Focus on Disaster Medicine and Preparedness

Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Beth Macy Beth Macy’s Dopesick is a heartbreaking trajectory that illustrates how America’s twenty-plus year struggle with opioid addiction has persisted for this long and has become so firmly entrenched in practically every corner of our country—from desolate cities to once idyllic farm towns. Tune in as Beth Macy joins Dr. Maurice Pickard to illuminate the persistent and often conflicting gaps in the treatment and criminal-justice landscapes while shining a hopeful light on the heroes battling the worst drug epidemic in American history.

Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, Author of "The Locum Life: A Physician's Guide to Locum Tenens" There is still a great deal to learn about the long term effects of blast injuries on military personnel. Emerging evidence suggests that exposure to a blast can produce both overt and subtle neurological consequences in the brain, but much remains unknown. Host Dr. Andrew Wilner is joined by Dr. Jack Tsao, Director of Traumatic Brain Injury Programs for the US Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, and Professor of Neurology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He is a Captain in the United States Navy, and an expert in detection and prevention of traumatic brain injury in active duty military personnel.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP In the aftermath of mass violence, from September 11th to the Paris attack to the Orlando shooting, fear and confusion often dominate the public consciousness. Unfortunately, most clinicians are not trained in tactical medicine to respond in times of crisis such as these. But a small subset of survuval medicine experts are working to change this pattern. Dr. Brian McDonough speaks with Dr. Joseph Alton, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of OB/GYN, and author of The Survival Medicine Handbook: A Guide for When Help is Not on the Way. The two discuss key survival and disaster response considerations for clinicians caught in violently dangerous situations.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Denise Daniels, Peabody Award-wining broadcast journalist, author, and child development expert who specializes in the social and emotional development of children. Ms. Daniels talks about the challenges in helping children cope with the consistent exposure to tragic news around the world stemming from terrorism, wars, and natural disasters.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Dr. Matt Birnholz sits down with Dr. Andrew Bern, an emergency physician and independent health care consultant in South Florida. They discuss the process of forming specialty sections in ACEP, and focus on Dr. Bern's role in the evolving Disaster Medicine subspecialty through his continuing work in Ecuador. Dr. Bern, a former member of ACEP's Board of Directors, is a founding member of the Disaster, Geriatric, Tactical, Telemedicine and Disaster medicine sections at ACEP.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Dr. Matt Birnholz sits down with Dr. Carl Schultz, Research Director at the Center for Disaster Medical Sciences at University of California, Irvine. Dr. Schultz is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the UC Irvine and recipient of the Disaster Medical Science Award at ACEP. He talks about the challenges of securing funding for disaster relief in the field and the integration of citizen volunteers in a disaster incident.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr Ken Yeager, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Ohio State University School of Medicine. Dr. Yeager examines how physicians can help their patients handle the stress of a "24-hour news world" with depictions and images of disasters coming into their homes every day.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD Dr. Matt Birnholz welcomes Dr. Clifton Callaway, Professor and Executive Vice Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine. Dr. Callaway received ACEP's Outstanding Contribution to Research Award for his more than two decades of research dedicated to improving brain resuscitation after cardiac arrest. He joins Dr. Birnholz to discuss a research-guided evolution in resuscitation protocols based on improved physiological understandings of secondary brain injuries, comas, and recoveries.

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP Joining Dr. Brian McDonough to discuss clinical approaches to endemic fears and anxieties spread by acts of mass violence and terrorism, both abroad and within the U.S, is Dr. Arthur Caplan, Professor and founding Director of the Division of Medical Ethics in NYU Langone Medical Center’s Department of Population Health.

Guest: George Korch, PhD Host: Bruce Japsen The federal government has acknowledged the United States needs to overhaul its effort to develop better measures to counter pandemic flus and bioterrorist threats. So with nearly $2 billion committed, Dr. George Korch, secretary of preparedness and response at the US Department of Health and Human Services, tells host Bruce Japsen about how this new initiative should improve the system of developing and manufacturing drugs and vaccines to prepare for public health crises.

Guest: Karen DeSalvo, MD Host: Bruce Japsen Five years after Hurricane Katrina, the horrific memories of disaster and devastation remain, but the healthcare system has created a legacy of resilience for the city's safety net and a potential national model beyond the primary care medical home. Dr. Karen DeSalvo, professor of medicine at the Tulane School of Medicine and a leader in the health system's post-Katrina recovery, tells host Bruce Japsen about the new community-based effort that has since been created to improve medical care delivery in New Orleans.

Guest: Edward Mello, Jr Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP It takes the entire community working together to effectively respond to a disaster. Trained first responders and medical professionals are key to saving lives. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants play a vital role, but it's crucial that community agencies know your specialties and how you can to be best utilized before a disaster strikes. Nurse practitioner Lt. Colonel Ed Mello joins host Mimi Secor to discuss how advanced practice clinicians can be involved in disaster training and what goes into becoming part of a disaster team.

Guest: Angela Gardner, MD Host: Bruce Japsen As healthcare reforms take place, changes are also in the offing in the emergency department amid demands that EDs be able to turn attention from treatment of routine conditions to disasters and other true emergencies. Dr. Angela Gardner, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, tells host Bruce Japsen about tomorrow's needs for the emergency department, which will have a greater role as health reform is implemented and patients seek primary care.

Guest: Maureen Lichtveld, MD, MPH Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Long after the clean-up process from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is complete along the Gulf of Mexico, we'll still be examining the health effects of this catastrophe. While there is a wealth of information on the health effects of specific contaminants, the effects are less known regarding mixtures of contaminants. What are some of the immediate and potential long-term health risks (both mental and physical) of this disaster? Dr. Maureen Lichtveld, professor and chair of the department of environmental health sciences at the Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana, discusses the role of physicians in this type of public health disaster. How are we identifying the populations most at risk of experiencing health effects from the oil spill, and what are some of the most effective risk communication strategies for these populations? What types of surveillance methods are being used? What can we learn from this disaster to be more prepared for the next? Dr. Maurice Pickard hosts.

Guest: Thomas Kirsch, MD, MPH Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Triage isn't the only issue facing healthcare professionals during the acute phase of responding to a disaster: there are also the challenges of limited resources and staffing, as well as the mental and physical preparedness of the medical response team. Dr. Thomas Kirsch, co-director of the Center for Refugee and Disaster Response in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, assistant professor and the director of operations for the department of emergency medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response, describes his on-the-ground experiences during the first few months after the Haiti earthquake and reflects on the acute phase of the response there. What are some of the lessons learned from Haiti that we can apply to future crises, and what parts of the response were effective? Our guest also discusses the need for ethical training for disaster response teams. Dr. Maurice Pickard hosts.

Guest: Sanjay Gupta, MD Host: Matt Birnholz, MD The role of a physician-journalist reporting from the immediate aftermath of a disaster area is not easily defined, and poses both logistic challenges and ethical questions in caring for patients. Is media coverage of physician involvement in disasters altruistic or self-serving? Our guest Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon and chief medical correspondent for the Health, Medical & Wellness unit at CNN, was one of the first physician journalists to report from the earthquake in Haiti, and joins us to discuss balancing reporting as a journalist during a disaster and caring for patients. Is journalistic objectivity compromised when broadcast media feature live coverage of physicians treating patients? Hosted by Dr. Matthew Birnholz.    

Guest: Richard Besser, MD Host: Jennifer Shu, MD The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plays a significant role in preparing for and responding to public health emergencies. How has the CDC's emergency response process changed for the better in recent years, particularly as we apply lessons from our response to Hurricane Katrina, and what improvements can still be made? How can we maintain continuity of care among multiple providers during these discombobulating times? Dr. Richard Besser, pediatrician and director of the CDC's Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response, explores the critical role of doctors on the local level to prepare for emergencies and take action once they occur. Dr. Besser also encourages us to think about personal response and communication plans, as well as stockpiling supply strategies. Dr. Jennifer Shu hosts.

Guest: Richard Besser, MD Host: Jennifer Shu, MD One major goal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is to help prepare the public for emerging health threats. What is the status of public health emergency preparedness at the federal, state and local levels? What progress has been made in preparing our country for natural, biological, chemical and other hazards? And in the context of progress, where is there room for improvement? Dr. Richard Besser, pediatrician and director of the CDC's Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response, addresses these questions and more with host Dr. Jennifer Shu.

Guest: Narayan Nair, MD Host: Maurice Pickard, MD Guest: Robert J. Tosatto, RPh, MPH, MBA Have you thought about joining the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps?  Captain Robert Tosatto and Dr. Narayan Nair, directors of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps discuss how all medical professional can join local units to improve health literacy. The MRC works to increase disease prevention, eliminate health disparities and improve public health preparedness. They are trained to respond to emergencies and support the health infrastructure of local communities. Join host Dr. Maurice Pickard to learn more.