Meet the Team

She has built several successful global health research-practice partnerships around the world, including current work in Nepal and Madagascar, and is particularly passionate about using engaged and creative methods to facilitate dialogue and action. For example, in 2005, Burke and her colleagues introduced concept mapping as a participatory research method for public health researchers interested in generating hypotheses and developing theory, and have used the method to prioritize community health issues, develop conceptual frameworks and create new measurement tools. Her recent community-engaged concept mapping work includes the creation of the Power in Nepali Girls empowerment scale. In 2019, Burke and Sara Baumann co-created Collaborative Filmmaking, which is an embodied, visual and participatory research method in which participants are trained to create, analyze and screen films to generate a deeper understanding of sensitive health topics. The method has resulted in a series of powerful and authentic films that have been effectively used for educational and advocacy efforts. To view the films and learn more about how Collaborative Filmmaking has been used in partnership around the globe,  visit www.collaborativefilmmaking.com.

Before joining Pitt Health Sciences’ leadership team, Burke served as vice dean for the University’s School of Public Health. She is professor of behavioral and community health sciences in the School of Public Health and directs the school’s Concept Mapping Institute and the Community-Based Participatory Research and Practice certificate program. She was a founding codirector of the Center for Social Dynamics and Community Health and previously served as the school’s associate dean for academic affairs.

Prior to arriving at the University of Pittsburgh in 2005, Dr. Burke held academic and administrative roles at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; the Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University; and the Research Institute for Health Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Thailand. Burke earned a BA in cultural anthropology from New York University, and an MHS in international health and PhD in social and behavioral sciences from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She also earned a certificate in collaborative leadership from the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Leaders Network.

His international portfolio spans multiple continents. In Qatar, Platt served as Associate Executive Director for a UPMC-affiliated partnership with Hamad Medical Corporation, overseeing a $110 million emergency medicine enhancement program over five years. He has also served as Project Manager for an EMS development initiative with the Saudi Arabia Red Crescent Society, Co-PI on a multi-year first responder training program across the United Kingdom, and Director of an EMT training project for South Korean firefighters, and he has trained EMS providers with the Reykjavik Fire Department in Iceland. Most recently, his work has centered on the Gorongosa Restoration Project in central Mozambique, where he has led a proof-of-concept project on emergency medical responder training deployment and a national EMS systems assessment. Platt is also supporting the development of emerging institutional partnerships for the health sciences.

Before stepping into his current role, Platt served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Community Health Services and Rehabilitation Science and Associate Dean for Academic Partnerships at Pitt’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, overseeing programs in Emergency Medicine, Rehabilitation Science, and Chiropractic. He has served on numerous national EMS boards, including a current seat on the CAAHEP Board of Directors. He is also Co-Principal Investigator on an NIH-funded study examining night shift work and cardiovascular health among emergency responders.

Platt earned his undergraduate degree in Public Administration and his doctorate in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of Pittsburgh, and his master’s degree in Adult Education from the Pennsylvania State University.