National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health
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NCDMPH 2022 Annual Report
The NCDMPH 2022 Annual Report is now available.
Highlights include:
Stop the Bleed app and First Aid for Severe Trauma (FAST) course
Disaster Health Core Curriculum
National Disaster Medical System Pilot program
Guide for Healthcare Personnel in Crisis
"A Guide to Support the Well-Being of Healthcare Personnel During a Time of Crisis" was compiled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, by the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health (NCDMPH), in collaboration with Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences partners. This tool is designed for healthcare workers to quickly navigate to evidence-based information from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, the Center for Deployment Psychology, and the Consortium for Health and Military Performance. NCDMPH proposes a webinar to launch the product, inviting representatives from each collaborating USU Center to speak about their contribution.
director retires
Dr. Kirsch retires after leading national center since 2016
Thomas Kirsch, MD, MPH joined the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health in 2016 as director. Prior to his tenure at NCDMPH, he was a Professor of Emergency Medicine, International Health and Civil Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Kirsch has been internationally recognized for his contributions to disaster medicine and public health, and has worked with several national and international agencies including the CDC, FEMA, WHO and others in disaster response. He brought this wealth of experience and invaluable expertise to advance the National Center's mission to improve the United States’ disaster health readiness through advancements and improvements in education, research, practice, and policy. While serving as director, Dr. Kirsch implemented groundbreaking efforts to better prepare the U.S. in disaster response situations. Particularly impactful were the Disaster Health Core Curriculum, Stop the Bleed, FAST, and the National Disaster Medical System Pilot. Since 2016, Dr. Kirsch led NCDMPH to hold over a dozen webinars reaching over 16,000 individuals and six national symposiums to improve disaster health knowledge. Under his direction, NCDMPH published nearly 100 journal articles, editorials and book chapters to position the National Center as a leader in disaster health preparedness, science and education. He also secured more than $65 million in external funding to continue the National Center's endeavors in science, education and policy. Dr. Kirsch's time leading NCDMPH has significantly advanced the knowledge and readiness of the U.S. in disaster response. NCDMPH staff deeply appreciate his work and will miss his presence as an innovative and dedicated leader, and consummate professional. His final day at NCDMPH was March 15. He is succeeded by Dr. Jeffrey Freeman, who will assume the role at the beginning of May.
Continuing Education Credits, Now Available!
The NCDMPH is proud to announce a free, eight-hour, online course
Disaster Health Core Curriculum for All Health Professionals intended for a wide range of health care professionals.
The course consists of eleven, 30-minute to one-hour online training lessons covering a variety of disaster health topics
such as personal or family preparedness, communication, ethical and legal issues encountered in disasters, and much more.
This curriculum is free and designed to be taken in pieces or as a whole to be flexible for our busy healthcare professional learner.
The foundation of this curriculum is the Core Competencies for Disaster Medicine and Public Health (click here).
Stop the Bleed Public Service Announcement
VISION
The National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health will be the United States’ academic center of excellence leading disaster health education and research. In collaboration with our federal partners, we will facilitate science and education to inform policy, operations, and funding decisions that improve our readiness, save lives and mitigate injuries in disasters.
Mission
The mission of the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health is to improve the United States’ disaster health readiness through advancements and improvements in education, research, practice, and policy.
The National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health (NCDMPH) was established under Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21 (HSPD 21) to be “…an academic center of excellence in disaster medicine and public health….” NCDMPH was founded as a collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, and Department of Veterans Affairs. It is both a federal organization and an academic center, serving as a bridge between government and academia. This unique position makes NCDMPH especially suited to meet our critical disaster preparedness mission.
The overarching strategic theme of NCDMPH is medical and public health READINESS—preparing the Nation from disasters and catastrophic events. Leveraging scholarship to advance the education and research agenda for disaster readiness in the United States are the missions; collaboration and leadership are the tools to achieve the preparedness mission.
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