The Center for Disaster Resilient Communities is offering ENVH 408, “Disaster Risk Reduction, Resilience and Population Health,” during spring quarter 2026. This one-credit course will be graded credit/no credit and will meet on Wednesdays from 12:30 – 1:20 p.m. in Health Sciences Education Building Room 145 on the University of Washington Seattle campus.
This seminar series will examine current research, policy and practice issues related to disaster risk reduction and resilience. Through a series of guest lectures by leading experts, the course will adopt an interdisciplinary lens to explore how disaster risk reduction and resilience influence population health and well-being. It will also highlight various academic pathways available to students interested in pursuing careers in this vital field.
The scheduled topics and speakers are:
- April 8, Geology is Destiny: What We Do and Don’t Know About the Next Cascadia Mega-Earthquake and Tsunami, with Harold Tobin
- April 15, Achieving Earthquake Resilience of Civil Infrastructure, with Laura Lowes
- April 22, Prevention & Control of Pandemics: The Role of Medicines and Pharmacists, with Andy Stergachis
- April 29, Artificial Intelligence for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience, with John Choe
- May 6, Redefining Public Health Preparedness and Response in the United States, with Resham Patel
- May 13, Wildfire Events, Public Health Implications and Research Opportunities, with Elena Austin
- May 20, Applied Epidemiology in Disaster Contexts, with Joan Casey
- May 27, Risk Communication Strategic for Disaster Resilience, with Ann Bostrom
- June 3, Hospital Care During Disasters in the US, Assuring Access and Coordinating the Surge, with Steve Mitchell
Each lecture is open to all interested faculty, students, staff, alumni and members of the community.