February 8, 2002

The issue of disaster preparedness has taken on heightened significance, both throughout the United States and at the MGH, in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Thanks to the efforts of Susan Briggs, MD, of MGH Surgery, and the opportunities afforded by a recent grant, the Harvard Medical International (HMI) Trauma and Disaster Institute is developing a new training manual — one with significant potential to carry hospital and community emergency preparedness into the future.

In addition to her work at the MGH, Briggs serves as founder and director of the International Medical Surgical Response Team (IMSuRT) and the Metro-Boston Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT). The joint team — a specialized unit of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) — is trained and equipped for rapid deployment to perform life-saving emergency care for victims of catastrophic events like those of Sept. 11. MGHers were among the members of the NDMS teams who provided care and comfort to injured volunteers and rescue workers at Ground Zero in New York City.

In February 2001, Briggs obtained approval to develop the HMI Trauma and Disaster Institute. Directed by Briggs, the institute brings together trauma and disaster specialists from Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals, with the aim of sharing their expertise globally through hands-on educational programs. "The events of Sept. 11 highlight the need for effective disaster preparedness, planning and medical response, especially in the parts of the world that lack a disaster response infrastructure," says Briggs.

Key to launching the institute’s worldwide programs is the Advanced Disaster Medical Response training manual, which currently is being developed through a grant awarded to Briggs by the Flatley Foundation. The three-part manual will be written by Briggs and eight HMS faculty members, and will address such potential emergency events as natural and manmade disasters and the use of weapons of mass destruction.

The publication will be used not only by the Metro-Boston DMAT, but also by the Specialty Medical Teams of the NDMS, which include the IMSuRT, Burn Specialty and Pediatric Specialty Teams. The manual will be made available on the Internet and on CD-ROM, as well as in printed form, and will be accessible to disaster medical response personnel around the world. The institute plans to translate the publication into several languages, in partnership with international disaster preparedness and planning organizations.

Briggs notes that the manual will be dedicated to the work of the late Thomas Durant, MD, who served as assistant director of the MGH. Durant was world-renowned for his humanitarian efforts on behalf of victims of international crises. Right, Briggs at Ground Zero