Jennifer Horney is founding director of the University of Delaware epidemiology program and a faculty member in UD's Disaster Research Center. Her research focuses on measuring the health impacts of disasters.

In tornadoes, those impacts are both immediate – injuries and deaths due to flying debris – and longer term – mental health issues, exposure to possible environmental contaminants, and for those with chronic issues, access to care, medicine and safe sources of food and water.  

Horney serves on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the Office of Public Health in the Center for Preparedness and Response at the federal Centers for Disease Control. She has provided technical assistance to public health agencies globally around disasters.