1. Montréal, 29 January 2015.
Reference Letter in support of the
Registration: Mrs Marie-France Renaud (Canada), to the
World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, Sendai, March 2015.
Summary: Mrs Renaud: Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Master’s and PhD researcher
attending the Post-2015 HYOGO Framework Disaster Risk Reduction culminating process at the 3rd
United Nations World Conference on DRR scheduled to take place in March 2015 in Sendai, Japan;
“Health issues, representations and challenges analysis from a communication perspective” by Marie-
France Renaud, Department of Public and Social Communication Science, UQAM.
To WCDRR members and participants,
Marie-France Renaud, is a Canadian communication consultant and trauma/PTSD
neuro-physiological educator and therapist. Her experience as a sexologist, specialized
in criminology and victimology lead her to the policing world. She became a first
responder and use of force communication instructor of the policing sphere. She
recently participated at the Washington International Symposium on disaster medical
and public health management review of the Hyogo framework for action under the
invitation of the Center for Disaster and Humanitarian and Assistance Medecine.
(CDHAM) in May 2014.
Mrs. Renaud, is also a Master’s degree researcher in Social and Public Communication
specializing in health at the Université Du Québec à Montréal under my governance and
is currently preparing a PhD thesis project specialized in neuro-communication and
PTSD in populations exposed to natural and man made disasters.
Mrs. Renaud is interested will be joining the next World Conference on Disaster Risk
Reduction to be held in Sendai, Japan in March 2015.
One of her goals is to start preparing a PhD thesis by analysing the Post-2015
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction culminating process at the 3rd United Nations
World Conference on DDR and DRM scheduled to take place in Marsh 2015 in Sendai,

2. Japan. Her starting point would be to assess the health issues, its representations and
challenges from a communication perspective that would serve as her Master’s thesis
and would thereby serve as the foundations to conduct her PhD thesis.
To achieve this, She would be interested in the United Nations, the WHO, several
NGO’s, health scientists and other organisations perspectives of the social-political,
cultural, socio-economical, and diplomatic aspects of health in relations to specific
groups such as: children, women, first responders, humanitarian workers, decision
makers, politicians and diplomats during the five phases of disaster risk reduction and
disaster risk management in both the contexts of natural catastrophe and man made
disaster.
Her ultimate PhD thesis, will propose innovative neuro-communicational strategies
based on the analysis of the appropriation related to emergent adhesion phenomenon of
« do no harm » (non victimizing) post-Hyogo 2015 applied guidelines by the countries,
the UN, the WHO, and other actors to be discovered to prevent and treat trauma, post-
trauma and PTSD for first responders, decision makers, politicians, diplomats and
survivors of natural and man made catastrophes during all phases of disaster risk
reduction and disaster risk management.
We estimate that Marie-France Renaud’s projects and research will be of great value to
help apply the Post-Hyogo 2015 health related guidelines via this highly innovative
communicational research perspective.
I remain available for any further information.
Sincerely yours,
(Transmission via e-mail / Charron.c-y@uqam.ca )
Claude-Yves Charron
Professor, International Communication
Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
and
Distinguished Fellow
Network of UNESCO Chairs in Communication ORBICOM
http://orbicom.ca/en/profile-view/userprofile/charron.html