Sept. 11 Commemoration Resource Guide-Final
| COLUMBIA HEALTH SCIENCES
UPDATE—Special Edition Highlights in biomedical and clinical research from Columbia University's Health Sciences Division Vol. IV, No. 37—September 5, 2002 COLUMBIA HEALTH SCIENCES UPDATE is a weekly e-mail to the media prepared by the Office of External Relations at Columbia University Health Sciences providing brief notices about current research, experts, and events at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ SEPT. 11 COMMEMORATION RESOURCE GUIDE—FINAL In response to the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, Columbia University Health Sciences faculty, staff, and students have provided mental health services, conducted research, and developed emergency preparedness plans to benefit New York and the nation. Below is a final expanded guide to some of the people engaged in this vital work. If you are working on a story related to any of these subjects, we can help you reach the people listed below. Call the Office of External Relations at 212-305-3900 or contact Annie Bayne at as862@columbia.edu, Leslie Boen at lsb2001@columbia.edu, or Adar Novak at an2040@columbia.edu. To read about additional Columbia University faculty working on Sept. 11-related research, link here to the article in the Columbia University Health Science bi-weekly publication InVivo. ____________________________________________ Emergency preparedness training—Dr. Stephen Morse New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene officials, including public school nurses, often are on the front lines of emergencies. That's why Dr. Stephen Morse, director of the Center for Public Health Preparedness at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and colleagues have trained public school nurses to prepare for emergencies and developed a similar program for senior managers of the city health department as well as a generic version for use by other health agencies. The center has collaborated with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to complete an evaluation this fall of the department's response to Sept. 11 and has worked with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to improve surveillance of infectious diseases and bioterrorist threats. It also is updating a database of trained volunteers from Columbia University Health Sciences that it provided to government agencies after last Sept. 11. ______________________________________________________________ Training mental health professionals; addressing PTSD—Dr. Randall Marshall Immediately after Sept. 11, the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) was overwhelmed by demand to provide additional psychological trauma training for mental health professionals. But no forum to train them existed. So four of the city's top medical institutions formed the NYC Consortium for Effective Trauma Treatment to better meet the mental health needs of adults, children, and families by conducting large-scale training of mental health professionals and providing free treatment to those affected by Sept. 11. Dr. Randall Marshall, director and chief consortium coordinator for the program and associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University and the NYSPI, volunteered to organize a team of clinicians and developed ongoing training courses. The program—which to date has trained about 300 professionals—is a collaboration with New York University, Mount Sinai Hospital, and Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Center/New York Medical College. Dr. Marshall also can discuss the warning signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, what to do about them, and how to prevent them. ___________________________________________________ Training nurses for disaster preparedness—Dr. Kristine Gebbie Sept. 11 caused the public health community to realize it needed to move more quickly for catastrophic events such as bombings, bioterrorism and earthquakes. Before Sept. 11, Dr. Kristine Gebbie, director of the Center for Health Policy and Health Services Research and of the doctoral program at Columbia University School of Nursing, had developed “core competencies” for public health workers in emergency preparedness. After the tragic event, she adapted them for nurses and published them in the January 2002 issue of the American Journal of Nursing. The guidelines recommend that hospitals write an emergency plan and describe the roles of nurses and other health care professionals in response to an emergency and define the chain of command when staff members work with governmental emergency personnel. Dr. Gebbie also is collaborating with Dr. Robyn Gershon, associate professor of sociomedical sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health, in surveying hospital workers about their willingness to work during either an emergency or quarantine situation. They plan to publish the survey results next summer. ________________________________________ Disaster psychiatry outreach—Dr. Edward Kenny In the first few days after the attacks on the World Trade Center, Disaster Psychiatry Outreach (DPO), a formal alliance of psychiatrists forged at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute in 1998, provided volunteer counseling services at Ground Zero, family assistance centers, and other places where relief was needed. Dr. Edward Kenny, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and founding member of DPO, can discuss the organization's initial work with rescue workers, families of victims, and others traumatized by the terrorist attacks, as well as DPO’s longer-term involvement with mental health efforts after 9/11. _______________________________________________ Psychiatric treatment for NYPD officers—Dr. Frederic Kass Law enforcement officers have long been known to be at high risk for psychological trauma—especially after Sept. 11—and have been reluctant to seek mental health care because of the stigma attached to it. Working with the New York Police Department since Sept. 11, the Health Initiative for Law Enforcement Officers (HILEO) of Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has been increasing access to mental health care for law enforcement officers by providing free and confidential care through mandatory educational sessions and a help hotline. Dr. Frederic Kass, HILEO director and professor of clinical psychiatry in Columbia University's College of Physicians & Surgeons, and colleagues hope this successful program may be a model for law enforcement agencies in other cities. The initiative will be discussed at a Sept. 21 Continuing Medical Education program. __________________________________________________ Community social and emotional recovery—Dr. Mindy Fullilove In response to the events of Sept. 11, Dr. Mindy Fullilove, professor of clinical psychiatry and public health at Columbia University, helped establish NYC RECOVERS, an alliance of organizations engaged in the social and emotional recovery of the New York City metropolitan area. The alliance has encouraged these groups to plan activities to promote strong communities and build relationships between groups that might not have worked together otherwise. The efforts of NYC RECOVERS (www.nycrecovers.com) include a Wellness Campaign for September 2002, an initiative encouraging city organizations to hold activities before and after the anniversary of Sept. 11 to help individuals avoid a second trauma at the anniversary of this tragic event. ___________________________________________________ Post-Sept. 11 environmental health in NYC—Dr. Regina Santella Under the direction of Dr. Regina Santella, professor of public health at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has begun several efforts to study the impact of Sept. 11 on environmental health in New York City. Some of its efforts include the analysis of air and dust samples collected near the site of the World Trade Center (WTC) collapse and the air of Teamsters working in and around debris piles (in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University researchers). They also are studying students and teachers at Stuyvesant High School located near Ground Zero and pregnant women for potential exposure to WTC dust and debris. In addition, the organization aims to establish an online database of pollution levels before and after Sept. 11. __________________________________________________ Victim identification through dental records—Dr. Robert Miner It is commonly thought that DNA is primarily used to identify victims of the World Trade Center attacks. In reality, a majority of the victims were identified through dental records by a volunteer dental forensic team who contributed a cumulative 25,000 hours of difficult, compassionate work. Among the dentists was Dr. Robert Dwight Miner, director of Columbia's Dental Ethics Programs and associate clinical professor of dentistry in the department of prosthodontics at Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery. The New York Academy of Dentistry awarded this massive effort with a Humanitarian Award because of the comfort and closure it brought to many victims' families. ________________________________________________________ Environmental health and the youngest victims—Dr. Frederica Perera Thousands of pregnant women lived or worked near Ground Zero at the time of the World Trade Center collapse, causing concern for fetuses and newborns, who are exceptionally vulnerable to environmental toxins. Dr. Frederica Perera, director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health and professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, and colleagues are conducting a study of 350 new mothers who were pregnant on Sept. 11 and exposed to smoke and dust from the WTC. Dr. Perera’s team is following these women and their babies for two years to determine whether prenatal exposure to Ground Zero air pollutants adversely affected the children's growth and development. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ SEPTEMBER 11 EVENTS Listed below are a few of the events planned by Columbia University and the Health Sciences for September 11, 2002. __________________________________________ 8:40 A.M.-9:10 A.M.—University Remembrance Low Plaza, Morningside Campus Ringing of Chapel bells City-wide moment of silence (8:46) Reading of names of Columbia family and friends by President Lee C. Bollinger Closing reading from "The Guys" by playwright Anne Nelson, School of Journalism _______________________________________________________________________ 11:30 A.M.-12:30 P.M.—Health Sciences Campus Mid-day Memorial Service Medical Service Center Garden (Rain Location: Physicians & Surgeons Alumni Auditorium) _____________________________________________________ 12 Noon-1 P.M.—Interfaith Commemoration Service St. Paul's Chapel—Morningside Campus _________________________ 9 P.M.—Candlelight Vigil Low Plaza, Morningside Campus (Rain Location: Roone Arledge Auditorium) For the latest information about scheduled events, as well as information about available psychological support services, visit the Columbia Remembers Website. For interviews with any of the above experts or for more information, please contact the Office of External Relations at 212-305-3900 or contact Annie Bayne at as862@columbia.edu, Leslie Boen at lsb2001@columbia.edu, or Adar Novak at an2040@columbia.edu. To read about additional Columbia University faculty working on Sept. 11-related research, link here to the article in the Columbia University Health Science bi-weekly publication InVivo. ___________ ON THE WEB For more Columbia University Health Sciences events and activities: Visit our online calendar at cpmc.columbia.edu Columbia University Health Sciences press releases—cpmcnet.columbia.edu/news/press_releases Columbia University Health Sciences Virtual Tour—vtour.hs.columbia.edu Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons—cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/ps Coordinated Doctoral Program in Basic Sciences—cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/gsas/ Columbia School of Dental and Oral Surgery—cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/dental Columbia School of Nursing—cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/nursing Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia—cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/sph Columbia University Programs in Occupational Therapy—www.ColumbiaOT.org Columbia Cornell Heart Institute—columbiacornellheart.org Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center—nbdiabetes.org Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain—alzheimercenter.org Columbia Genome Center—genome4.cpmc.columbia.edu Institute for Cancer Genetics—ICG.cpmc.columbia.edu New York State Psychiatric Institute—nyspi.org Columbia University Department of Surgery—columbiasurgery.org Department of Ophthalmology—cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/eye/ Institute of Human Nutrition—cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/ihn/ Center for Women's Health—cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/cwh Partnership for Women's Health—partnership.hs.columbia.edu Columbia University Program in Physical Therapy—www.columbiaphysicaltherapy.org Columbia Science and Technology Ventures—www.stv.columbia.edu Columbia Interactive—ci.columbia.edu Columbia-Rockefeller Center for AIDS Research—cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/CRCFAR/ Charles P. Felton National Tuberculosis Center at Harlem Hospital—harlemtbcenter.org Cystic Fibrosis Referral Center—cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/synergy Ben Gurion University of the Negev M.D. Program in International Health and Medicine in collaboration with Columbia University Health Sciences—cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/bgcu-md/ Rosenthal Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine—cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/rosenthal/ NewYork-Prebysterian Hospital—www.nyp.org NewYork-Presbyterian Cancer Prevention Program—nypcancer.org/prevention ______________________ LET US HEAR FROM YOU Questions, comments to Glenn Peterson: gp220@columbia.edu To subscribe: gp220@columbia.edu To receive this publication by FAX rather than e-mail, hit reply and type “FAX” with your FAX number in the subject line. To receive this publication by e-mail rather than FAX: gp220@columbia.edu To discontinue receiving this publication, hit reply and type the word “Remove” in the subject line. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Prepared by the Office of External Relations at Columbia University Health Sciences Division Gerald D. Fischbach, M.D., Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Glenn A. Peterson, Associate Vice President for Communications Annie Bayne, Director of Public Relations and Marketing Robin Eisner, Senior Science Writer/Editor Leslie Boen, Communications Specialist Adar Novak, Communications Specialist Copyright ©2002 Columbia University Health Sciences Division. All copyright and trademark rights reserved. |