Our Educational Philosophy
The Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine (CDHAM) is part of the collective body of knowledge and capabilities that exists throughout the U.S. Government (USG) and other stakeholders, including the DoD, the interagency community, international organizations and the private and public sectors on the national and global level. It is with this understanding that we seek to involve all the appropriate stakeholders as we create solutions to global health concerns through our various engagement missions, including all our educational initiatives.
These sustained engagements that CDHAM has developed between the U.S. and partner nations foster interventions for global health security, such as: decrease loss of life, pain, and suffering in disasters; decrease burden of disease in partner nations; assist in healthcare infrastructure development and capacity building; and train the U.S. military and our partners worldwide in humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
CDHAM’s ultimate goal is to synergize and coordinate efforts to assist in the development of lasting positive change through a consistent and long-term strategy in health diplomacy.
Educational Division: An Overview
The Educational Division at CDHAM ensures that all educational initiatives are in line with USG strategy and policies as they pertain to global initiatives. The Division’s mission is to develop, design and implement educational initiatives that support the USUHS’ Humanitarian Assistance /Disaster Response (HA/DR) training needs, as well as those of other USG agencies and partner nations. The scope of the Divison’s mission also includes conducting quality research and providing the DoD with Subject Matter Expertise on medical Mesures of Effectiveness (MOEs).
Division Branches
The Educational Division is divided into four main branches, each tasked with achieving a specific element of the Center’s mission. These branches are as follows:
- Educational Support
- CDHAM Readiness
- Programs and Development
- Evaluation and Research
Educational Support: Oversees all fellowships and practicum for graduate students pursuing MD, MPH, DrPh or PhD degrees. Our fellowships provide the opportunity for students to gain greater insight into the world of HA/DR from the perspectives of the USG, Interagency entities and foreign communities. We currently offer fellowships for medical students during their third and fourth years, as well as opportunities for graduate students from various departments including f preventive medicine and biometrics, graduate schools of nursing, and doctorate of philosophy programs.
CDHAM Readiness: The primary focus is to develop and sustain education and training capacity within the Center and also ensures all members of the organization are up to date on trainings while providing new opportunities to improve missions world-wide. The readiness branch currently has two major programs designed to improve CDHAM’s capabilities by recruiting expert and experienced personnel for specific or overarching programs.
Programs and Development: Develops, implements and maintains CDHAM’s education and training initiatives. It also ensures that the Center’s curricula are in line with USG policy on Foreign Assistance, and the individual Combatant Commands’ Theater Security Plans. We employ several educational vehicles to deliver our initiatives, including but not limited to web-based interfaces and other e-learning tools, traditional didactic classroom exercises, seminars, practicum or field experiences, and interactive tabletop exercises. We reach a vast and diverse audience by providing a diversity of educational methods. This branch is currently supporting the following initiatives: various exercise working groups, mission specific course development, the Online Preparedness and Emergency Planning Portal (OPEP) and the Online Disaster & Humanitarian Access Portal (ODHAP).
Evaluation and Research: It identifies opportunities to conduct research that informs policy and contributes to the scientific community’s knowledge and findings in regards to HA/DA and medical MOE. E&R is a critically component
for any program to improve overtime. Therefore, this branch assesses the quality and effectiveness of the centers’ programs by tracking relevant indicators to ensure consistency and improvement. It also serves as primary resource for military MOE.
These various branches as described above are committed to supporting the work of USUHS in HA/DR, either through contribution of scientific knowledge, publications, or field work, while also ensuring that quality work is delivered to other stakeholders and partners, such as USG and the global community.
