The Uniformed Services University’s National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health (NCDMPH) has named the University of Washington’s Center for Disaster Resilient Communities as a partner in a newly established Joint Disaster Medicine and Public Health Ecosystem. This Ecosystem, which is intended to enhance the nation’s disaster response capabilities, will collaborate with medical and public health partners across the country to facilitate quick mobilization of resources during emergencies.
“We’re delighted to have been selected as an inaugural partner for the Joint Disaster Medicine and Public Health Ecosystem,” shared Nicole A. Errett, director of the Center for Disaster Resilient Communities and assistant professor of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences. “Our center was formed to leverage the interdisciplinary strengths of the UW to help realize more rapid advances in the field of disaster science, a vision this new Ecosystem is attempting to implement at the national level.”
The NCDMPH is both a federal organization and an academic center that is governed by the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, State, Transportation and Veterans Affairs. The NCDMPH acts as a bridge between federal agencies and higher education, facilitating collaboration in disaster medicine and public health. The Ecosystem consists of 18 initial partners with a focus on three key pillars – science, operations and education – to enhance readiness and response during emergencies.
“We look forward to collaborating with the NCDMPH and other Ecosystem partners to support development of core disaster curriculum, research and training to strengthen the nation’s readiness to respond to disasters,” said Youngjun Choe, the deputy director of the Center for Disaster Resilient Communities and associate professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering. “The UW has a lot of expertise to offer, and also a lot we can learn from others, so this is a timely new partnership for our center.”
Learn more about the Ecosystem by visiting the Uniformed Services University website.