Brenda Phillips is a Professor in the Fire and Emergency Management Program and a Senior Researcher with the Center for the Study of Disasters and Extreme Events at Oklahoma State University in the U.S.. She co-edited Women and Disasters: From Theory to Practice, and is the author of Disaster Recovery and the lead researcher for a National Council on Disability project titled Effective Emergency Management: Making Improvements for Communities and People with Disabilities. Professor Phillips has conducted research on disaster vulnerability since 1982, beginning as a student of E.L. Quarantelli at The Ohio State University's Disaster Research Center. Her published research can be found in a variety of journals including the International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, Disaster Prevention, Disasters, Humanity and Society, the Journal of Emergency Management, Natural Hazards Review, and Environmental Hazards.