The disaster of September 11^th and its aftermath have made clear to many, who’d never thought about it before, how central the public health community is to their safety and well being.

The relevance of academic public health is evident in its ability to foster – through work of faculty and through training students – the leadership needed to guide action when catastrophe strikes.

Recent terrorist attacks have tested the mettle of the entire public health community and by the efforts of faculty, students, and graduates, the Michigan School of Public Health has responded quickly and effectively.

These efforts include:

• overseeing the medical services of Saint Vincent’s Hospital, the closest emergency facility to the World Trade Center
• providing onsite instruction in use of respirator equipment to fire fighters and emergency workers at the World Trade Center site
• providing consultation regarding asbestos cleanup at the World Trade Center
• directing the State of Michigan’s bioterrorism preparedness and response plan
• serving on the national committee to develop health system bioterrorist preparedness
• consulting with the Centers for Disease Control regarding a rapid detection test for anthrax
• educating the University and local community on disaster preparedness and relief, and regarding biological, chemical, and nuclear terrorism
• assessing the health status and environmental conditions of Afghan refugees in Pakistan

Faculty research particularly salient to understanding and avoiding similar future threats include:

• rapid detection to analyze safety of water distribution systems
• exposure assessment for aerosol inhalation
• exposure assessment and human risk for environmental hazards
• monitoring contaminants in both air and biological media and human exposure to chemicals