Public Health Preparedness: Roles and Contributions of a Not-for-Profit Research Institute During a Tumultuous Period in our Nation's History

Description

This online, interactive session will provide a brief overview of the history and role of not-for-profit institutes in conducting government research. Two examples of current projects will be presented. Both projects reflect the work that RTI, a not-for-profit company, is currently conducting in public health preparedness: a) Creating a Web-based software application for identifying, tracking, and locating patients and other victims during a disaster; and b) Conducting a national survey to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Advance Life Support emergency medical service providers regarding individual and community-based medical threats from cyanide exposure.

Presenter

Scott F. Wetterhall, MD, MPH, is a popular lecturer on public health topics of contemporary interest. For the past 10 years, his research interests have included issues of public health preparedness at the local, state, and federal levels. He created the surveillance system used during the 1996 Olympics. Prior to joining RTI International in 2004, he spent more than 20 years as a medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). From 1999-2004, he founded and served as Senior Medical Director to the nationally recognized DeKalb County Center for Public Health Preparedness. He is a Captain (ret.) in the U.S. Public Health Service. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. He received his MD from Tufts University (1979) and his MPH in epidemiology from the University of Washington (1989).

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session participants will be able to:

• Describe the role that not-for-profit institutes play in supporting and executing the research agenda of the federal government.
• Reassess their capacity and preparedness to identify, locate, and track victims of disasters within their own communities.
• Evaluate their community's risk of cyanide exposure, as well as their local EMS capacity to respond to these threats.

Appropriate Audience

• Local and state public health officials
• Local and state Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers
• Local and state emergency managers

Registration Information

Registration for live events is coordinated by individuals representing our partner organizations in the Northwest. See our registration information to find your nearest contact.

Slides and Related Resources

Scott Wetterhalls's PPT slides

Session Archive

Play the recorded presentation. [ 12 MB ]

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