With a focus on preparedness and response to all-hazards events, the conference kicked off with a keynote address from Dr. Richard Carmona, the 17th surgeon general of the United States.
"Disaster management requires lifelong learning and commitment. We must memorialize our successes and our failures, or be doomed to repeat our past,” said Dr. Carmona. Referring to disasters ranging from Hurricane Katrina to 9/11, he emphasized the importance of passing on lessons learned to those who will respond to future disasters.
“It is very, very important that convocations like this come together, that information is exchanged, that the succession plans for all these critical positions in our communities and in our nation are being filled by people who have heard the stories, who have read these reports [and] the after-action reports, so that we don't repeat the mistakes of the past and that we are optimally prepared all the time."
More than 100 people registered for the event, including public health officials, hospital managers, academicians, healthcare professionals, and allied health students. In addition to the conference, registrants will have access to a four-part AUC disaster medicine education series to further continue the dialogue on Wednesday’s important topics. The first webinar will take place June 1, 2021 and will feature the prestigious Craig Fugate, chief emergency management officer at One Concern and administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA under President Obama. While at FEMA, he led the agency through Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Matthew, and the 2016 Louisiana floods.
If you missed the conference, you can still register for access to the recording and the upcoming education series. For more information about CCDM and to register, visit the CCDM webpage.
