Health in Emergencies and Disasters

Program Description:

Iran (the Islamic Republic) is a Middle East country covering an area of 1,648 million sq km with a population of about 75 million. It is exposed to a variety of natural and man-made disasters that have caused considerable damages to the population and infrastructures.

According to the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Reduction, the Iran’s risk class for natural hazards is 8 out of 10. Over last four decades, these hazards have caused more than 109,000 deaths and 150,000 injuries in Iran ².

Natural disasters adversely affect the health of population directly through injury and death; increasing physical and mental illness; displacing and disrupting social networks; as well as destructing physical surroundings and personal property. Damage to the structure and function of health facilities can have further impacts by impairing the ability of communities to respond to these calamitous events.

Health in emergencies and disasters is a multidisciplinary major in health sciences. It describes disaster management cycle (mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery) and plans to save and promote physical, mental, social health is developed by School of Public Health at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in collaboration with Disaster & Emergency Management Center at the Ministry of Health & Medical Education. The program has accepted students since 2011 academic year.

Objectives:

The major goals of training PhD level in this subject include the following:

• Increasing capacity in education, research, policy making and disasters and emergency management
• Meeting scientific needs of health sector, risk management and reduction of natural, manmade and biologic threats
• Helping to design interventions to reduce vulnerability and risk of consequences in natural and manmade disasters and emergency
• Increasing role of Islamic Republic of Iran to produce knowledge and information management in preparedness and risk reduction in disasters and emergencies in the region and world
• Developing scientific cooperation in education and research centers in Iran, other countries and international organizations by respect to regulations of Islamic Republic of Iran Specific Competencies and Skills

Specific Competencies and Skills

At the end of the program learners will be competent in the following skills:

• Teaching, and research in disaster and emergency health