Frequently Asked Questions

TEPHI is pronounce phonetically with a soft “e”, as in: “teh-fee”.

TEPHI will help Texas better prepare for the next pandemic and transition out of the current COVID-19 pandemic in order to keep its people healthy and its economy strong. Currently, TEPHI’s initiatives fall under three key areas: readiness, training, and communications – each of which is grounded in collaboration.

To meet its goals, TEPHI will prepare a public health workforce through pandemic preparedness and response certification, continuing professional education, new graduate programs, and stakeholder training; operationalize federal, state, and local guidance and regulations; collaborate, coordinate, and communicate with stakeholders to promote preparedness and response activities; serve as an information and logistics resource; deliver data-driven guidance to identify, prevent, monitor, and respond to an infectious disease outbreak; identify and prepare underutilized resources (such as laboratory capacity); promote the development of diagnostic testing capabilities, including forming a testing network; and augment existing preparedness and response efforts.

Senate Bill (SB) 1780 was passed with bipartisan support by the 87th Texas Legislature in May 2021, establishing TEPHI for the protection of public health in the State of Texas. Governor Abbott signed the bill into law on June 16, 2021, and The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved the establishment of TEPHI on August 18, 2021 under the direction of the Board and the Chancellor through the institutional president. Senate Bill (SB) 8, passed by the 87th Legislature on October 19, 2021 during its third called session, appropriated $40 million from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund to implement and maintain TEPHI over the 2022-2023 biennium.

TEPHI is housed within and supported administratively by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), but it collaborates with entities and serves populations throughout the State of Texas.

No, TEPHI is here to serve all Texans. In fact, TEPHI has a major focus on pandemic preparedness in rural communities and agricultural industries.

By design, TEPHI is a collaborative agency with partnerships across various state agencies, such as the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) and the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), local health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), academic institutions, business entities, and community organizations.

Please follow TEPHI on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on the latest TEPHI news and how our latest efforts are helping Texas prepare.

There are many opportunities to become involved with TEPHI. Consider obtaining the TEPHI certificate in Pandemic Preparedness and Response. This certificate program includes 4 self-paced online courses and an online tabletop exercise. Soon, TEPHI will offer continuing professional education and other courses to enhance individual and community resiliency.