CFE-DM Conducts 19th Annual H.E.L.P. Course
07.29.2016
The Center conducted it’s 19th annual Health Emergencies in Large Populations (H.E.L.P.) course in collaboration with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and partnership with the University of Hawaii’s Office of Public Health Studies from 18-29 July 2016 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Center’s H.E.L.P. course is one of eleven H.E.L.P. courses coordinated globally on behalf of the ICRC, WHO, recognized training centers and academia. This year’s H.E.L.P. course consisted of 29 civilian, military, International Non-Governmental Organization, and academic public health, medical, and disaster management delegates representing nine nationalities from the Indo-Asia-Pacific region and North America. The H.E.L.P. course is a two-week, graduate-level training course, providing participants with a multi-disciplinary understanding of the major public health issues to be addressed among populations affected by natural disasters and complex emergencies.
Field experienced faculty supporting the course consisted of subject matter experts from the Center, Stanford University’s School of Medicine, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, RedR Australia, Save the Children USA, InSiTu Training,and other academic and humanitarian training organizations. Rear Admiral Brian S. Pecha, Command Surgeon, U.S. Pacific Command, provided opening remarks for the course, followed by Dr. Frederick “Skip” Burkle, Senior Fellow and Scientist at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, discussing the Changing Aspects of Humanitarian Assistance and the Professionalization of Emergency Medical Teams in disasters and complex emergency responses.
Dr. Burkle’s support to the Center’s H.E.L.P course is notable, as he worked tirelessly for four years to advocate for a first-of-its-kind partnership with the ICRC and WHO on behalf of the Center, recognizing the rapidly growing need in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region for civil-military coordination in natural disasters and complex emergencies. Since the inception of the Center's execution of the H.E.L.P. course in 1997, Dr. Burkle has continuously contributed to the course in Honolulu and abroad, mentoring the next generation of humanitarians and public health practitioners and maintaining strong ties with the ICRC, WHO, and academic training centers. The Center is honored to have his continued support and facilitation of discussions with H.E.L.P. course participants, illuminating the challenges and opportunities for engagement in humanitarian action and disaster medicine.
Throughout this year’s two week H.E.L.P. course, participants learned through presentations, case studies, and simulations the essential public health, health care, management, planning, legal and ethical issues and approaches in humanitarian action. The course emphasizes a multi-disciplinary approach, weaving innovative trends, regional challenges, and lessons learned from recent natural disasters and complex emergencies into the curriculum and discussions. The Ebola Virus Disease response, Typhoon Haiyan, the Nepal Earthquake, Haiti Earthquake, and challenges preparing and responding to urban humanitarian emergencies were among a few topics facilitated by the Center and supporting faculty.
The Center is looking forward to celebrating it’s 20th year conducting the H.E.L.P. course in 2017, having trained over 500 participants to date. The objectives of the H.E.L.P. course remain more relevant than ever as humanitarian action has become more complex and the constraints involved in carrying them out are increasingly difficult to overcome. As such, training humanitarian, civilian, and military personnel in the management of operations in humanitarian crises remains a high priority.
2016 ICRC/CFE-DM H.E.L.P. course participant photo in Honolulu, Hawaii.
From Right to Left: Mr. Doug Wallace, Acting Director, CFE-DM, Dr. Frederick “Skip” Burkle, Senior Fellow & Scientist, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Dr. Kathryn Braun, Director, UH Office of Public Health Studies, Mr. Craig Jaques, H.E.L.P. Course Coordinator, CFE-DM
H.E.L.P course participants working in teams to apply practical, field-based principles and standards from the The Sphere Handbook to emergency camp operations and sheltering for affected populations.