CHS and O'Brien Institute Seminar Series

Health emergency management perspectives on disaster preparedness

Date: September 10, 2021
Time: 12 - 1 p.m.
Location: Online

Health emergency management perspectives on disaster preparedness

Description:

Presenting the findings from a Canada-wide study on emergency management (EM) professionals in healthcare organizations (n=150) during the pandemic and their role in preparing for and responding to COVID-19. This webinar will explore the prevalence and effectiveness of disaster preparedness activities in Canadian healthcare, including the function of emergency operations centres, and the moderating conditions of Leadership (incident commanders) and training. Evidence from this research will highlight learning and recovery from COVID-19 including practical implications and discuss pathways towards a national health emergency preparedness system in Canada.

Learning objectives:

Educate health researchers and practitioners about the prevalence and effectiveness of EM in Canadian healthcare organizations
Explore the moderating conditions, including leadership, which enhance or detract from effective EM programs in health
Aid the recovery and learning from COVID-19 pandemic by discussing the practical implications of this research and pathways towards a national health emergency preparedness system in Canada

Biographies:

Dr. John Richmond, PhD

Principle Investigator Dr. John Richmond is an Assistant Professor in Healthcare Management and Leadership in the Public Health section, School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), The University of Sheffield, in England. Richmond, previously the risk manager of a large integrated hospital system in Canada, holds a PhD in Management from Warwick Business School (UK), and has extensive experience in conducting both qualitative and quantitative research in healthcare organizations and systems internationally. His research focuses upon healthcare quality improvement (QI) and safety, QI evaluation methods, and health emergency management. During the pandemic Richmond led and published research on the role of emergency management in healthcare organization preparedness and response.

Mr. Jeffrey Tochkin

Jeffrey Tochkin is an Emergency Management Officer at Alberta Health Services and has worked in Healthcare Emergency Management for over 12 years in BC, Alberta, New Brunswick and Ontario. He currently holds the Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) designation and a Master of Arts degree in Disaster and Emergency Management. Jeff has authored and published articles in the Journal of Emergency Management, BMJ Leader and Academic Emergency Medicine Educational and Training. He has also presented at several National and International Conferences.

Dr. Attila Hertelendy, PhD

Attila Hertelendy, PhD has over 25 years leadership experience in disaster medicine. Prior to academe, he has worked as a hospital executive in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Canada and the USA.

Dr. Hertelendy is an Associate Professor in the College of Business, and has a secondary appointment in the Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University in Miami. Dr. Hertelendy teaches leadership, organizational behavior and management of healthcare. Dr. Hertelendy's research interests explore the health implications of climate change, and the role leaders play in determining organizational effectiveness and resiliency during disasters and crisis events. Dr. Hertelendy is the author of over 60 published articles, numerous book chapters, and is the Guest Editor for the Journal of Emergency Management, Co-Editor in Chief for the International Journal of Emergency Services, Associate Editor for Disaster Medicine and Public Health and is on the editorial board for the Journal of Climate Change and Health. Dr. Hertelendy, is currently the Co-Research Director for the Disaster Medicine Fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School.

Moderator:

Mr. Eric Lobay

Eric Lobay is an Edmonton-based Emergency Management Officer with Alberta Health Services. In his role, Eric supports emergency planning and response for several hospitals in the zone, including the University of Alberta and Stollery Children’s Hospital. He has been deployed to support AHS’ response to several high impact events, including the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires and the 2019 wildfires in northwest Alberta.

Eric has a particular interest in healthcare CBRN/HazMat preparedness and is the Edmonton zone Program Lead for AHS’ CBRN First Receiver Program. Previously, Eric was an Advanced Care Paramedic and is a graduate of Philadelphia University’s Disaster Medicine and Management Master’s Degree program. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Alberta and is a Certified Emergency Manager.

This event is a self-approved group learning activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.