142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Exercising a New Model: Networks of Trained Federal, State, Academic, and Community “Research Responders”

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Linda Delp, PhD, MPH , Labor Occupational Safety & Health Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
John Morawetz, ScM , Center for Worker Health and Safety Education, International Chemical Workers Union Council/UFCW, Cincinnati, OH
James Remington, RN , Worker Education and Training Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC
The case for a deployable research capability during disaster response and recovery has been described in after action analyses of response efforts and recent journal articles. Important questions have gone unanswered because research protocols and funding have not been available in the immediate post-disaster timeframe.  Responding to a disaster, requires a unique set of skills, preparation and training, without which responders themselves can become victims.  In order for research responders to safely deploy in a disaster, training is necessary to ensure a thorough understanding of the wide range of potential hazards, personal protection, the Emergency Response Framework, and the Incident Command system.  Additionally, Research Responders need training in research protocols specific to the disaster or hazard of concern.  Utilizing existing networks of both universities and community organizations offers the chance for researchers to reach local populations in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Coordination of funding, dissemination of results and training of local workers and researchers can be facilitated through the new ‘Environmental Health Sciences Network’ being established by NIH. 

This presentation will discuss the steps required to prepare researchers, both academic and government scientists, for entry into a disaster scenario.  The outcomes of an April 2014 Table Top Exercise, hosted by UCLA-LOSH with the NIEHS, will be the basis for this discussion. Barriers identified by each stakeholder group will be explored and attendees will have the opportunity to consider the role their institution or organization may play in training or research in response to a disaster.

Learning Areas:

Environmental health sciences
Occupational health and safety

Learning Objectives:
Explain how academia, government representatives, and community members can join forces to collectively help understand the health impacts of disasters for local or national incidents. Describe training requirements for scientific research responders in a disaster.

Keyword(s): Disasters, Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been Director of the UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program (LOSH) since 2005 and am adjunct faculty in the UCLA Community Health Sciences Dept. I participate on the Cal/OSHA Advisory Committee and, as a past Chair of the APHA OHS section. I served as local host of the April Table Top Exercise for the NIEHS Disaster Research Response Project, and am an active NIEHS Grantee providing training to disaster response workers.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 5130.0: Disasters & OHS: Health surveillance, building resilience, and training