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CDRE Shares Expertise in Chile

Millersville profs travel to Chile to help prepare them for emergencies.

Countries across the world face many of the same challenges of preparing for emergencies and responding to disasters. Thanks to the efforts of six Millersville University professors, officials in Chile may be better prepared to handle disasters in their country and students at MU and in Chile will reap the benefits of collaborative research and new courses.

In a first of its kind initiative, the Millersville team traveled to Chile during the fall 2014 semester as part of a broader effort to expand on the international activities of the Center for Disaster Research and Education (CDRE) through a series of multi-disciplinary workshops. Known as the Global Partnerships Initiative (GPI), the effort focuses on curriculum, research, student recruitment, professional training and expertise sharing.

“In light of the global nature of emergencies in today’s world, it’s essential that we have international engagement,” explained Dr. Kirsten Bookmiller, project director, professor in the Department of Government and Political Affairs, and director of GPI. “We decided to work with Chile since we have been an active partner with Pontificial Catholic University of Valparaíso (PUCV) since 1999. Also, Chile unfortunately is a highly disaster prone country, facing numerous challenges, stemming from natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis and droughts as well as mining accidents. Last April, the city of Valparaiso experienced the worst fire in its history.”

In addition to Bookmiller, Drs. Sepi Yalda, earth sciences and director of the CDRE; Karen Rice, social work;  Marc Felizzi, social work; Duane Hagelgans, earth sciences;  and Norma Rivera-Hernandez, foreign languages; traveled to Chile.

Millersville’s professors met with hundreds of individuals from PUCV and the community.

“I learned more during my five-day visit about disaster management in a non-U.S. context than I would have in years of reading about it,” said Bookmiller. “I’m now working with PUCV’s law school to co-develop a graduate course in disaster law that will be offered by MU’s Master of Science in Emergency Management (MSEM) program. The trip to Chile also made me realize we may be asking the wrong questions when it comes to ideal approaches–at least from my home disciplines of policy and law. Since most of the world is poorer, those of us studying emergency and disaster management in the developed world really need to reflect more about low- to no-cost strategies that will work in a variety of settings.”

Yalda agreed that the experience will benefit both MU students and the students at PUCV. “The trip provided an opportunity to set up a collaborative research forum for our meteorology and MSEM students and students at the PUCV School of Engineering with a focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation. Students at the two universities will work together on research projects and build on their respective expertise to address questions on climate change and adaptation strategies and solutions.”

CDRE faculty cohorts in social work and emergency management have also begun collaborative research on the general topic of children and disaster preparedness.

Social work is exploring a possible certification program in Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy to professionals in Valparaiso, Chile.  “Based on our understanding of how art helps in healing post trauma, we have recognized a need to prepare practitioners working in this area – in both Chile and here at home,” explained Rice.

“I teach several courses on vulnerable populations, and as a foreign traveler, without a working knowledge of the local language, it gave me a tremendous insight into the subject matter of being vulnerable,” explained Hagelgans. “I spent several class lectures explaining my new found knowledge and firsthand experiences and how we as emergency managers can be better equipped to deal with vulnerabilities. This experience will be a part of all of my classes at Millersville and it helped refocus my research on children in disasters to include an international perspective. With the disaster-prone nature of Chile, I had a pre-trip expectation that the nation would have more emergency management policies, guidelines, etc. I learned that although they have experienced many disasters, emergency management is still in its infancy in Chile, and is possibly an area where we can assist them in their growth.”

Felizzi presented on the issue of trauma/burnout in disaster mental health workers. “We were able to assist in the development of awareness for the need to address vicarious trauma/ burnout in disaster mental health workers. By discussing their practice needs, coupled with the desire to learn more about best practices, we were able to collaborate on how to address the issue. We have continued this dialogue by communicating, post-visit, with students and practitioners, and have been able to share ideas, information and experiences with them, via email and Skype.”

Presentations were translated into Spanish. Rivera-Hernandez was responsible for cultural outreach and translation. She is no stranger to Chile. “The foreign languages department regularly sends students to PUCV and I have had the opportunity to take students on a short-term study abroad program in Chile. I was able to reconnect with faculty and staff at PUCV and reaffirm our interest in maintaining and strengthening these ties. In addition, the trip provided me the opportunity to work closely with my MU colleagues and become more familiar with the terminology they use in the emergency and disaster field. This knowledge will hopefully develop into another project regarding the standardization of the Spanish terminology used in this field.”

Since the experience in Chile, faculty members have presented at Millersville’s Civic and Community Engagement Research Project’s (CCERP) Income Inequality Conference and the PASSHE International Summit. The group also has been sharing their experiences in the classroom.

A 2014-2015 PASSHE Faculty Professional Development Council Grant covered the airfare for the participating faculty members. PUCV provided hotel and all in-country transportation for the week. Millersville’s CDRE, Global Education and Partnerships and the Department of Social Work supported faculty per diems and other miscellaneous expenses.

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