Public Health News
BIOTERRORISM EDUCATION PLANNED FOR CAREGIVERS, FIRST RESPONDERS
Kathy Keadle
Oct 22, 2002

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--University of Louisville experts have led a three-plus year planning campaign to prepare the city and region for major crisis events, including bioterrorism. Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 23, these experts will begin an educational series to better prepare the caregivers and first responders in the area to handle such a catastrophe.

U of L's School of Medicine is sponsoring "Recognizing and Responding to the Threat of Bioterrorism," a series designed to aid health-care professionals in recognizing and handling potential bioterrorist threats and attacks.

Topics will include recognition of clinical symptoms associated with biothreat agents, communication and coordination among regional and national health-care networks, mental health issues in coping with terrorism, and lessons learned from the recent CDC bioterrorism exercise held in Louisville.

Representatives from the media are welcome but should call the U of L health sciences communications office at (502) 852-7504 if planning to attend. Each program will be broadcast live on the World Wide Web for the public. For more information on the webcast, go to http://www.louisville.edu/medschool/cme/bioterrorism102301.html#webcast

Dates, times, topics and faculty for each of the lecture series:

• Tuesday, Oct. 23: Recognizing and Responding to the Threat of Bioterrorism

Kornhauser Library Commons Building Auditorium, 6:15 ­ 9:30 p.m.

Any media planning to attend should notify the U of L health sciences communications office at (502) 852-7504.

Topics: Overview of the bioterrorism threat; recognition of clinical symptoms associated with biothreat agents; clinical lab support for the recognition and diagnosis of a bioterrorism event; communication and coordination among the regional and national health-care networks; discussion of the lessons learned from the recent CDC bioterrorism exercise held in Louisville

Faculty: Ronald Atlas, graduate school dean and professor of biology; Richard Clover, associate vice president for health affairs/primary care; W. Paul McKanney, director, Institute for Public Health Research; William Smock, associate professor, department of emergency medicine; Kraig Humbaugh, associate professor of pediatrics and director, communicable diseases, Louisville/Jefferson County Health Dept.

Note: The following are a series of single-topic, lunch-hour sessions to be held from noon to 1 p.m. in the Kornhauser Library Commons Building Auditorium unless otherwise noted. Any media planning to attend should notify the U of L health sciences communications office at (502) 852-7504.

• Wednesday, Oct. 31: Bioterrorism: Legal and Ethical Implications

Howard T. Stone, associate professor, Intitute for Bioethics, Health Policy and Law

• Friday, Nov. 2: Clinical Lab Support for the Recognition and Diagnosis of a Bioterrorism Event

James Snyder, professor, department of pathology

• Thursday, Nov. 15: Communication and Surveillance Among the Regional and National Healthcare Networks

Kraig E. Humbaugh, assistant professor of pediatrics and director, communicable diseases, LCHD

William S. Smock, associate professor, department of emergency medicine

• Wednesday, Nov. 28: Mental Health Issues in Coping with Terrorism

Allan Tasman, professor and chair, department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences

• Friday, Nov. 30: Recognition of Clinical Symptoms Associated with Biothreat Agents

W. Paul McKanney, director, Institute for Public Health Research

• Tuesday, Dec. 4: Simulation in Bioterrorism

Gary E. Loyd, associate professor, department of anesthesiology

Room 307 Instructional Building B