Public Safety meetings & conferences

International Society for Disease Surveillance Annual Conference

The ISDS Annual Conference is the premier event dedicated to the advancement of the science and practice of biosurveillance. This year’s theme, Expanding Collaborations to Chart a New Course in Public Health Surveillance, will highlight the importance of working together across agencies, sectors, and disciplines to improve surveillance methods and population health outcomes. The conference will be held at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina in San Diego, CA, December 4-5, 2012, with Pre-Conference Workshops on December 3rd.

The ISDS Conference draws professionals from a broad range of disciplines— epidemiology and computer science to mathematical modeling and health policy—to learn and contribute the latest achievements, methodologies, best practices, conceptual frameworks, and technical innovations in the rapidly evolving field of biosurveillance. This year's conference will provide fertile ground for cultivating new ideas and partnerships with roundtable discussions, panels and other opportunities to collaborate.

The scope of this conference includes all of the components, policies, methods, practices, infrastructure, research and evaluation related to timely surveillance of communicable diseases, chronic diseases and injuries. This includes notifiable conditions, adverse events and emerging/novel threats; biological, chemical, and radiological health threats; plant, animal, and food surveillance; and environmental monitoring.

12th World Congress on Stress, Trauma & Coping

February 19-24, 2013 Baltimore, Maryland

The 12th World Congress on Stress, Trauma and Coping is the premier forum for multidisciplinary exchange of ideas and information among those who provide crisis and disaster mental health services.

Sessions during the 12th World Congress have been designed to provoke critical thinking challenge current convention offer innovative ideas and insights & fully explore the many applications of critical incident response in various industries, settings and situations.

World Congress participants will identify the tools needed to solve current problems and explore the future direction of the crisis intervention field. The 6 day World Congress will include a variety of presentation formats ideally suited to exploring concepts, practical applications and results in sessions designed for professionals in all practice settings and experience levels.

World Congress Major Content Themes
Over 125 presenters will cover the spectrum of crisis intervention in these and other areas:

Research / Innovations Military Disaster Response Healthcare Settings Faith Based Applications Emergency Services, Public Safety Corporate / Industry / EAP Specialty Populations Team Development and Care Schools, Children

Who Should Attend

The ICISF 12th World Congress is a “must attend” experience for anyone working in the fields of crisis intervention, traumatic stress, emergency services & disaster mental health, including:

Disaster response personnel Psychiatrists Humanitarian aid workers Counselors Law-enforcement officers Social workers Firefighters Faith-based providers EMTs / Paramedics Employee representative organizations & Unions Military personnel First response support agencies Homeland security personnel Media correspondents / journalists Emergency service administrators Grief counselors Emergency operations administrators & managers Employee assistance professionals Corrections officials Commercial & industrial organization employees Healthcare professionals & administrators Airline & other transportation industry personnel Educators, school employees Communication officers & dispatch personnel Crisis workers Security professionals Suicidologists Victim's advocates Psychologists Risk managers

Why Attend?
The Crisis Intervention field continues to grow, building on excellent proven programs and strategies while incorporating innovations that meet the needs and challenges of the diverse populations we serve. As crisis interventionists we must learn from one another to continually improve the services provided to the level of best practices.

At the 12th World Congress, you'll have an incomparable opportunity to interact with experts in the field and hundreds of your peers from around the U.S. and world who, like you, are committed to providing assistance to those affected by critical incident stress. Choose from over 70 presentations that will explore how the practice of crisis intervention is evolving and adapting to meet the needs and challenges of the future.

Please address any questions to:

Shelley Cohen
World Congress Program Manager
scohen@icisf.org
(410) 750-9600

Dynamics of Preparedness Conference

October 22-24, 2012 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The University of Pittsburgh MIDAS National Center of Excellence, in cooperation with the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice and the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the Harvard School of Public Health, invite researchers, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows to the Dynamics of Preparedness Conference in Pittsburgh, October 22–24, 2012.

Purpose: The past decade has seen unprecedented investments in research on preparedness from many sectors of government and the private sector. Numerous reports have appeared, evaluating the preparedness status of states and communities. Dynamics of Preparedness will convene researchers from diverse disciplines to present, critique, and consider the future of research on emergency preparedness in public health systems.

Dynamics describes the complex interactivity among numerous governmental, private, and voluntary components of public health systems. Systems must adapt to emergencies and disasters —both as individuals, agencies, and organizations and as system components affecting the populations served—in ways that often produce unexpected, secondary impacts. Preparedness includes prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery relevant to infectious disease outbreaks as well as other emergencies and disasters.

Goals:

Compile research on public health systems that support preparedness, specifically highlighting innovative methods and novel approaches.
Critique the rigor and quality of output from this research arena, noting the findings and insights with implications for public policy and practical application.
Catalogue the issues and problems where the evidence base for preparedness policy and practice remains weak as an agenda for future research and seek solution-focused innovations.

Dynamics of Preparedness will feature sessions in:

Data: resources for, as well as barriers and constraints upon, quantitative and qualitative research

Innovations: methodological challenges and novel multi-disciplinary approaches

Outcomes: demonstrations, observational studies, and comparisons focused on the outcomes of response to public health emergencies

Modeling: use of computational, conceptual, and mathematical modeling to explore legal frameworks, resource deployment, and operational efficiency and effectiveness under resource-constrained conditions

Progress of Research: presentation of studies on the critical themes of system sustainability, communications, workforce capabilities, and criteria and metrics and on the cross-cutting issues of legal infrastructure and special-needs populations

Translation: utility and application of research results for policy making and practice

4th International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC Davos 2012

"Integrative Risk Management in a Changing World - Pathways to a Resilient Society"

26-30 August 2012 Davos, Switzerland

Pre- conference events from 24 to 26 August
Post- conference events from 31 August to 4 September

Today’s societies are faced with numerous interconnected, complex and emerging risks. Environmental, technical, social and economic risks are often closely linked and can result in successive impact. For example the recent earthquake in Japan, resulted in a disastrous tsunami, creating nuclear meltdown at its key facilities. Risks and disasters explored at the IDRC include, amongst others, natural hazards, failures of critical infrastructure and services, pandemics, acts of terrorism and financial crises. All can severely impact and influence human beings and collective societies.

Participants of IDRC include risk management experts, practitioners, scientists, key players from civil society, Non-Governmental Organisations and the private sector. The diversity of participants enables both a strategic and operational level of discussion to ensure “the last mile” will be considered with key players from line ministries and disaster and risk management authorities. IDRC Davos 2012 helps bridge the gap in problem solving between the causes of problems governance, and technology.

Featured Themes, Topics, Tools, Methodologies and Frameworks

The complex and multi faceted nature of risks demands an innovative, holistic and problem oriented approach to risk and disaster management. The IDRC Davos 2012 theme “Integrative Risk Management in a changing world” will further establish and develop the approach to integrative risk management. The aim is to globally increase resilience and reduce vulnerability.

IDRC Davos 2012 will address the Integrative Risk Management Approach within the following context:

Disaster prevention, preparedness, emergency response, vulnerability and resilience

Extreme events, climate change adaptation, migration

Critical infrastructures and services

Na-tech hazards, cascading risks, technological risks

Health impacts, medical response, One Health

Capacity building, education, communication and training

Economics of disaster, financial tools for risk management

Risk and society, risk governance, risk culture

Contact us

Global Risk Forum GRF Davos

International Disaster and Risk Conference (IDRC)
Promenade 35
CH - 7270 Davos Platz
Switzerland

Tel. +41 (81) 414 16 00
Fax. +41 (81) 414 16 01

e-mail: info@grforum.org
http://www.grforum.org

International Conference on Hazards & Disasters 2012

20-21 September 2012 Negombo, Sri Lanka

Institute for Global Change Adaptation Science (ICAS), Ibaraki University
ICRD International Center for Research and Development (ICRD)

The ICRD/ ICAS joint Conference on Hazards & Disasters 2012 offers a valuable opportunity to network with colleagues from many countries who share the same goals. Scientists and experts in hazards and disaster risk management are invited to participate in this International Conference on Hazards & Disasters 2012

Session themes for the conference cover a rich and diverse range of research topics. We hope these sessions will bring researchers from across the globe together to discuss broad questions of common interest and provide a platform to establish relationships with new colleagues. You will be enlightened with innovative ideas and solutions at Hazards & Disasters 2012 and take initiatives to forge better solutions to reduce future risks and threats of hazards.

A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard (e.g., flood, tornado, hurricane, volcanic eruption, earthquake, heat wave, or landslide). It leads to financial, environmental or human losses. The resulting loss depends on the vulnerability of the affected population to resist the hazard, also called their resilience.

Risks in a changing and global world are complex and interconnected, even more so in a globalized world consisting of many societies at very different levels of development. The frequency and severity of natural disasters have increased markedly worldwide. Economic losses associated with natural hazards are increasing exponentially in developing countries.

Social science research conducted since the late 1970s has contributed greatly to the society's ability to mitigate and adapt to natural, technological, and willful (man-made) disasters. However, as evidenced by Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States and other recent events, hazards and disaster research and its application could be improved greatly.

In particular, more studies should be pursued that compare how the characteristics of different types of events—including predictability, forewarning, magnitude, and duration of impact—affect societal vulnerability and response.

Therefore, Hazards & Disasters 2012 offers a valuable opportunity to network with colleagues from many countries who share the same goals. You will be enlightened with innovative ideas and solutions at Hazards & Disasters 2012 and take initiatives to forge better solutions to reduce future risks and threats of hazards.

Main Sessions

The proposed major session themes of the 2012 Conference are:

1. Disaster Preparedness & Response
2. Urban Risks / Megacities
3. Climate Change & DRR
4. Risk Management
5. Social issues & impact
6. Disasters & adaptation
7. Environmental & Ecological Risks
8. Traditional knowledge & Risk reduction
9. Resilience & Vulnerability
10. Health Impacts & emergency medicine
11. Economics of Disasters
12. Communication & Outreach in DRR
13. Education, Research & Capacity Building

Sub topics

1. Tsunami (Indian ocean/Japanese)
2. Landslides
3. Floods
4. Cyclone
5. Earthquakes
6. Volcanic eruption
7. Lightning
8. Forest Fires
9. Tornados
10. Heat Waves/ Cold Waves
11. Nuclear Crisis

The target audience for the conference

• Researchers
• Scientists
• Educators
• Policy makers
• Planners
• DRR experts
• Risk experts
• Emergency managers
• PhD students

Why Attend to Hazards & Disasters 2012

The International Conference on Hazards and Disasters 2012 is providing you with the

• Opportunity to present your research to a global audience
• Establish peer to peer collaboration around the world
• Exchange ideas on important issues
• Gain a global perspective on disaster issues.

Contact Us

Send your registration form to – registration@globaldisasters.org

Contact conference convener – prabhath@theicrd.org

Event Manager
Mr.Isanka Gamage - isanka@leapbis.info
+94 715 589 870
Skype: ip.gamage

Conference Secretariat
Hazards & Disasters 2012, #858/6, Kaduwela Road, Thalangama North, Sri Lanka.
Tel/Fax: +94 112 744306
Hotline : +94 777 799915
Email: info@theicrd.org
URL: www.theicrd.org

Nanosafe 2012

After the success of Nanosafe 2008 and Nanosafe 2010, the next edition Nanosafe 2012 will be held from 13th to 15th November 2012 in Minatec, Grenoble, France .

Topics

Exposure assessment
Detection and identification
Toxicology
Environmental interactions
Nanomaterials release
Protection technology
Industrial production
Life Cycle Analysis
Ethics and societal issues
Commercial equipements
Risk management for OHS experts

Programme
The three-day programme for this conference will comprise:

-- Invited plenary lectures

G. Oberdörster (U. ROCHESTER), D. Pui (U. MINNESOTA), D. Brouwer (TNO), T. Nhuyen (NIST), F. Schuster (CEA), B. Nowack (EMPA), R. Muir (NANEUM). D. Bernard (ARKEMA), J. Rose (CEREGE), C. Engeman (UCSB) A. Grobe (U. STUTTGART). A. Grinbaum (CEA), F. Roure (FRENCH MINISTRY FOR ECONOMY, FINANCE AND INDUSTRY), A. Kishimoto (AIST, RISS), C. EMOND (U. MONTREAL), L. Golanski (CEA), O. Witschger (INRS), E. Drais (INRS).

-- Selected oral contributions

- Posters sessions

-- Panel discussions: Governance/ Toxicology/ The opinion of the civil society regarding nanomaterials

-- Exhibition of equipments related to safe production and use of nanomaterials

-- Satellite meetings: TITNT, TRIMATEC, NANOHOUSE

Third International Conference on Violence in the Health Sector--Linking Local Initiatives With Global Learning

October 24-26 2012 Vancouver, Canada

Work related aggression and violence within the health and social services sector is a major problem which diminishes the quality of working life for staff, compromises organizational effectiveness and ultimately impacts negatively on the provision and quality of care. These problems pervade both service settings and occupational groups.

Considerable attention and advancements in addressing this problem have been achieved from service and organizational perspectives nationally and internationally. Following two successful conferences in 2008 and 2010 in Amsterdam, the 3rd International Conference on Violence in the Health Sector, will take place in Vancouver, Canada, from October 24-26 2012. In addition to raising awareness the 2012 conference will provide a platform to share international developments, with a particular emphasis on best practice research and initiatives to effectively respond to the problem.

The specific aims of the conference are:

To sensitize stakeholders to the issue of violence in the health care sector,
To understand the manifestations and the human, professional and economic implications of violence in the health care sector,
To promote effective sustainable initiatives and strategies to create safe environments for workers and clients in the health care sector,
To present initiatives which respond to the problem, and have transferable learning for efforts in broader service and geographical contexts.

Conference sub-themes:

Patterns of aggression and/or violence within healthcare:
All manifestations of aggression and/or violence irrespective of who the perpetrator or victim is (staff, service user, co-worker, others) including:

1. Verbal aggression/violence

2. Physical aggression/violence

3. Sexual intimidation/harassment

4. Psychological aggression/violence

5. Horizontal/lateral aggression/violence, like bullying, mobbing and intimidation

6. Financial abuse

7. Organizational/hierarchical aggression/violence

Impact of aggression and/or violence within healthcare:

8. Physical/Injury impacts of aggression/violence

9. Emotional/Psychological impacts of aggression/violence

10. Financial impacts of aggression/violence

11. Service related impacts of aggression/violence

12. Professional, legal and ethical impacts of aggression/violence

Initiatives and solutions to aggression and/or violence within healthcare:

13. Creating aggression and violence minimizing cultures

14. The minimisation/reduction of seclusion, restraint and coercive measures

15. Engaging with service user in seeking solutions

16. Education and training

17. Quality safety and risk reduction initiatives

18. Policy/guidance on best practice initiatives

The key theme of the conference on this occasion is on initiatives which inform responses to the problem of aggression and/or violence within the health sector.

World Conference on Disaster Management

June 25th – 27th, 2012 Toronto, Canada

The World Conference on Disaster Management (WCDM) is proud to be the premier annual event for disaster management professionals, providing a global perspective on current issues and concerns in the industry.

The 22nd WCDM will bring delegates from over 40 countries within the fields of Emergency Management, Business Continuity, Emergency Response, Risk Management, IT Disaster Recovery, Disaster Management Research, Emergency Communications, Emergency Health, Security, HR, Environmental, Community Planning, as well as for the organizations which supply and service these professions.

A major goal of the WCDM is to offer a program that challenges delegates by examining traditional concepts and methods, and provides:

new ideas and approaches to problem solving both leading edge and topical presentations opportunities to connect with key individuals and organizations across the disaster management spectrum

The 2012 Conference theme is: Global Threats....Local Consequences

Streams:

Real Events / Lessons Learned Real incidents/events – these should either be recent events (within last 18 months) or draw on lessons learned from past events that can be applied in current planning. Emerging Trends in Disaster Management Global Climate Change, Infectious diseases (including flu pandemic), Terrorism, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Community & Organizational Resilience, Nuclear, Biological, Radiological & Chemical threats (NBRC), Enterprise Risk Management, Cyber threats, Use of Social Media etc The Human Element in Disaster Management Crisis Communications, Biggest PR Issues within the last year, Violence in the Workplace, HR Policies, Stress Reduction, Trauma Risk Management, Personal Preparedness & Pandemic Planning Technical Issues/Threats Cyber & Electronic Data Security, Virtualization and Cloud Computing as related to Disaster Recovery, Emergency Communications, Interoperability, Communication Systems Options, Emergency Management / BCP Software.Disaster Management Principles & Practices Emergency Operations Centres, Emergency Site Management, NIMS/ICS, Standards, Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery, HAZMAT, Managing the Media, Major Event Contingency Planning, Public Awareness and Education Campaigns, Evacuation Planning, Exercise and Training Programs, Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment. Innovation A new stream to highlight the critical importance of innovation in dealing with the increasing severity (and perhaps frequency) of disasters and emergencies as well as the impact of the global economic crisis - further cuts, sometimes drastic, to budgets and resources for all aspects of disaster management.

For information regarding the program, contact:

Adrian Gordon
Senior Advisor
Email: adrian.gordon@gmail.com

International Conference--5th Water Contamination Emergencies: Managing the Threats

19th - 21st November 2012 IWW Water Centre, Mülheim-an-der-Ruhr, Germany

This international conference will feature a relevant trade exhibition (limited space available), a conference dinner at the Municipal Hall which will incorporate the Mülheim Water Award prize-giving, a poster exhibition and a drinks reception. The Royal Society of Chemistry will publish proceedings after the event.

The conference is aimed at public health professionals, water companies, regulators, risk and business continuity managers, emergency planners, service and support providers, detection equipment suppliers, disaster recovery specialists, water security experts, and water distribution modellers.

Programme Topics

- Introduction and welcome
- Scene setting and background
- How do we assess and manage the actual risks
- Real life examples
- Lessons learnt
- What can be done in future?
- Conclusion, wash-up, round table discussion

Contact

Maggi Churchouse
Conference Secretariat
Maggi Churchouse Events
3 East Barn, Market Weston Road
Thelnetham
Diss
IP22 1JJ
UK
Telephone and fax +44 (0)1359 221004
E-Mail: Maggi@WCEC5.eu

12th International Symposium on Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms (ISBGMO12)

17-20 September 2012 St Louis, Missouri

The ISBGMO is a unique opportunity for scientists from across the globe to share experiences and engage in open and meaningful dialogue about biosafety.

Participants include scientists involved in biosafety research and policy, including regulatory authorities, technology developers, academics, non-government organizations, and other credible stakeholders.

The discussion at this ISBGMO12 will be focused on a theme: CONSIDERING BIOSAFETY IN THE APPLICATION OF BIOTECHNOLOGY TO MEET THE CHANGING NEEDS OF AGRICULTURE, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT.

Under this theme, presentations and posters in the sessions, mini-symposia, and workshops will potentially address such timely topics, as they relate to biosafety:

New approaches in genetic engineering
Genetically engineered animals/insects
Biotechnology and climate change
Biotechnology and biofuels/energy
Biotechnology for developing countries
Transferring data for risk assessment across environments
Genetically engineered crops and agricultural sustainability
Post-market monitoring
Defining protection goals for risk assessment
Defining the receiving environment
Understanding environmental fate
Key discussions under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
Effective capacity building for biotechnology regulation
And others...

The ISBGMO is a bienniel international meeting organized by the International Society for Biosafety Research (ISBR), a society whose membership is composed of individuals with an interest in risk assessment and research related to the environmental risks associated with genetically modified organisms (http://www.isbr.info/).

The ISBGMOs have been offered on a biennial basis since 1990, at various locations throughout the world, including most recently in Argentina (2010), New Zealand (2008), South Korea (2006), France (2004), China(2002), Canada (2000). The 2012 symposium in St. Louis will be the first time it has been offered in the US since it was held in Monterey, CA in 1994.

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, whose mission and goals are closely tied to the theme of ISBGMO12, is the local host for this symposium.

For queries please contact: Customer Services Officer
Email: Customerservice-ISBGMO12@elsevier.com