Summit convened by:

Center for Biosecurity of UPMC

Canadian Policy Research Network

Center for Science Technology and Security Policy at AAAS

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terror

Welcome and Keynote Introduction: Tara O'Toole

Speaker biography  |  Transcript  |  Audio

Summary
Dr. O'Toole, CEO and Director of the Center for Biosecurity of UPMC, began her introduction with the question: "How do we make the general public capable partners and active participants in disaster planning, response, and recovery?"

O'Toole argued that we need new methods of achieving citizen engagement in public health preparedness and response. We need to imagine it, and then create, organize, and sustain the means to make it possible for those who are willing to participate. Since its inception, Dr. O'Toole noted, the Center for Biosecurity has actively been involved in the analysis and promotion of citizen engagement in times of disaster.

The management of large-scale epidemics requires a high level of citizen engagement, O'Toole noted. Yet, the modern world has little understanding and experience with this special kind of disaster. Epidemics are not necessarily confined to a single place or moment in time. They can grow insidiously, last a long time, and affect large numbers of people. Large-scale outbreaks have the power to render the U.S. healthcare system nonfunctional and pose a threat to vital services.

In welcoming the audience and speakers, Dr. O'Toole noted the multidisciplinary representation from the U.S. and Canada. Attendees included people with direct experience with modern-day disasters such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the 2003 SARS outbreaks, Hurricane Katrina, and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and were individuals from a variety of backgrounds-activists, government officials, academics, health officials, congressional staff, and volunteer groups.

As a source of hope and inspiration for the meeting, Dr. O'Toole referred to Vaclav Havel, a Czechoslovakian playwright turned politician and human rights activist. Havel has argued that we must rehabilitate the human dimension of citizenship and politics, and that the salvation of the human world rests in the human heart and the power to reflect, and in human modesty and human responsibility.

In introducing the keynote speaker, O'Toole acknowledged DA Henderson's many accomplishments including serving three presidents and as an advisor to both the current Secretary of HHS and President Bush on bioterrorism. Dr. Henderson also served for two decades as Dean of the School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. He has had experience with many health crises including helping to eradicate smallpox and is considered a hero of public health.

Summary by Christiana Usenza