Program Staff

Colleen McKay Wharton, MA, MCHES

Colleen is the Program Director, Public Health Activities, where she develops and how delivers both classroom-based and online training programs for a variety of public health audiences.  She is a co-developer of the original Five Minutes to Help curriculum. Colleen also serves as Director of the Community Living Education Project (CLEP), which is dedicated to supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities as they explore person-centered, community living options.

Philip T Mc Cabe  CSW CAS, DRCC

Is a Health Education Specialist with Rutgers School of Public Health and Adjunct Instructor at Rutgers School of Nursing, supporting NJ NEW—Nurses’ Emotional Wellness initiatives. A member of the International Association of Trauma Specialists, he teaches on resilience, stigma, trauma, violence prevention, recovery, and LGBTQ health through the Center for Public Health Workforce Development.

Neil Tucker, M.Ed., EMT, CADC intern

Neil is a Regional Coordinator for the Five Minutes to Help program, where he is an active instructor for training, and provides coaching and support for fellow instructors. Neil supports ongoing revisions to the existing training and development of new training initiatives. He has been an EMT since 2013, and an active instructor for a variety of first responder trainings. 

Eva Nelson, MPH (Awaiting photo)

Eva Nelson is the North Jersey Regional Coordinator for the Five Minutes to Help, where she supports instructors in the region to teach classes and refines the evolving curriculum. Previously, Eva was the Outreach Coordinator for Five Minutes to Help at the NJ Department of Health and was responsible for managing the program and its expansion for 2.5 years.

Eva has a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Boston University and a bachelor's degree in public health and international studies from Muhlenberg College. 

Tim Seplaki, BS, NRP, CPM

Chief, EMS Data and Intelligence

NJ Department of Health

Division of Disaster Preparedness, Resiliency and Emergency Medical Services 

Tim Seplaki currently serves as the Chief of EMS Data and Technology for the New Jersey Department of Health, Division of Disaster Preparedness, Resiliency and Emergency Medical Services.  His responsibilities include the implementation, coordination, and oversight of the electronic Patient Care Reporting and EMS data collection system for New Jersey.  

Tim also serves as a member of the National Association of EMS Officials (NASEMSO) Data Managers Council and works with NEMSIS standard data.  He also chairs the NASMSO Opioid Core Working Group. Tim’s work includes overseeing and coordinating EMS bio-surveillance data of suspected opioid overdose and other opioid-related programs.

Cassandra Angelo, BS

Outreach Coordinator

NJ Department of Health

Division of Disaster Preparedness, Resiliency and Emergency Medical Services 

Cassandra Angelo serves as the Outreach Coordinator for the New Jersey Department of Health, Division of Disaster Preparedness, Resiliency and Emergency Medical Services. In this capacity, she plays a pivotal role in coordinating, reviewing, and monitoring the activities of the Five Minutes to Help program. Cassandra also oversees training programs for first responders, collaborating closely with a dedicated team of field instructors to ensure that all program activities are meticulously tracked, analyzed, and reported. 

Cassandra holds a Bachelor’s of Public Health from Montclair State University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public health at Rutgers School of Public Health.

CONTACT:

Questions or comments can be directed to the NJDOH in the Office of Disaster Preparedness, Resiliency, and Emergency Medical Services at (609) 633-7777 oremail 5MinToHelp@doh.nj.gov or Colleen McKay Wharton at Rutgers Center for Public Health Workforce Development atc.mckaywharton@rutgers.eduor 732-235-3454.