The CSTE Disaster Epidemiology Subcommittee was established in June 2009 to bring together epidemiologists from across the subject disciplines to share best practices and collaborate on epidemiologic approaches towards improving all-hazard disaster preparedness and response capacities at local, state, regional, and national levels. Members of the Subcommittee include 78 epidemiologists from States, large cities, and CDC. Using principles of epidemiology, emergency preparedness planning and a coordinated disaster response are critical for: describing the distribution of exposures and outcomes; rapidly detecting hazards, outbreaks or clusters; identifying and implementing timely interventions; evaluating the impacts of public health efforts; and improving public health preparedness planning. The main goal of the subcommittee is to provide a framework for disaster epidemiology resulting in a unified and collaborative public health response during all phases of an emergency among local, state, regional, and national governments and partners. The CSTE Disaster Epidemiology Workshop was designed to enhance and support these goals.
The CSTE Disaster Epidemiology Workshop is intended to bring together various disciplines of epidemiology including acute and communicable disease, environmental health, occupational health, chronic disease, injury, mental health, and behavioral health from state, federal & select local public agencies to address these issues.
The purposes of the meeting are to:
- Identify primary public health stakeholders in disaster-management, their roles, and range of responsibilities as they pertain to disaster epidemiology
- Define disaster epidemiology terminology
- Identify common data elements and information sources both within and across disciplines
- Identify epidemiologic activities pertinent for each phase of the response cycle
- Highlight methods, best practices, and procedures for conducting epidemiologic activities
- Identify current disaster epidemiology activities, tools, and plans at the state, local, and national level
Michael McGeehin, the Director of the Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects at CDC, will open the meeting and plenary session. Short presentations on the history of disaster epidemiology from the federal perspective, current thinking and the role of academic institutions, and a report on disaster epidemiology in the literature will follow. The plenary session is intended to define “disaster” and the roles of public health, classify type of disasters (natural, biological, technological, intentional), introduce the disaster epidemiology conceptual model and framework, and clarify relevant phases of disaster response to identify core/common data needs and elements.
The group will then participate in breakout sessions addressing rapid needs assessment, surveillance, and epidemiologic studies. Each breakout session will discuss:
- Comprehensive reference to existing data
- First steps toward consensus on field research protocols and implementation
- Examples of current public health practices, applications, implementation, and dissemination, with the long-term goal of defining and recommending best practices
- Perspectives and needs from other entities
- Research needs and agenda to establish future directions