Description

This online, interactive session will address the place of public health in the history of disaster. Dr. Keller will discuss contemporary crises such as Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami, and the Chicago and Paris heat waves. The session will focus on health and social risks in these crises and the factors that shape poor outcomes for vulnerable populations.

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.

Presenter

Richard Keller, PhD, is a researcher and historian, and his work lies at the intersection of the history and ethnography of European and global health. His first book, Colonial Madness: Psychiatry in French North Africa (University of Chicago Press, 2007), is a study of cross-cultural psychiatry in the twentieth century that examines behavioral science, mental health, and ideas about race in the contexts of colonialism and immigration in France. He is now at work on two new research themes. The first is a study of the social determinants of vulnerability in the European heat wave of 2003, focusing on Paris and its suburbs, which has been supported by the City of Paris and the National Science Foundation. The second project examines the institutional and ideological links between colonial medicine and the globalization of public health. His work has appeared in the Journal of Social History, the Bulletin of the History of Medicine, and Historical Geography, among other periodicals.

Learner Objectives

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

• Recognize social risk factors that increase vulnerability to environmental hazards

• Identify historical cases in which environmental and technological hazards have resulted in poor health outcomes

• Discuss policy initiatives that could promote greater resilience among vulnerable populations in the face of natural disasters

Target Audience

This session would be appropriate for the following audiences:

• Local and state public health practitioners
• Public health nurses
• Local and state emergency management staff
• Physicians and other health care professionals
• State and local policymakers

Slides and Related Resources

Presentation slides

Play the recorded presentation [ 13 MB ]

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