First Warning System
Nurses are often the first to detect a health threat. Closest to patients, communities, and emerging risks, they hear what is said, notice what is not said, and recognize, contain, and respond to the earliest signals of an outbreak. Their frontline intelligence can help identify threats, strengthen preparedness, and reveal both where health systems and processes fail and how to improve them. Protecting nurses also means protecting the knowledge that keeps communities safe. In this episode, guest host Susan Michaels-Strasser, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, of ICAP at Columbia University talks with Amanda McClelland, RN, MPH, MBA, chief program officer at Resolve to Save Lives, and Trish Newport, RN, MPH, Program Manager Emergency Operations, Doctors Without Borders, about turning frontline knowledge into system-wide change.
The 2026 Ebola outbreak in the DRC offers a powerful example of what is at stake: some nurses there are confident that they can work to contain the virus, while others avoid even naming the disease because doing so puts their lives and their clinics at risk. The guests make the case that protecting health workers is a systems responsibility, from water and supplies to safe triage and clear escalation criteria, and not only a matter of individual training. “If nurses identify cases, notify them quickly, protect themselves and protect their facilities,” Amanda says, “we stop outbreaks before they even start.” These lessons apply well beyond the DRC; as Amanda points out, the same scenario could unfold in a triage unit in Texas. The guests also discuss learning from outbreaks that were stopped early, nurse-led innovations such as MSF’s ventilated Smart PPE and redesigned workflows, and how nursing associations and leaders can give nurses a platform to speak up.
Guests
Amanda McClelland, RN, MPH, MBA
Chief Program Officer, Resolve to Save Lives
Resolve to Save Lives profile: https://resolvetosavelives.org/about/team/amanda-mcclelland
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-mcclelland-7a160a121
Trish Newport, RN, MPH
Program Manager Emergency Operations, Doctors Without Borders
MSF profile: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/who-we-are/us-office/people/trish-newport
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trish-newport-895a9b57
Guest Host
Susan Michaels-Strasser, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology (in ICAP), Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Senior Director, Human Resources for Health Development, ICAP at Columbia University
Columbia profile: https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/profile/susan-michaels-strasser-phd
About See You Now Podcast
SEE YOU NOW is a podcast that shines a light on the real people changing the status quo in health: from nurses working in labor and delivery, with infectious diseases, and in hospice; to nurse allies in politics, business and tech. Created in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson and the American Nurses Association.
For more nursing innovation resources from ANA, visit https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/innovation/resources.
Have questions or feedback for the SEE YOU NOW team? Future episode ideas? Contact us at hello@seeyounowpodcast.com.
Resources
-
About the Outbreak
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Ebola outbreak - DRC 2026. https://www.who.int/emergencies/situations/ebola-outbreak---drc-2026
World Health Organization. (2026, October 8). Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus - Democratic Republic of the Congo [Disease Outbreak News]. https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON619
World Health Organization. (2026, May 17). Epidemic of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda determined a public health emergency of international concern [Statement]. https://www.who.int/news/item/17-05-2026-epidemic-of-ebola-disease-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-uganda-determined-a-public-health-emergency-of-international-concern
Epidemic-Ready Primary Health Care
Resolve to Save Lives. (n.d.). Epidemic-Ready Primary Healthcare (ERPHC). https://resolvetosavelives.org/how-we-save-lives/epidemic-prevention/erphc/
Resolve to Save Lives & HealthLearn. (n.d.). Ebola virus disease preparedness course for frontline healthcare workers [Free mobile course]. HealthLearn. https://app.healthlearn.org/go/evd-course
Frieden, T. R., Lee, C. T., Lamorde, M., Nielsen, M., McClelland, A., & Tangcharoensathien, V. (2023). The road to achieving epidemic-ready primary health care. The Lancet Public Health, 8(5), e383–e390. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00060-9
Nurse Intelligence, Innovation, and Health System Leadership
Johnson & Johnson Nursing. (2026, July 13). 13 nurse-led innovations shaping a better healthcare future. Notes on Nursing. https://nursing.jnj.com/notes-on-nursing/13-nurse-led-innovations-shaping-a-better-healthcare-future
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2021). The future of nursing 2020–2030: Charting a path to achieve health equity (M. K. Wakefield, D. R. Williams, S. Le Menestrel, & J. L. Flaubert, Eds.). The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25982
World Health Organization. (2025). State of the world’s nursing 2025: Investing in education, jobs, leadership and service delivery. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240110236
The 7-1-7 Target
Resolve to Save Lives. (n.d.). The 7-1-7 target. https://resolvetosavelives.org/how-we-save-lives/epidemic-prevention/7-1-7/
7-1-7 Alliance. (n.d.). 7-1-7 Alliance [Digital toolkit and free online courses]. https://717alliance.org/
Resolve to Save Lives. (2026). Epidemics that didn’t happen [Interactive report]. https://etdh.resolvetosavelives.org/
Frieden, T. R., Lee, C. T., Bochner, A. F., Buissonnière, M., & McClelland, A. (2021). 7-1-7: An organising principle, target, and accountability metric to make the world safer from pandemics. The Lancet, 398(10300), 638–640. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01250-2
Bochner, A. F., Makumbi, I., Aderinola, O., Abayneh, A., Jetoh, R., Yemanaberhan, R. L., Danjuma, J. S., Lazaro, F. T., Mahmoud, H. J., Yeabah, T. O., Nakiire, L., Yahaya, A. K., Teixeira, R. A., Lamorde, M., Nabukenya, I., Oladejo, J., Adetifa, I. M. O., Oliveira, W., McClelland, A., & Lee, C. T. (2023). Implementation of the 7-1-7 target for detection, notification, and response to public health threats in five countries: A retrospective, observational study. The Lancet Global Health, 11(6), e871–e879. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(23)00133-X
Protecting Health Workers
World Bank & Resolve to Save Lives. (2023, July 25). The true cost of failing to protect healthcare workers [Brief]. Resolve to Save Lives. https://resolvetosavelives.org/resources/the-true-cost-of-failing-to-protect-health-care-workers/
Resolve to Save Lives. (2021, January 7). Protecting healthcare workers: A need for urgent action [Report]. https://resolvetosavelives.org/resources/protecting-health-care-workers-a-need-for-urgent-action/
Resolve to Save Lives. (n.d.). Healthcare workers & epidemic preparedness. https://resolvetosavelives.org/epidemic-prevention/health-care-workers/
From Our Guest Host
Michaels-Strasser, S. (2020, March 30). To protect ourselves from the pandemic, we must protect our health workforce. The Hill. https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/490192-to-protect-ourselves-from-the-pandemic-we-must-protect-our-health/
ICAP at Columbia University. (2020, April 7). (Al-Jazeera English) Susan Michaels-Strasser advocates for health worker protections. https://icap.columbia.edu/news-events/al-jazeera-english-susan-michaels-strasser-advocates-for-health-worker-protections/
Parmley, L. E., Hartsough, K., Eleeza, O., Bertin, A., Sesay, B., Njenga, A., Toure, M., Egesimba, G., Bah, H., Bayoh, A., Yakubu, A., Morrison, E. A. B., & Michaels-Strasser, S. (2021). COVID-19 preparedness at health facilities and community service points serving people living with HIV in Sierra Leone. PLOS ONE, 16(4), Article e0250236. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250236
Learning from Aviation
Barach, P., & Small, S. D. (2000). Reporting and preventing medical mishaps: Lessons from non-medical near miss reporting systems. BMJ, 320(7237), 759–763. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.320.7237.759
Kapur, N., Parand, A., Soukup, T., Reader, T., & Sevdalis, N. (2016). Aviation and healthcare: A comparative review with implications for patient safety. JRSM Open, 7(1), Article 2054270415616548. https://doi.org/10.1177/2054270415616548
Boysen, P. G. (2013). Just culture: A foundation for balanced accountability and patient safety. The Ochsner Journal, 13(3), 400–406. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3776518/
Learning from What Goes Right
Marsh, D. R., Schroeder, D. G., Dearden, K. A., Sternin, J., & Sternin, M. (2004). The power of positive deviance. BMJ, 329(7475), 1177–1179. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.329.7475.1177
