Faculty & Staff

By Elaine Meyer

Most people remember exactly where they were on September 11, 2001, but few are aware of how the scientific landscape has changed since then. The tragedy provided a unique window into issues related to disaster preparedness and response and into the health consequences for a population exposed to mass trauma. To revisit what has been learned from the attacks and make recommendations for the future, the Mailman School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) hosted the conference “9/11+10, Science, Policy, and Public Health: Looking Ahead to the Next Ten Years,” at Columbia University’s Low Library. The September 8th event offered a rare but valuable forum to bring together policymakers, medical practitioners, academics, and members of the media, to discuss the past, present, and future of preparedness.

The tone of the day was set by a presentation from Dr. Glenn Asaeda, Division Medical Director of emergency medical services at FDNY, who was one of the first emergency physicians on scene after the airplane attacks on the World Trade Center. Taking the audience through the events of that morning, he reminded everyone of the magnitude and intensity of the experience, the tragic losses of that day, and the formidable public health response.

The event co-directors, Dr. Sandro Galea, and Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, followed with their perspectives on how 9/11 had shaped science since then.

Unlike large scale traumas of the past that were studied only years later, scientists were able to evaluate the mental and physical health consequences of 9/11 immediately following the event and to continue monitoring them over time, Dr. Galea said in his presentation. A multitude of studies have found that those who experienced or witnessed the attacks have elevated risk of mental disorders—particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression—and physical health problems, such as respiratory symptoms.

Dr. Redlener and Dr. David Abramson, deputy director of NCDP, presented survey research on how Americans have felt about disaster preparedness since 9/11 and polled audience members with some of the same questions. Confidence levels on the part of both groups have been shaken, and in response to the question “Is the U.S. healthcare system ready to respond to a biological, chemical or nuclear attack showed,” 66% of a sample of Americans and 76% of the audience said no. “The fact that large numbers of you felt that the health system wasn’t ready, is deeply disconcerting,” Dr. Redlener told the audience. At the same time, the public poll revealed a false sense of security around the notion that calling 911 during a major disaster would bring prompt aid. In fact, said Dr. Redlener, our first responders “are quickly overwhelmed.”

Several of the government officials offered perspectives on the struggles and successes of coordinating among emergency workers, law enforcement, and public health officials to satisfy the new mandate of disaster preparedness.

“In the beginning it was very shocking how much we had to learn from each other,” said Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a former professor at the Mailman School, and one of the keynote speakers. Her presentation emphasized the importance of public health authorities in responding promptly and effectively to bioterrorist attacks and infectious agents that break out in the food or drug supply.

A media perspective was offered by Jeanne Meserve, CNN’s homeland security correspondent, who said that government can and should help to defuse unnecessary media hysteria.

“Tell us what you know; also, tell us what you don’t know. Don’t be afraid to say, ‘this is an unfolding situation,’” she advised the public officials in the audience.

Dr. Nicole Lurie, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recounted in her keynote talk that she was told by countless citizens in earthquake-ravaged Joplin, Missouri, that, their lives were saved because they had an emergency plan in place.

“At the end of the day, all response is local and response and recovery have to happen on the ground,” she said. Among her key take-aways: there’s a need to train the next generation of public health professionals in disaster response and a need to ensure that the public doesn’t become complacent. Emphasizing that social connectedness is a critical feature in population resiliency, Dr. Lurie described a nascent federal initiative for using social media to build community connections both before and in the wake of disasters.

In his closing words, Dr. Galea, acknowledged the importance of having debate, and of bringing policymakers and scientists together for a conference about public health and disaster preparedness but pointed out, “Of course, a successful meeting doesn’t solve everything — it’s simply a milestone on a much longer trajectory.”

Click here to see a video of the conference.