The University of Washington’s Center for Disaster Resilient Communities, in collaboration with a number of partners, is developing a regional public health emergency preparedness and response center for HHS Region 10, which includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and 272 Tribal Nations. Unlike traditional university-based research, this project is practitioner-led, with input from professionals in public health, emergency management, education, healthcare and tribal organizations. Through iterative discussions and meetings, key priorities have been identified, including improving communication, enhancing workforce capacity and…
Center updates
May 21 event to explore connections between hazards, behavior and health
The University of Washington Center for Disaster Resilient Communities and Population Health Initiative are hosting a third and final lunch-and-learn event of the academic year with Dr. Joe Wartman on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 from 12 – 1 p.m. Pacific in the UW’s Hans Rosling Center for Population Health, room 101, and via Zoom. Lunch will be provided for in-person attendees. Dr. Wartman is a Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Director of the UW’s Natural Hazards Reconnaissance (RAPID)…
Examining public housing authorities’ roles, responsibilities in state-level disaster planning
Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) – through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – are responsible for the oversight of federally assisted housing. However, climate change has contributed to increasing natural disaster events, often severely impacting renters receiving federal housing. This, combined with the ongoing housing crisis and consistent underfunding, has left PHAs struggling to keep up with numerous demands, especially in the realm of disaster planning. New research from the University of Washington explores and documents the roles…
April 3 earthquake lunch-and-learn with Judith Mitrani-Reiser of NIST
The University of Washington Center for Disaster Resilient Communities, UW Population Health Initiative and the Cascadia CoPes Hub are hosting a lunch-and-learn event with Dr. Judith Mitrani-Reiser on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Pacific in the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health, room 101, and via Zoom. Lunch will be provided for in-person attendees. Dr. Mitrani-Reiser is the Senior Research Scientist in the Materials and Structural Systems Division (Engineering Laboratory) of the National Institute of Standards…
IDEAAL DR2 applications from graduate students and early-career researchers are due March 29
The Center for Disaster Resilient Communities has opened the annual application period for its summer training program, Increasing Diversity in and Equitable Access to Applied Learning in Disaster Research Response: IDEAAL DR2, with applications due on March 29, 2024. This program offers training in environmental and public health disaster research methods and skills for up to 25 advanced graduate students and early career hazards and disaster researchers from across the United States. IDEAAL DR2 offers online pre-course training not to…
Event to explore data ecosystem for public health emergency preparedness, response
The University of Washington Population Health Initiative and the new UW Center for Disaster Resilient Communities are hosting a lunch-and-learn event regarding development of a regional data ecosystem model for public health emergency preparedness and response on Monday, February 26, 2024 from 12 – 1 p.m. Pacific in the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health, room 101. Youngjun Choe, associate professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering, and Resham Patel, assistant teaching professor of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, will offer…
Help shape a future Region 10 Center for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
CDC’s Office of Readiness and Response has selected the University of Washington Center for Disaster Resilient Communities, in partnership with Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, to facilitate the development of a five-year work plan for a Center for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (PHEPR) serving Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and the 272 Tribal Nations in Region 10. This future Region 10 PHEPR Center will be one of several nationwide centers that will focus on improving the uptake of…
The need for improved sensor science to measure environmental exposures to disasters
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) launched the Disaster Research Response (DR2) program and infrastructure in 2013 to improve the capacity for timely environmental health research following disasters. Despite this investment, a recent article co-authored by Nicole Errett, faculty director of the Center for Disaster Resilient Communities, notes that research gaps remain in this space, with a major challenge being the development and deployment of cost-effective sensors for post-disaster exposure assessments. In the article, the team of authors…
PHEER network to build capacity for fast, effective responses to public health crises
The increasing number of extreme events such as heat waves and wildfires has revealed a critical gap in systemic data collection. In response, the National Science Foundation, with supplemental funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has launched the Public Health Extreme Events Research (PHEER) network to serve as the coordinating platform for the public health disaster research community of practice. PHEER is comprised of public health experts from universities in four U.S. states, including Nicole Errett of…
Help Create a Region 10 Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Center
The University of Washington Center for Disaster Resilient Communities (CDRC) was selected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of Readiness and Responses’ Office of Applied Research to lead the development of a regional public health emergency preparedness and response (PHEPR) center work plan that will help prepare the Northwest for disasters and emergencies. This Region 10 PHEPR Center will serve Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and its 271 Tribal Nations. To inform the development of the Region…