Rita V. Burke, PhD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Clinical Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. She has over 70 peer-reviewed publications and over 50 abstracts and book chapters. She is the former co-chair of the Research Committee for the Pediatric Trauma Society and current co-chair of the Los Angeles Children in Disasters Working Group. Her research focuses on addressing barriers to pediatric disaster preparedness at the systems level. She is a dedicated teacher to her undergraduate and graduate students and was awarded the 2021 USC Faculty Mentoring Graduate Students Award. She received her master's in public health and doctorate in epidemiology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Burke is a proud mother, avid reader, Crossfit devotee, and outdoors enthusiast.