The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Session: War and Public Health: Historical Overview and Contemporary Issues
1002.0: Saturday, November 9, 2002: 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
Oral
War and Public Health: Historical Overview and Contemporary Issues
Statement of Purpose and Institute Overview:
This institute aims to provide public health professionals and students with an overview of historical and contemporary trends in human warfare; a heightened awareness of the effects of militarism and violent conflict on human health and societal institutions; suggestions on how educators might incorporate subjects related to war into health professional schools' curricula; and a forum for discussion of ways in which the public health community can work with governmental and non-governmental organizations to promote justice and increase peace worldwide. Participants will hopefully gain a more integrated understanding of the effects of war on public health, and be energized to work to diminish the injustices that both lead to and result from war.
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of the institute, the participants will be able to: 1. Understand the sociological roots of human conflict. 2. Describe the chronological development of weapons and the epidemiology of warfare. 3. Discuss the development, historical uses, and contemporary threats from weapons of mass destruction. 4. Analyze public health approaches to primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. 5. Become familiar with the philosophy which guided, and the consequences of, human subject experimentation in World War II. 6. Apply ethical lessons learned to contemporary dilemmas in public health and research ethics. 7. Understand the epidemiology of the health consequences of the deployment of land mines 8. Assess current efforts to limit land mine use and increase demining technology and applications 9. Become familiar with the health consequences of conflicts on civilian populations, particularly with respect to human health and human rights. 10. Articulate approaches to mini1 - Understand the effects of the development, deployment, and use of weapons on the environment 11. Articulate approaches to environmental cleanup minimizing collateral damage. 12. Discuss the roots of terrorism. 13. Analyze the consequences of terrorist attacks, as well as how they might be prevented. 14. Assess the causes and public health consequences of these wars. 15. Analyze the ways in which the public health community can respond to current world crises. 16. Become familiar with poems and works of fiction and non-fiction relevant to the study of war and public health. 17. Articulate ways in which literature can be employed to teach health professions students about ethical, policy, and health issues relevant to human conflict. 18. Recognize the role health professionals have played in various peace movements, particularly those of the 20th and 21st Centuries, as well as the roles they might play today 19. Articulate the reasons for successes and failures of organizations promoting peace
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement and author's information.
Panelist(s):Victor W. Sidel, MD
Barry S. Levy, MD, MPH
Catherine Thomasson, MD
Organizer(s):Martin T Donohoe, MD, FACP
9:00 AMIntroduction of topic and faculty
9:15 AMBiological, Chemical and Nuclear Weapons
Martin T Donohoe, MD, FACP, Victor W. Sidel, MD, Barry Levy, MD, MPH
10:15 AMQ & A
10:25 AMHuman subject experimentation and public health in World War II Germany and Japan: Lessons for contemporary science and ethics
Martin T Donohoe, MD, FACP
10:50 AMBreak
11:20 AMLand Mines
Martin T Donohoe, MD, FACP
11:30 AMCollateral damage - The impact of wars on civilian populations
12:30 PMLunch Break
1:30 PMEffects of war on the environment
Martin T Donohoe, MD, FACP
1:40 PMTerrorism and public health
Barry S. Levy, MD, MPH
2:10 PMWar in Afghanistan / The war on terrorism
Catherine Thomasson, MD, Catherine Thomasson, MD
2:55 PMQ & A
3:10 PMBreak
3:40 PMEthical issues involving mixed agency of military health professionals
Barry Levy, MD, MPH, Victor W. Sidel, MD
4:10 PMLiterary selections relevant to the study of war and public health
Martin T Donohoe, MD, FACP
4:25 PMHistory of the peace movement
Victor W. Sidel, MD
4:45 PMPanel Group Discussion
4:55 PMClose
Organized by:APHA-Continuing Education Institutes
CE Credits:CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA