142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Reviewing Responses to National Incidents and new Opportunities for timely research to better understand health impacts and resiliency

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 : 8:30 AM - 8:50 AM

Aubrey Miller, MD, MPH , Office of the Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
Nicole Lurie, M.D., M.S.P.H. , U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Secretary, Washington, DC
Diane DiEuliis, PhD. , Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC
Sam Groseclose, DVM, MPH, DACVPM , Office of Science and Public Health Practice Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response (OPHPR), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA

After 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, H1N1 flu epidemic, the Deep Water Horizon (DWH) Oil Spill, Hurricane Sandy and other disasters, the need to collect data and information rapidly following a disaster to explore both short term as well as longitudinal health concerns and effects has been increasingly raised by the CDC, NIH, ASPR and others. Unfortunately, our disaster preparedness and response efforts have not focused on such concerns and the necessary infrastructure (funding mechanisms, institutional review boards, scientific oversight, data collection, referral networks) to support the timely research within a disaster setting.  Use of surveillance data and information collected during a crisis, although highly beneficial for response efforts, are not a substitute for timely and properly conducted health and scientific research to address longitudinal questions and concerns. Robust epidemiologic studies and medical testing can be critical to understanding the many uncertainties surrounding these situations and enabling good decision-making, asset allocation, and recovery. This presentation will identify some of the major issues from recent disaster experiences, conferences, and articles  in performing timely research in response to an Incident.  Additionally, the DWH and Hurricane Sandy responses will be used to illustrate recent efforts to fund research, deploy the research community, build community-based participation in response to these situations.  Additionally, evolving national strategies and opportunities to further our capabilities for time research to better understand health impacts and resiliency will be discussed.  

Learning Areas:

Environmental health sciences
Epidemiology
Occupational health and safety
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Discuss national recommendations to improve disaster response, recent efforts for funding and collaborations of researchers, and strategic priorities for moving critical research responses forward.

Keyword(s): Disasters, Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Aubrey Miller, M.D., M.P.H. is the Senior Medical Advisor and NIEHS liaison to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He is a medical epidemiologist and a Captain in the U.S. Public Health Service, who has longstanding experience wide range of occupational and environmental health issues and has provided leadership, expertise, and coordination for multi-agency emergency responses, such as the Libby Montana asbestos situation, the anthrax attacks in Washington, DC, and Hurricane Katrina.
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.