From the Dean

That cheery announcement from a child starting a round of hide-and-seek sounds more ominous when referring to natural disasters and other emergencies in our future. Terrorism, including the potential for bioterrorism, is a modern-day reality. That earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes are an unpredictable fact of life was brought home vividly by the widespread destruction across the Western Pacific last December and the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. And it appears that an influenza pandemic, avian or from another source, is inevitable. Ready or not.

Since we cannot prevent these disasters, we must prepare and protect. This issue of Northwest Public Health looks at how our level of preparedness has improved in recent years and where gaps remain. As you will see, there are impressive programs throughout our region to enhance our defenses. Our School plays a significant role in this effort through research and training.

The issue of Spotlight on Research inserted in this journal includes an article about the work of Dr. Marilyn Roberts, Professor of Pathobiology. Her team is studying a tetracycline resistance gene, which when present in a bacterium reduces or eliminates the effectiveness of tetracycline therapy. A commonly prescribed antibiotic, tetracycline is an important tool for treating diseases that may be used as weapons by bioterrorists. The genetic manipulation of bioweapons is as scary a prospect as any we face. Only with such research can we begin to prepare.

Our School is also active in preparedness training, primarily through the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice. We just completed our 14th Summer Institute, designed to increase the emergency preparedness know-how of public health professionals in the region. The theme was Public Health Preparedness: Tools for the Frontline, and the training exercises were geared to educating professionals in our public health system to detect, respond to, control, and recover from an emergency incident.

The Northwest Center has developed many other resources, some of which are listed below:

• Tabletop exercises to help participants recognize and respond to suspected SARS and to promote the collaboration necessary to respond to a bioterrorist attack on the food supply
• Monthly Hot Topics in Preparedness Web conferences
• A Web-based series called Public Health Law in the Age of Terrorism
• Disaster Behavioral Health: Tools and Resources for Idaho Emergency Responders, a Web conference covering the psychosocial aspects of terrorism preparedness and emergency response
• Instructional materials on the Strategic National Stockpile—a cache of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and medical supplies managed by CDC and made available to help states respond to emergencies—and community training on mass dispensing of supplies
• Two courses for Health Sciences students on Bioterrorism Awareness for Health Professionals and an instructional guide for community clinicians
• Training institutes on preparedness in Alaska, Montana, Oregon, and Wyoming

Materials produced by the Northwest Center were also used by Area Health Education Centers in Eastern Washington, which offered bioterrorism preparedness training to rural primary care providers. Those materials also helped Montana State University create a Bioterrorism Education and Training Program.

Our School's goals focus on improving the health of the public through education, research, and practice—in classrooms, laboratories, and out in our communities. By partnering with the Washington State Department of Health, Public Health - Seattle & King County, and numerous other institutions in the Northwest and beyond, we participate in a broad-based, multi-faceted approach to improving our region's preparedness, to being readier than not.

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Patricia Wahl, Dean
School of Public Health and Community Medicine