2019 International Conference on Disaster Medicine and Hurricane Resiliency Presentation by Mark Quirk, EdD Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine; Executive Director, Caribbean Center for Disaster Medicine

1. Caribbean Center for Disaster Medicine
Disaster Medicine and Hurricane Resiliency: Focus on Health
Professions Education and Healthcare Delivery
Hurricane Irma: An Opportunity for Growth
Mark Quirk, EdD
Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education

3. Hurricane Irma presented an Opportunity for
AUC to:
1. Become increasingly accountable to our
host Country of St Maarten
2. Teach new thinking skills to our students
for ‘Medicine in the 21st Century’

4. Social Accountability of Medical Schools
The obligation to direct their education,
research and service of activities towards
addressing the priority health concerns of
the community, region and/or nation that
they have a mandate to serve.
1995 World Health Organization (WHO)

5. 1. Responds to current and future health needs and
challenges in society
2. Re-orientates its education, research and service
priorities accordingly
3. Strengthens governance and partnerships with
other stakeholders and
4. Uses evaluation and accreditation to assess their
performance and impact.
Global Consensus for Social Accountability of
Medical Schools 2016
Socially Accountable Medical School

6. Strategic Objectives
1. Setting it Right
2. Revive and restore
3. Restructuring government
4. Safety and security
5. Health and social well-
being

7. #1 Priority
“Enforce disaster
preparedness and
long-term
management plan”
“We look ahead to a well-developed relationship
with international institutions and other partners locally
and regionally with the expertise to assist with our efforts in
rebuilding.”

8. A serious disruption of the functioning of a
community or society involving widespread
human, material, economic or environmental
losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability
of the affected community or society to cope
using its own resources
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)
Disaster

9. Caribbean Center for Disaster Medicine

15. Opportunity to Build a Center for Disaster Medicine
• Prepare with expert disaster personnel
– Sint Maarten Department of Public Health, EMS and
Hospital
– Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
• Identify gaps
– NGO training and coordination
– Communication and leadership
• Help establish protocols (Posters and Presentations)
– Pharmaceutical Preparedness
– Certification of health professionals in emergencies
– Risk Assessment

16. Hurricane Irma presented an Opportunity for
AUC to:
1. Become increasingly accountable to our
host Country of St Maarten
2. Teach new thinking skills to our students
for ‘Medicine in the 21st Century’

17. Irma -- ‘Living Curriculum; Deployment’
• For those 6 days students and in many cases
their significant others were exposed to a
different type of curriculum
• They learned about teamwork, leadership,
communication, how to manage emotions
• Interacted with a whole new group of teachers –
some were least expected
• They learned by doing -- more powerful than
books or simulation

18. “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never
go back to its old dimensions.” Oliver Wendell Holmes
“We learn nothing from experience only reflecting on
it.” John Dewey
“Practical knowledge is real knowledge that has life and
growth in it, and converts itself to practical power.”
William Osler
Learning from Experience

19. Medical Practice Knowledge and Skills
• Disaster Medicine
(cycle, planning,
operations,
applications)
• Leadership
• Teamwork and
Coordination
• Situational Awareness
(Thinking about
Thinking)
• Systems
• Population health

20. Situational awareness
“One’s ability to remain aware of everything that is
happening at the same time and to integrate that
sense of awareness into what one is doing at the
moment” (e.g., Haines & Flateau, 1992).
“Good situation awareness is critical in all areas of
healthcare” WHO 2009

22. The Event: “We had 208 seconds to plan and problem-solve”
• The co-pilot and I had to take on different roles than what
typically would be done according to protocol. I decided early on
that we were best served by me using my greater experience in
the [A320] to fly the airplane.
• Additionally, I felt like I had a clear view out the left-hand and
forward windows of all the important landmarks that I needed to
consider. They would be easier for me to see. And ultimately the
choice of where we would go and what flight path we would take
would be mine.
• I also thought that since it had been almost a year since I had
been through our annual pilot recurrent training, and Jeff had just
completed it— he was probably better suited to quickly knowing
exactly which checklist would be most appropriate.
Air and Space Magazine (Smithsonian) interview with
Captain ‘Sully’ Sullenberger 2.18.2009

23. Sonesta Maho
St Maarten

24. Medical Practice Knowledge and Skills
• Disaster Medicine
(cycle, planning,
operations,
applications)
• Leadership
• Teamwork and
Coordination
• Situational Awareness
(Thinking about
Thinking)
• Systems
• Population health

26. Irma: Kitchen Team

28. Summary: Take Home Points
1. Medical schools are obligated to direct their
education and research efforts to the priority
health needs of their communities.
2. Disasters present an opportunity to grow.
3. Teamwork and situational awareness are
critical skills for students anytime and
particularly during disasters.
Thank You!