Elizabeth "Betsy" Walls, RN, the retired director of personal health for the Chester County Health Department, has been honored with an award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She was recognized as Pennsylvania's PHEP Trailblazer, in celebration of the CDC's 20th anniversary of the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Program and Walls' decades-long service to public health. Walls, a registered nurse, helped to establish the PHEP Program and Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) in Chester County. The PHEP awards are given to individuals who have worked tirelessly to protect their communities from a range of public threats.

Walls is a graduate of the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing and Widener University Graduate School of Nursing and Business. She went on to serve the Delaware County Memorial Hospital in nursing, nurse administration and nurse education for over 30 years and Penn Medicine Chester County as a nursing supervisor for seven years. Included in her career is a decade of service as a flight nurse for the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, which took her to Cuba, Germany, Japan and other locations.

Her commitment to public service continued through the Chester County Health Department, where she served as director of personal health for 18 years. During her time at the Health Department, Walls was instrumental in creating Chester County's Medical Countermeasures Program, formerly the Strategic National Stockpile program, which brought together partners throughout the county to dispense medical countermeasures to county residents, employees and visitors if needed. She also helped to establish Chester County's Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and was part of the county's health and emergency response for incidents including Hurricanes Floyd, Isabel and Sandy; the ice storm in 2014; and the COVID-19 pandemic, during which she completed more than 600 hours of service. She continues to volunteer with medical efforts in multiple counties. Additionally, she has led many trainings and exercises throughout the region. Walls noted her appreciation for the support and skills of her colleagues throughout her career.

Walls has also held several notable leadership roles with the Delaware County Nurse Association, Pennsylvania Nursing Association and Pennsylvania Nurses Foundation. Her assistance with the development and implementation of volunteer education operations has contributed to Chester and Delaware counties' vaccination efforts.