Lessons learned from Disaster Research Exercises in California and Texas

In an effort to build national capacity for rapid research after disasters, NIH began the Disaster Research Response project in 2013. As part of the project, NIH held multiple events that brought together researchers, communities, worker and labor representatives, federal, state and local officials to discuss existing capacity to conduct rapid research, the need for research in disasters and development of partnerships and protocols to allow for timely data collection on the health impacts to workers.

Table Top exercises were held in April 2014 at the Port of Los Angeles and in March 2015 in Houston, Texas. Both exercises introduced the disaster research concept and used a disaster scenario to encourage active discussion among participants. Potential research questions and protocols for studying response workers were presented.  

Participants noted that while many universities are able to conduct research in a rapid timeframe, pre-existing relationships to ensure data collected is shared with decision making authorities may not exist. Researchers are often unfamiliar with the incident command system and may not be fully integrated in to a response.  Involving the community and workers from day one was a critical message at both events as this involvement is critical to providing lifesaving information to front line workers.

This session will explore lessons learned from both exercises, differences in capacity identified, existing systems for research on worker health post disasters, opportunities for workers and researchers to collaborate on important post-disaster questions and training potential for researchers, with an emphasis on integration into emergency management systems.