This course provides an overview of strategies for and challenges to planning for all types of disasters. Content includes tools and resources needed to develop and/or evaluate a facility or community all-hazards response plan and create exercises to test this plan.

This course examines the growing threat and potential public health consequences of disasters - with emphasis on terrorism-related disasters and emerging infectious diseases. On-line threaded discussions, audio and video lectures, and reading assignments will be used to introduce students to the diversity of public health challenges associated with disasters.

This course will provide the learner with an overview and understanding of the fundamentals of communicable diseases. Students will be presented with information on the microbiology of contagious pathogens, disease transmission, and infection control measures to prevent or stop the spread of communicable diseases. Emphasis will be placed on the pathogens that are likely to be used in a bioterrorism attack and new or re-emerging infectious diseases.

This course provides an overview of strategies for and challenges to planning for all types of disasters; with emphasis placed on biosecurity emergencies such as bioterrorism and outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases. Content includes tools and resources needed to develop and/or evaluate a facility or community all-hazards response plan and create exercises to test this plan.

This course will provide the learner with the descriptive and analytical tools of epidemiology and biostatistics. The student will be given data set for analysis using the Centers for Disease Control epidemiological package, EpiInfo.

The course consists of three components: 1) reading chapter in text book and any additional reading assignments; 2) reviewing lectures by the instructor on various epidemiological methods. Audio presentations are available in WebCT. These presentations are also provided in written form for students who prefer to read rather than listen to lectures. Much of the lecture material reinforces material presented in text; 3) completing three problem sets using the CDC free statistical package, EpiInfo.

This course will provide an overview of crisis communication challenges associated with disasters, including basic human communications and communication needs, the impact of stressors in communications, risk communications to communities and to crisis responders, command and control, publicly accepted crisis communication techniques, and the technologies related to crisis communications.

Students will learn the theoretical foundations of risk communication, how to apply those principles during a public health crisis, and how to formulate and institute appropriate communications plans for a variety of audiences and disaster response organizations.

Through the process of studying the mental health consequences of recent disasters, and reviewing the disaster mental health responses, the learner will gain a contextual understanding of the complexities of contemporary planning necessary for the management of psychological consequences of a large scale terrorist event, a natural disaster, or a pandemic.

EOH-581 Biosecurity Practicum

As the terminal course in the Biosecurity and Disasters program this course provides the student with the opportunity to integrate and apply biosecurity course material while developing and completing a learner-directed Terminal Project that will make an evidence based and credible contribution to preparedness efforts.

The focus of the project will be proposed by the student and both the scope and focus of the project will be negotiated with the professor. The project will be reflective of the student’s interest, career goals, and whenever possible should enhance the preparedness of the student’s current employment setting and or result in a publication. It is anticipated that in the process of completing the project the student will undertake, in part, a critical evaluation of the “conventional wisdom and dogma associated with the project. The final project will demonstrate the depth and breath of knowledge acquired during the student’s course of study in the Biosecurity and Disaster Preparedness Program. The Terminal Project may take any number of forms such as the development of enduring educational material; the completion of a comprehensive literature review, synopsis and actionable recommendations addressing an unresolved issue within the biosecurity/disaster preparedness field; the development of an institutional or organizational risk assessment; prevention/mitigation/preparedness/recovery plan or activity, which focuses on bioterrorism or a novel or emerging infectious diseases.

The faculty anticipate that the student will devote an amount of time to the project that would be comparable to that of a traditional MPH internship.

The student will, through completion of a set of FEMA disaster Management courses, directed readings, guided discussions, assignments and exercises, gain the ability to understand the current disaster management doctrine and its inherent limitations.

Students successfully completing the course will also be able to participate in the risk assessment process to enhance the health, safety and environmental security of their community, its critical infrastructures and commercial and residential buildings.

Students will examine the legal and ethical implications of disaster management. Elements of public health law and the principles of ethics will be covered. Students will apply ethical principles and public health laws to disaster planning and response scenarios through case studies and disaster simulations.

This course reviews the use and handling of biological materials in research and clinical laboratories in which there is potential for exposure.  Particular attention will be placed on the use of live viruses were there is a need for extreme caution because they frequently cause animal and human diseases.

This course introduces bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases, including the rationale for using biological weapons, genetic engineering, and surveillance.  Disease transmission simulation and patient moulage will be used.  Emerging infectious diseases (SARS, avian influenza, TB, MRSA, Mumps and Pertussis), anti-infective therapy and vaccine, and pandemic will also be covered.

This course introduces students to the rationale for the emerging role of the public health and medical communities in the intelligence gathering, analysis and dissemination process.  Focusing on early detection of emerging physical threats and novel/emerging infectious diseases it will give the students the requisite knowledge and skills to provide the homeland security community with threat indications and warnings.  Students will be given the analytical tools to allow them to gauge the impact of physical threats that would result in mass casualties and novel/emerging infectious diseases.  They will be expected to develop and recommend rational and viable courses of action to those threats.

This course is designed to provide students a basic understanding of the following:

1) terrorism, including its history, current trends, organizations and movements. Emphasis will be placed on today’s Islamic terrorism;
2) terrorists’ past and potential future use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD);
3) U.S. Government response structure to an act of terrorism;
4) identification and background of the U.S. WMD “first responder” community; and
5) the need for health and law enforcement cooperation before and during a WMD terrorism attack.

This directed readings course has been structured to provide biosecurity professionals with the understanding of how societies have responded to catrostrophic events so that they may better anticipate the planning, management and recovery of contemporary events.

The course will explore the social, medical and economic impact of plague, smallpox, the 1918-1919 Flu pandemic, hantavirus, West Nile Virus and Hoof and Mouth disease. and also the consequences of Bophal, Hiroshima and Chernobyl. Hurricane Katrina is a subject of a significant portion of the course.

EOH-584 Advanced Topics in Infectious Diseases

At the conclusion of this course a student will be able to:
• Identify and describe methods of natural disease production
• Describe natural disease presentations
• Describe methods for disease control
• Describe the disease presentation and control as a result of weapons deployment
Course Format: Lectures and readings.

EOH-586 Preparing for Disasters - Resilience and Stress Response

While many private and public agencies have some sort of disaster response plan, few take into account the mental and emotional ramifications of disaster upon general and vulnerable populations.  This course will investigate the use of resiliency and stress inoculation before disaster to lesson disaster impact and encourage effective and prompt recovery.

This course will examine bioterrorism – the hostile infliction of disease, and how National and Global governance should manage the challenges it raises.  The issue will be addressed from a variety of perspectives including: political, legal, medical and public health, with a special focus on international cooperation in dealing with bioterrorism.

This course will present to the student an overview of Emerging Infectious Diseases, not only in the United States, but internationally.  The course will lead off with an overview of the topic, emphasizing topical issues and concerns.  Selected topics in order of importance to public health will be examined, with an emphasis on the epidemiology of the infection and its public health impact, either potential or actual.

(This course is held on-site at Saint Louis University)