2A: Translating Overdose Data into County Prevention Action

View the presentation slides.

Participants will be able to:​ Describe how overdose surveillance data can be translated into county level prevention planning.​ Identify strategies for tailoring surveillance data to support local decision making.​Recognize key components of successful state local collaboration in overdose prevention efforts.

Learning objectives:
Participants will:

  1. Recognize key components of successful state local collaboration in overdose prevention efforts.
  2. Describe how overdose surveillance data can be translated into county level prevention planning.​
  3. Identify strategies for tailoring surveillance data to support local decision making.​

Sri Chaitanya Krishna Akondy, BDS, MPH
Epidemiologist, Iowa Health and Human Services

Bio: Sri Chaitanya Krishna Akondy, BDS, MPH is an epidemiologist at the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, where he works on public health issues, including drug overdose. With a background in dentistry and public health from the University of Iowa, he strives to make a positive impact on community health through practical and data-based approaches.







Headshot of Sarah Mergenthaler

Sarah Mergenthaler, BS
Disease Surveillance & Investigations Manager, Black Hawk County Public Health

Sarah Mergenthaler is a public health professional with experience in disease surveillance, prevention, and quality improvement. As the Disease Surveillance and Investigations Manager at Black Hawk County Public Health, she leads a team that analyzes overdose and communicable disease data to guide prevention strategies for overdose, HIV, and viral hepatitis through a syndemic lens.







Chandni Muralidharan, MPH
Substance Use Prevention Coordinator, Black Hawk County Public Health

Chandni Muralidharan, MPH, works with Black Hawk County Public Health on local overdose prevention through the CDC-funded Overdose Data to Action initiative. Her work centers on analyzing local data, partnering across public health and public safety, and supporting provider education and community capacity-building to drive evidence-based prevention.