Preparing for disasters.

Abstract

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) fully supports the development of “A community for disaster science” (M. McNutt, Editorial, 3 April, p. [11][1]). Almost 2 years ago, we created the NIH Disaster Research Response (DR2) Project to facilitate the incorporation of “disaster science” into national response and recovery efforts ([ 1 ][2]). Key components of this project include improving accessibility to health data collection tools and Institutional Review Board (IRB)–approved research protocols, proactive engagement of diverse public and private stakeholders, and fostering the development of a trained cadre of academic researchers who can collect critical information and function in the immediate post-disaster environment without interfering with the emergency response. The publicly accessible NIH DR2 website now includes more than 165 data collection tools and other information to support disaster science activities ([ 2 ][3]). We have also sponsored a national workshop and conducted two tabletop exercises that have brought together academia, local community representatives, private industry, emergency responders, and public health, emergency management, and volunteer organizations to discuss the challenges and benefits of conducting post-disaster research and the value of evidence-based decision-making ([ 3 ][4]). It is clear that disaster response and recovery require an interdisciplinary effort supported by the best evidence available. As such, we have begun to develop a national “Environmental Health Sciences Network for Disaster Response” composed of interested academic centers with diverse expertise to enhance our ability to identify human health threats, prioritize research needs, provide expert consultation, and conduct disaster research. Research and response organizations must work jointly with community partners, first responders, local public health departments, and policymakers to anticipate threats and develop innovative methods to prevent being overwhelmed by unexpected cascading events, such as those following the Great East Japan earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor meltdown in 2011. For a sustained effort, there also needs to be a national framework that supports disaster science research, timely funding that supports a science response, and an interdisciplinary disaster science career path within academic institutions and government entities that nurtures the next generation of disaster researchers. 1. [↵][5] 1. N. Lurie, 2. T. Manolio, 3. A. P. Patterson, 4. F. Collins, 5. R. Frieden , N. Engl. J. Med. 368, 1251 (2013). [OpenUrl][6][CrossRef][7][PubMed][8][Web of Science][9] 2. [↵][10] NIH Disaster Research Response (DR2) ( ). 3. [↵][11] Institute of Medicine, “Enabling rapid and sustainable public health research during disasters: Summary of a Joint Workshop by the Institute of Medicine and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services” (National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2014). [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aab2091 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #ref-3 [5]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [6]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DN.%2BEngl.%2BJ.%2BMed.%26rft.volume%253D368%26rft.spage%253D1251%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1056%252FNEJMsb1209510%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F23534565%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [7]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1056/NEJMsb1209510&link_type=DOI [8]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=23534565&link_type=MED&atom=%2Fsci%2F348%2F6236%2F766.3.atom [9]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000316869000017&link_type=ISI [10]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2 in text [11]: #xref-ref-3-1 View reference 3 in text