Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T02:42:06.397Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Academic Affiliated Training Centers in Humanitarian Health, Part I: Program Characteristics and Professionalization Preferences of Centers in North America

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2013

Frederick M. Burkle Jr. ,
Alexa E. Walls ,
Joan P. Heck ,
Brian S. Sorensen ,
Hilarie H. Cranmer ,
Kirsten Johnson ,
Adam C. Levine ,
Stephanie Kayden ,
Brendan Cahill  and
Michael J. VanRooyen
Frederick M. Burkle Jr.*
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts USA Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, DC USA
Alexa E. Walls
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts USA
Joan P. Heck
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts USA
Brian S. Sorensen
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts USA
Hilarie H. Cranmer
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts USA Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Global Health, Boston, Massachusetts USA
Kirsten Johnson
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts USA Humanitarian Studies Initiative, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Adam C. Levine
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts USA Global Emergency Medicine Fellowship, Brown University Alpert Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island USA
Stephanie Kayden
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts USA Lavine Family Humanitarian Studies Initiative, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Cambridge, Massachusetts USA International Emergency Medicine Fellowship, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts USA
Brendan Cahill
Affiliation:
Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs, Fordham University, New York, New York USA
Michael J. VanRooyen
Affiliation:
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts USA Division of International Health and Humanitarian Programs, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts USA
*
Correspondence: Frederick M. Burkle, Jr., MD, MPH, DTM Harvard Humanitarian Initiative 14 Story Street, 2nd Floor Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 USA E-mail fburkle@hsph.harvard.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The collaborative London based non-governmental organization network ELRHA (Enhancing Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance) supports partnerships between higher education institutions and humanitarian organizations worldwide with the objective to enhance the professionalization of the humanitarian sector. While coordination and control of the humanitarian sector has plagued the response to every major crisis, concerns highlighted by the 2010 Haitian earthquake response further catalyzed and accelerated the need to ensure competency-based professionalization of the humanitarian health care work force. The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative sponsored an independent survey of established academically affiliated training centers in North America that train humanitarian health care workers to determine their individual training center characteristics and preferences in the potential professionalization process. The survey revealed that a common thread of profession-specific skills and core humanitarian competencies were being offered in both residential and online programs with additional programs offering opportunities for field simulation experiences and more advanced degree programs. This study supports the potential for the development of like-minded academic affiliated and competency-based humanitarian health programs to organize themselves under ELRHA's regional “consultation hubs” worldwide that can assist and advocate for improved education and training opportunities in less served developing countries.

Burkle Jr FM, WallsAE, HeckJP, SorensenBS, CranmerHH, JohnsonK, LevineAC, KaydenS, CahillB, VanRooyenMJ. Academic Affiliated Training Centers in Humanitarian Health, Part I: Program Characteristics and Professionalization Preferences of Centers in North America. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013:28(2):1-8.

Keywords

competenciesERLHAhumanitarian education and traininghumanitarian healthprofessionalization
Type
Special Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 28 , Issue 2 , April 2013 , pp. 155 - 162
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. ELRHA; Enhancing Learning and Research For Humanitarian Assistance. http://www.elrha.org/work/strategic-priorities. 2012. Accessed August 9, 2012.Google Scholar
2.Burkle, FM Jr, Redmond, AD, McArdle, DF. An authority for crisis coordination and accountability. Lancet. 2012;379(9833):2223-2225.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Walker, P, Russ, C. Professionalizing the Humanitarian Sector: A Scoping Study. ELRHA: Enhancing Learning and Research For Humanitarian Assistance. London: ELRHA; 2010. http://www.elrha.org/uploads/Professionalising_the_humanitarian_sector.pdf. Accessed April 29, 2012.Google Scholar
4. Department for International Development (DFID). Humanitarian Emergency Response Review. www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/publications1/HERR.pdf. March 28, 2011:21. Accessed August 11, 2012.Google Scholar
5.Kene, M, Pack, ME, Greenough, PG, Burkle, FM Jr. The professionalization of humanitarian health assistance: report of a survey on what humanitarian health workers tell us. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2009;26(2):210-216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Russ, C. ELRHA: Global Survey on Humanitarian Professionalism. London, 2011. http://www.elrha.org/uploads/Global%20Humanitarian%20Professionalisation%20Survey.pdf. Accessed August 11, 2012.Google Scholar
7.Walker, P, Hein, K, Russ, C, Bertleff, G, Caspersz, D. A blueprint for professionalizing humanitarian assistance. Health Affairs. 2010;29(10):2223-2230.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Redmond, AD, Mardel, S, Taithe, B, et al. A qualitative and quantitative study of the surgical and rehabilitation response to the earthquake in Haiti, January 2010. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2011;26(6):449-456.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9. Proceedings of the WHO/PAHO Technical Consultation on International Foreign Medical Teams post sudden onset disasters. December 7-9, 2010, Havana, Cuba. http://search.aol.com/aol/search?s_it=topsearchbox.search&v_t=webmail-searchbox&q=paho%2Fwho+cuba+meeting+december+2010. Accessed June 16, 2011.Google Scholar
10. Inter-Agency Standing Committee, Global Health Cluster. Concept Paper: Foreign Medical Teams. http://www.who.int/hac/global_health_cluster/about/policy_strategy/fmt_concept_paper-16may11.pdf. May 17, 2011. Accessed June 26, 2011.Google Scholar
11. Core Humanitarian Competency Framework. CBHA Humanitarian Capacity Building ECB (Emergency Capacity Building Project). http://www.ecbproject.org/resources/library/90-cbha-humanitarian-capacity-building-program-objective-1-final-report. Accessed August 12, 2012.Google Scholar
12. Professionalization: ELRHA: Enhancing Learning and Research For Humanitarian Assistance. http://www.elrha.org/work/professionalisation/FAQ. London: ELRHA; 2010. Accessed August 12, 2012.Google Scholar
13. Development of a European training curriculum for international crisis management (DITAC). Disaster Training Curriculum (Collaborative project): Project Number 285036; July 26, 2011.Google Scholar
14.Redmond, AD, O'Dempsey, TJ, Taithe, B. Disasters and a register for foreign medical teams. Lancet. 2011;377(9771):1054-1055.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15. Humanitarian Studies 2010: University Training and Education Programmes in Humanitarian Action. Geneva Center for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action (CERAH). http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/3F4F89EA50EB939CC12577490031A1D8-cerah_humanitar Geneva Center for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action (CERAH) an_studies_may2010.pdf. Accessed August 27, 2012.Google Scholar