Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance presents at Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine, Pacific Command health and security symposium
01.16.2015
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – Staff members from the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM) supported the Asia-Pacific Regional Strategies for Health and Security Symposium at the Naval Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Jan. 12-16.
Conducted jointly by the Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine (CDHAM), U.S. Pacific Command Surgeon, and the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, the symposium focused on civil and military considerations at the nexus of health and security in the Asia-Pacific region.
Dr. Imes Chiu, applied research lead for CFE-DM, organized and led two panel discussions. The first was a case study panel on the November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan response, and included representatives from the Philippine Department of Health, U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, U.S. Pacific Command, the Development Academy of the Philippines, Philippine Department of Health's Doctors to the Barrios Program, Médecins Sans Frontières and International Medical Corps.
“Through the response to the typhoon, best practices were learned that are now used for preparedness activities in all national and local departments,” said Dr. Carmencita A. Banatin, former director of the Health Emergency Management staff for the Philippine Department of Health (DOH). “The DOH developed strategic planning areas, and… good working relationships with agencies, the private sector and NGOs.”
The second panel focused on climate change, national security and public health, and included representatives from Columbia University’s Earth Institute, University of Hawaii’s National Disaster Preparedness Training Center, and the National Defense University.
“It was very beneficial to have the academic perspective – the ones really doing the research – alongside the government personnel who can then discuss the policy changes taking place as the result of climate change,” said Chiu.
Additionally, John Miller, a disaster management and humanitarian advisor for CFE-, presented a brief on the variety and diversity of actors present during disaster response in the Asia-Pacific.
The symposium was the first organized by the Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine for the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility.
Dr. Imes Chiu (left), applied research lead for the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance, leads a case study panel on the November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan response during the Asia-Pacific Regional Strategies for Health and Security Symposium on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Jan. 14. Panel members included René Van Slate, humanitarian assistance advisor to U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) for the U.S. Agency for International Development, Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance; Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Krauz, joint planner, Future Operations, U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM); Marine Corps Lt. Col. Whit Parker, Crisis Response Branch chief, Future Operations, USPACOM; Cmdr. Brad Donnelly, Deployable Joint Task Force Augmentation Cell Planning Branch chief, USPACOM; and representatives from the Philippines’ Department of Health, the Development Academy of the Philippines, and Médecins Sans Frontières participated via Skype.
John Miller, a disaster management and humanitarian advisor for the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance, presented a brief on the variety and diversity of actors present during disaster response in the Asia-Pacific during the Asia-Pacific Regional Strategies for Health and Security Symposium on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Jan. 14. Conducted jointly by the Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine, U.S. Pacific Command Surgeon, and the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, the symposium focused on civil and military considerations at the nexus of health and security in the Asia-Pacific region.