For Immediate Release
January 13, 2010
Contact:
Laurie Kinney
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
703-525-0770
Executive Director of Potomac Institute for Policy Studies' Center for Health Policy and Preparedness Speaks at University of Pittsburgh
Arlington, VA - Donald A. Donahue, DHEd, MBA, FACHE, CHS-III, executive director of the Center for Health Policy and Preparedness at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in Arlington, VA, will lecture on American Disaster Management at the University of Pittsburgh on January 14. Dr. Donahue's lecture, “The Road Less Taken: Modularization and Waterways as a Domestic Disaster Response Mechanism,” will include analysis and critiques of America’s emergency management policies. The event will take place at 3 pm, 528 Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Ave., and is the fifth installment of the University of Pittsburgh Center for National Preparedness’ 2009-10 Seminar Series.
“Much of our medical emergency response planning has been based on a military approach, which is not always applicable in the domestic setting. A catastrophic event would overwhelm both our current and surge capacities,” according to Donahue. “Ironically, there are overlooked commercial modalities that offer significant, needs-based capabilities if properly employed.”
With more than 33 years' experience as a healthcare administrator in both the military and the private sector, Donahue is an expert in medical readiness and homeland security medical operations. He served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army, and as medical operations officer for the Army Reserve. He was a principal planner for the Department of Defense’s anthrax and smallpox immunization programs, authored the first Joint Forces Command Model for medical response to domestic weapons of mass destruction incidents and natural disasters, created the Joint/Interagency Civil Support Training Center in New Jersey, and established the Federal Strategic Health Alliance (FEDS_HEAL), a $170 million medical readiness support system composed of assets of the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services.
Pitt’s CNP is a broad, multidisciplinary collaborative enterprise that engages the University’s scientists, engineers, policy experts, and clinical faculty. Members of the center possess expertise in biomedical research, public health, medicine, national security policy, engineering, and information technology. The center communicates the innovative research of the University’s faculty to the broader public through educational and training programs, including this seminar series.
**
The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is an independent, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit public policy research institute. The Institute identifies and aggressively shepherds discussion on key science, technology, and national security issues facing our society. From these discussions and forums, we develop meaningful policy options and ensure their implementation at the intersection of business and government.