About Courses - Available Courses

The online course “Assessment of Disaster Training Needs for Helping Professionals and First Responders Serving Vulnerable Populations in Hawaii” features a presentation delivered by Brandon Mitsuda, May Rose Dela Cruz, and Amalie Monlux of Public Health 649, representatives of Public Health 649, the class which participated in the construction of the needs assessment. The presentation covers a basic overview of how the needs assessment was conducted, what results were found, and recommendations made based on the needs assessment results.

PH 649 Instructors: Kathryn Braun, DrPH, CHES and Nancy Partika, MPH
PH 649 Students: Brandon Mitsuda, May Rose Dela Cruz, Amalie Monlux, Khris Agnos, Angel Ahedo, Ngozi Erondu, Arline Harmon, Pedro Haro-Arvizu, Barbara Kualii, Mary Leyva, Clare Loprinzi, Krista Olson, Lorilyn Salamanca, Mili Samifua, David Suzuki-Ung, Jo-Hsi Wang, Trisha Wilson

This presentation was recorded at Pacific EMPRINTS’ 2008 Pacific Preparedness Conference: Capacity Building to Address Vulnerable Populations, on January 16, 2008. This Conference was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this online course, participants will be able to:
1. Identify at least three (3) disaster concerns for vulnerable populations.
2. List at least three (3) recommendations for addressing training gaps for vulnerable populations.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Biological Agents: Anthrax” is designed to give you a brief overview the Category A biological agent anthrax. This course covers cutaneous, gastrointestinal and inhalational anthrax, gives treatment recommendations for the different types of anthrax exposures, and discusses the anthrax vaccine.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology, based on a presentation by Michael Tiberg, “Assessing Current Threats: Biological Agents.” Creation of the course was funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. List the three types of anthrax exposure
2. List the two antibiotics commonly recommended for anthrax treatment
3. List the pros and cons of utilization of the anthrax vaccine.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Biological Agents: Botulism” is designed to give you a brief overview the Category A biological agent botulism. This course covers the forms of botulism, its use as a bioweapon, Botox, its clinical presentation and treatment of botulism poisoning.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. List the three forms of botulism
2. List two signs of a potential botulism biological attack
3. Identify the pharmaceutical treatment appropriate for a case of botulism.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Biological Agents: Plague” is designed to give you a brief overview the Category A biological agent plague. This course covers the different types of plague with a focus on pneumonic plague. It covers pneumonic plague’s signs and symptoms, diagnosis, mortality rate and treatment.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. List the three types of plague
2. List the preferred antibiotics for treatment of plague

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Biological Agents: Ricin” is designed to give a brief overview of the routes of infection associated with this Category B agent, its uses as a bioweapon, and its clinical presentation and treatment.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. List the three routes of infection for the ricin toxin
2. Identify the appropriate personal protective equipment for use with ricin-infected patients.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Biological Agents: Smallpox” is designed to give a brief overview of the routes of infection associated with this Category A agent, its uses as a bioweapon, its clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and treatment options. Smallpox vaccinations and adverse reactions associated with the vaccine will also be discussed.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
Differentiate between the clinical presentations of smallpox and chickenpox.
Identify the risks associated with smallpox vaccinations.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Biological Agents: Tularemia” is designed to give a brief overview of the epidemiology, associated illnesses, prevention and treatment of tularemia, a bacterial zoonosis transmitted from animals to humans that has the potential to be used as a biological weapon of terror.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Grant No. T01HP6427-0100

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. List three ways that tularemia can be naturally contracted
2. Identify the most dangerous clinical syndrome associated with tularemia
3. Identify the antibiotics commonly used to treat tularemia

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Biological Agents: Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers” is designed to give you a brief overview the Category A biological agents, the viral hemorrhagic fevers. This course covers the families of viruses, their general epidemiology, routes of infection, clinical presentations and treatments. It also looks at several specific viral hemorrhagic fevers, such as Ebola, Marburg and Lassa Fevers.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. List the four families of viral hemorrhagic fevers.
2. Identify the main differential diagnosis for viral hemorrhagic fevers.
3. Identify the only pharmaceutical treatment available for viral hemorrhagic fevers.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The online course “Building Cultural Competence in Disaster Preparedness and Response” features a presentation delivered by Ken Lee, MSW. The presentation covers the definition of cultural competence, 9 Guiding Principles for Cultural Competence in Disaster Response, and important considerations for cross-cultural interactions.

This presentation was recorded at Pacific EMPRINTS’ 2008 Pacific Preparedness Conference: Capacity Building to Address Vulnerable Populations, on January 16, 2008. This Conference was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this online course, participants will be able to:
1. Understand the importance of designing culturally sensitive approaches in disaster planning and response.
2. Describe methods and practical tools to evaluate a program’s level of cultural sensitivity.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Chemical Agents: Blister Agents” is designed to give a brief overview of the types of blister agents, the effects of blister agent exposure, and treatment for blister agent exposure.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the effects of blister agent exposure.
2. Identify appropriate treatment measures for victims of blister agent exposure.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Chemical Agents: Blood Agents” is designed to give a brief overview of the mechanism of action for cyanide-based blood agents, the effects of cyanide-based blood agent exposure, and treatment for cyanide-based blood agent exposure, as well as treatment side effects and considerations for healthcare providers.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Identify the mechanism of action for cyanide-based blood agents.
2. Describe the effects of cyanide-based blood agent exposure.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Chemical Agents: Choking Agents” is designed to give a brief overview of the mechanism of action for choking agents, the effects of choking agent exposure, and treatment for choking agent exposure, as well as a more in-depth look at phosgene and considerations for healthcare providers.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Identify the mechanism of action for choking agents.
2. Describe the effects of choking agent exposure.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Chemical Agents: Incapacitating Agents” is designed to give a brief overview of the three main types of incapacitating agents: hallucinogens, vomiting agents and riot control agents. A slightly more in-depth look at riot control agents will include their uses, clinical effects, and treatment options.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Identify the three main types of incapacitating agents.
2. Describe the major uses of riot control agents.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Chemical Agents: Nerve Agents” is designed to give a brief overview of mechanism of action for nerve agents, the effects of nerve agent exposure, the different types of nerve agents, and treatment for nerve agent exposure. The sarin Tokyo subway attacks of 1995 will also be briefly discussed.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Identify the mechanism of action for nerve agents.
2. Describe the effects of nerve agent exposure.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The online course “Counting Upon the Kindness & Expertise of Others: Serving Vulnerable Individuals & Families in Times of Disaster” features a keynote address delivered by Dr. Jeanette Takamura. The presentation describes three at-risk population segments: older Americans, persons with disabling conditions, and persons with limited English proficiency. In addition, the presentation identifies components of systems-based interventions, and provides resources for those who work with these populations.

This keynote address was recorded at Pacific EMPRINTS’ 2008 Pacific Preparedness Conference: Capacity Building to Address Vulnerable Populations, on January 16, 2008. This Conference was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this online course, participants will be able to:
1. Describe three at-risk population segments in the U.S.
2. Identify components of systems-based interventions for at-risk populations during a disaster.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Disaster Triage Exercises” is designed to provide several case examples of situations in which disaster triage for mass casualty incidents and disaster triage for epidemics might be used. Basic principles of these types of triage are reiterated, and several cases are discussed and explained.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Creation of the course was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Apply disaster triage for mass casualty incidents to a given scenario.
2. Apply disaster triage for epidemics to a given scenario.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Disaster Triage for Epidemics” is designed to give a brief overview of the type of epidemic triage potentially used in large-scale bio-events. An algorithm for triage is provided, along with a brief discussion of the ethical and moral conflicts that may arise as a result of triage.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Creation of the course was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Utilize the SEIRV epidemic triage algorithm.
2. Differentiate epidemic triage from Mass Casualty Incident triage.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Disaster Triage for Mass Casualty Incidents (MCIs)” is designed to give a brief overview of the type of triage used in disasters such as Mass Casualty Incidents, in order to do the greatest good for the greatest number of afflicted. It covers disaster triage tags, as well as primary and secondary triage.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the Disaster Triage Tag system.
2. Utilize the START Triage Algorithm.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The online course “Disasters and Pregnancy” features a presentation delivered by Dr. Pierre Buekens. The presentation covers Dr. Buekens’ research on pregnant women in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and addresses the issues pregnant women face in a disaster, including the effects of disaster on birth outcomes, postpartum depression, and the frequency of PTSD.

This presentation was recorded at Pacific EMPRINTS’ 2008 Pacific Preparedness Conference: Capacity Building to Address Vulnerable Populations, on January 16, 2008. This Conference was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this online course, participants will be able to:
1. Understand the impact of hurricanes on birth outcomes.
2. Understand the impact of hurricanes on postpartum depression and the frequency on post-traumatic stress disorder.
3. Identify public health interventions to support pregnant women and postpartum women exposed to hurricanes and their aftermath.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The online course “Emergency Preparedness for Children With Special Health Care Needs” features a presentation delivered by Professor of Pediatrics Dr. Loren Yamamoto. Topics covered include the technology and infrastructure dependence of children with special health care needs, their vulnerabilities, and approaches for ensuring their preparedness. The Emergency Information Form is discussed, as are electrical power basics necessary for interpreting technologically-dependent children’s electricity needs.

This presentation was recorded at Pacific EMPRINTS’ 2008 Pacific Preparedness Conference: Capacity Building to Address Vulnerable Populations, which took place on January 16, 2008, at the Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio Hotel. This Conference was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this he online course, participants will be able to:
1. Utilize the Emergency Information Form (EIF) endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).
2. Describe the role of the EIF in emergency/disaster preparedness.
3. Identify electrical power failure back-up strategies.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Emergency Preparedness for the Dental Profession” is designed to give you a brief overview of CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive) agents, and the role that the dental profession plays in preparing for and managing CBRNE events.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology with the aid of Dr. Patsy Fujimoto. Creation of the course was funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. List the major classes of weapons and several characteristics associated with them.
2. Describe the functional response roles that dentists may take in the event of an emergency.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The online course “Extending “Interoperability” to Vulnerable Populations” features a presentation delivered by David Kingdon, MPH, EMT-P. The presentation includes the definition of interoperability, how interoperability currently is and is not being built into various emergency response systems, and how public health and emergency service strategies can be used to improve interoperability. The presentation also covers some examples of collaboration, and basics of the Incident Command System.

This presentation was recorded at Pacific EMPRINTS’ 2008 Pacific Preparedness Conference: Capacity Building to Address Vulnerable Populations, on January 16, 2008. This Conference was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this online course, participants will be able to:
1. Define “interoperability” in terms of disaster preparedness and response.
2. Apply examples of collaboration between service organizations and public health and safety to their own working environment.
3. Understand relevant public health preparedness strategies (e.g. assets mapping, epidemiologic surveillance, program evaluation).
4. Understand relevant emergency services strategies (e.g. incident command, decontamination, triage/treatment).

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The online course “Hawaii Department of Health: Medical Reserve Corps Development and Overview” features a presentation delivered by Dr. Kate Gaynor, Dr. Kristine Qureshi, and Ms. Tara Nash. The presentation covers basics about the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), including its role in a disaster, its policies and structure, and the 8 core competencies of the MRC.

This presentation was recorded at Pacific EMPRINTS’ 2008 Pacific Preparedness Conference: Capacity Building to Address Vulnerable Populations, on January 16, 2008. This Conference was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this online course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain how the Medical Reserve Corps originated.
2. Explain at least (3) MRC core competencies.
3. Understand the potential response roles for the MRC volunteer.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The “Hawaii Department of Health: Medical Reserve Corps Training” is the introductory training for Hawaii Medical Reserve Corps volunteers. This course defines and explains the role of the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) and its volunteers, introduces the Incident Command System (ICS) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS), covers the 8 MRC core competencies, and elucidates the importance of personal emergency planning.

This course was created by the Hawaii Department of Health with the assistance of Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Know what the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is and why it is important.
2. Understand your role in the MRC.
3. Explain the importance of the Incident Command System and following the chain of command during any MRC disaster response activity.
4. List and explain the 8 MRC Core Competencies.
5. Explain why a family emergency plan is important.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Infectious Diseases: Cholera” is designed to give a brief overview of cholera, its method of transmission, epidemic status, and typical signs and symptoms associated with it. The course also covers cholera treatment, as well as prevention strategies for limiting the incidence of cholera.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Identify how cholera transmission occurs.
2. Institute appropriate preventative measures to decrease the likelihood of cholera transmission.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.

The course “Infectious Diseases: Dengue” is designed to give a brief overview of dengue, its method of transmission, and concentration area. Signs and symptoms associated with dengue, dengue hemorrhagic fever, and dengue shock syndrome, as well as their treatment will also be covered. The course concludes with a short discussion of the 2001 Hawaii dengue outbreak, and prevention and containment strategies that may be utilized to combat a dengue outbreak.

This course was created by Pacific EMPRINTS, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Anthropology. Creation of the course was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Grant No. T01HP6427-0100.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Identify how dengue transmission occurs.
2. Institute appropriate preventative measures to decrease the likelihood of dengue transmission.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are available for online courses through the Center for Continuing Medical Education at the Yale School of Medicine. Please refer to the CME page for more information.