Newswise — NEWARK—How would you react to a natural disaster or bioterrorism? Two noted emergency medicine and bioterrorism experts from the Center for BioDefense at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) offer tips to educate both first responders and the general public on best practices for responding to and coping with the uncertainties of tragic events.
A newly released book titled Local Planning for Terror and Disaster: From Bioterrorism to Earthquakes explores this topic. Co-authors are Leonard Cole, PhD, and Nancy Connell, PhD, of the Center for BioDefense at NJMS, which is located on UMDNJ’s Newark campus. They write that preparedness depends on several factors including: effective communication, increased awareness and informed bystanders who serve as onsite resources to complement first responders’ efforts.
Connell, a professor in the NJMS Department of Medicine at NJMS, specializes in biodefense and biological weapons, local preparedness, assessing the quality of preparedness, and offering directions for improvement. Cole is an adjunct professor in NJMS’ Emergency Medicine Department who also directs the Program on Terror Medicine and Security at UMDNJ’s Center for BioDefense. Dr. Cole’s expertise is in bioterrorism and terror medicine. They are available to discuss key points featured in their book:
• A new field—terror medicine—is described and explored.• Properly informed bystanders and survivors can play helpful roles.• Anticipating the improbable should be an essential part of preparedness.• Preparedness depends not only on the skills of responder groups, but on their interactions with each other.• Responsible awareness can save lives.• Effective communication is central to a successful response during tragic events.
Local Planning for Terror and Disaster highlights elements that are vital to the successful handling of disasters: terror medicine, law enforcement, security and communications. Several noted experts present techniques for diagnosis, rescue, and scenarios for terrorist attacks. To arrange an interview with Dr. Leonard Cole or Dr. Nancy Connell, call Kaylyn Kendall Dines at 973-972-4564.
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) is New Jersey’s only health sciences university with more than 6,000 students on five campuses attending three medical schools, the State’s only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and New Jersey’s only school of public health. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, which provides a continuum of health care services with multiple locations throughout the state.
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