Research Priorities in Emergency Preparedness and Response

for

Public Health Systems

Board on Health Sciences Policy

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Keck Building

Room 100

500 Fifth St., NW

Washington, DC 20001

Workshop Goals

• Identify the most promising near-term (3-5 year) opportunities to improve the public health systems responsible for emergency preparedness and response for catastrophic events
  • Each speaker has been asked to specifically identify 1-2 areas where there are gaps in knowledge in public health systems and a set of short-term research priorities to help address them
• Identify research opportunities for emergency preparedness and response in public health systems that are relevant to the specific expertise resident at schools of public health
  • Each priority should have measurable outcomes that will likely result in near-term improvements to public health systems for preparedness over the next 3 to 5 years.

 *** Please note a continental breakfast will be available at 8:00 a.m. for all attendees

8:00 a.m.          Welcome and Introductions

Kenneth Shine

Committee Chair

Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs

The University of Texas System

8:15 a.m.          Background and Charge to the Committee

Richard Besser

Director

Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

8:30 a.m.          Public Health System Research: Survey of the Field, Gaps and Near Terms Needs       

Irwin Redlener

Director, National Center for Disaster Preparedness

Associate Dean for Public Health Preparedness

Clinical Professor of Population and Family Health

Mailman School of Public Health

Columbia University

8:45 a.m.          Perspectives from Schools of Public Health

Harrison Spencer

President and CEO

Association of Schools of Public Health

Session Objective: To identify research opportunities that may be used to develop and evaluate strategies and tools that can be used to train and exercise the public health workforce to meet responsibilities for detection, mitigation, and recovery in varied settings and populations.

Kenneth Shine, Session Chair

Committee Chair

Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs

The University of Texas System

9:00 a.m.          Panel Discussion: Preparing the Public Health Workforce

Each panelist will be asked to speak for 10 minutes to give his or her perspective on research gaps and priorities.  

Ed Baker

Director

North Carolina Institute for Public Health

University of North Carolina School of Public Health

Debra Olson

Associate Dean of Public Health Practice

University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Brian Flynn

Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress

Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry

Department of Psychiatry

Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences

 
Sally Phillips

Director

Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Rebecca Head

Health Officer

Monroe County Public Health Department

National Association of County and City Health Officials 

10:00 a.m.        Discussion with Committee

Kenneth Shine, Session Chair

Committee Chair

Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs

The University of Texas System

10:40 a.m.       BREAK

Session Objective: To identify research opportunities that would allow for improved availability and usefulness of scenario modeling and forecasting and knowledge management tools during crisis decision-making.

Martha Hill, Session Chair

Committee Vice-Chair

Dean

The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

10:55 a.m.        Panel Discussion: Improving Information Management

Each panelist will be asked to speak for 10 minutes to give his or her perspective on research gaps and priorities.  

Steven Phillips

Associate Director for Specialized Information Services

National Library of Medicine

John Harrald

Director

Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management

George Washington University

Steven H. Hinrichs

University of Nebraska

Stokes-Shackleford Professor of Pathology

Department of Pathology/Microbiology

Director, Center for Biosecurity

Director, Nebraska Public Health Laboratory

Gus Birkhead

Deputy Commissioner, Office of Public Health

New York State Department of Health

11:40 a.m.        Discussion with Committee

Martha Hill, Session Chair

Committee Vice-Chair

Dean

The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

12:30 p.m.       Lunch

Note: Lunch will be provided in the lobby outside the meeting room for committee members, workshop speakers, and attendees

Steven H. Hinrichs

University of Nebraska

Stokes-Shackleford Professor of Pathology

Department of Pathology/Microbiology

Director, Center for Biosecurity

Director, Nebraska Public Health Laboratory

Session Objective: To identify research opportunities and evaluate characteristics of effective risk communication in emergency settings and system enhancements to improve effective information exchange across diverse partners and populations under emergency conditions.

Kenneth Shine, Session Chair

Committee Chair

Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs

The University of Texas System

1:00 p.m.          Panel Discussion: Improving Timely Emergency Communications

Each panelist will be asked to speak for 10 minutes to give his or her perspective on research gaps and priorities.  

Nancy McKelvey

Chief Nurse

American Red Cross

David Ropeik

Risk Communication Consultant

Barbara Cochran

President

Radio-Television News Directors Association

Jayne Lux

Director, Global Health Benefits Institute

National Business Group on Health

1:45 p.m.          Discussion with Committee

Kenneth Shine, Session Chair

Committee Chair

Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs

The University of Texas System

2:30 p.m.         BREAK

Session Objective: To identify research opportunities that will result in improved identification of health vulnerabilities and evaluation of interventions designed to lessen the risk of poor health outcomes.

Martha Hill, Session Chair

Committee Vice-Chair

Dean

The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

2:45 p.m.          Panel Discussion: Protecting Vulnerable Populations in Emergencies

Each panelist will be asked to speak for 10 minutes to give his or her perspective on research gaps and priorities.  

George Foltin

Director

Center for Pediatric Emergency Medicine

NYU Medical Center

Eric Baumgartner

Director

Office of Policy and Program Development

Louisiana Public Health Institute

Maureen Lichtveld

Chair

Department of Environmental Health Science

Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine

Michelle Gourdine

Deputy Secretary of Public Health Services

Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Monica Schoch-Spana

Senior Fellow

Center for BioSecurity

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

3:40 p.m.          Discussion with Committee

Martha Hill, Session Chair

Committee Vice-Chair

Dean

The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

4:25 p.m.          Discussion with Meeting Participants and Audience

Kenneth Shine

Committee Chair

Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs

The University of Texas System

Martha Hill

Committee Vice-Chair

Dean

The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

5:00 p.m.         WORKSHOP ADJOURN FOR THE DAY

Session V: panel discussion

Strengthening response systems

summary and GENERAL DISCUSSION