CASA and CWEA Wastewater Surveillance Series Bundle

Spencer works as an advocate for CASA’s state legislative and regulatory advocacy programs. He is a key point of contact for CASA agency and associate members on legislative and regulatory issues. He directly coordinates with elected and appointed officials, legislative staff, state employees, and other stakeholders to advance CASA’s public policy priorities. He utilizes his experience and knowledge of the California Legislature and Regulatory bodies to advance CASA’s programs on many priority issues. He also writes, edits, and produces CASA’s State Legislative and Regulatory Newsletters.

Bridie is a research scientist on the wastewater surveillance team at CDPH, where she supports the laboratory’s sample‑testing workflow, assay validations and verifications, and QA/QC system improvements. She joined the CDPH DWRL Microbiology Unit in December 2024 after completing an MSc in Microbiology and Immunology at Loyola University Chicago (LUC), where her research focused on enterovirus infection mechanisms and host–virus interactions. She also holds an earlier MSc researching infectious disease and antiviral development, and a BSc in Environmental Science and Public Health, both from LUC. Before joining CDPH, she worked in vector‑borne disease surveillance and ecology research across the Midwest through the CDC’s Midwest Center of Excellence in Vector‑Borne Disease, focusing on mosquito‑ and tick‑borne viruses and pesticide resistance.

Jessica is a lead microbiologist within the DWRL Microbiology Unit at CDPH. She is involved with sample testing, quality control, and assay validation projects for wastewater-based epidemiology, along with assisting with environmental monitoring of Legionella species. Jessica joined the CDPH in June 2025 after completing her PhD in biology at Stanford University, where she focused on Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Prior to that, she completed her undergraduate degree in biochemistry at the University of Michigan.

Guinevere Ellison-Giles serves as the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) Coordinator and an epidemiologist for the Cal-SuWers team, where she coordinates for the state-led wastewater surveillance program and supports local health jurisdictions and wastewater utilities. She earned her Master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she conducted geospatial & network analyses on Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) across Los Angeles County Hospitals with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. She has previously worked in the wastewater surveillance field as an Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Fellow, where she worked to develop and implement a wastewater surveillance program across 7 counties in East Texas.

Elisabeth Burnor is an epidemiologist on the CDPH Wastewater Surveillance team, where she works on the analysis, interpretation, and reporting of wastewater disease surveillance data for public health. She earned her MSc in Environmental Health from the University of Washington, where she worked on developing laboratory methods for wastewater monitoring of typhoid fever, poliovirus, and COVID-19.

 Stephanie is the Program Manager for the California Surveillance of Wastewaters (Cal-SuWers) Program at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). She joined CDPH in November 2021 as the Program Manager for the Epidemiology, Surveillance and Modeling Section as part of the COVID-19 Response. In her role now with Cal-SuWers, she is responsible for overseeing operational activities, grants, budgets, communication and project management for the team to help ensure the continuation of coverage of wastewater surveillance throughout the state. Stephanie received her master’s degree from the University of Denver where she focused on international studies and global health affairs.

Angela Rabe is a Wastewater Epidemiologist and now the NWSS Center of Excellence Coordinator for the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). She has been working on wastewater surveillance as part of CDPH and the COVID-19 pandemic response since late 2020. Angela received her master’s degree from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography where she studied climate change related impacts on water and energy along the CA-Mexico border.  Angela has previous experience in water quality and toxicology as a research assistant at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Facility, and environmental equity and justice as a scientist and the Assistant Tribal Liaison for the CA State Water Resources Control Board.  Currently, she and the CDPH Surveillance of Wastewater Systems (CalSuWers) team are working with partners at sanitation districts and local health departments around CA to monitoring wastewater as an enhanced surveillance method for SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, RSV and mpox, among other pathogens.