International Training Centre
NEWS Spring 2014
INSIDE: ITC Launch | Elearning | ArcopolPlus | International Teaching & Training Recent & Future Events | The Chulabhorn Research Institute | Meet the Team
WELCOME TO THE INTERNATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE’S NEWSLETTER Peter Sykes Director of Enterprise Cardiff School of Health Sciences
Welcome! I am pleased to launch the inaugural edition of the International Training Centre’s newsletter. It has been over a year since the International Training Centre (ITC) was launched and timely to report on some of the activities that have taken place in that time.
This newsletter will be distributed twice a year and will cover some of the exciting and innovative developments at Cardiff School of Health Sciences regarding teaching and training for public health practitioners. I hope that you will enjoy reading about some of the activities highlighted here. Further information can be found at: www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/itc
Prof Adrian Peters Dean of the Cardiff School of Health Sciences
ITC Launch T
he Centre was launched on April 20th 2012 as a collaboration between Cardiff Metropolitan University, the Health Protection Agency’s WHO Collaborating Centre (now part of Public Health England), G7+ Mexico’s Global Health Security Action Group, WHO and Public Health Wales. The launch was also supported by Welsh Government and the Department of Health.
The ITC’s principal aim is to blend expertise and nurture partnerships in order to provide a centre of excellence for novel, innovative and world-class teaching and training. The ITC is currently developing a platform for continuing international professional development in all discipline areas of Cardiff School of Health Science’s portfolio. These programmes will be delivered on-line and through outreach activities with global partners.
Study with us
The ITC’s Principal Aim is to blend expertise and nurture partnerships in order to provide a centre of excellence for novel, innovative and world-class teaching
T
he ITC has developed e-learning materials for public health and allied professionals on the management of chemical incidents. The materials cover the principal components of the public health management of chemical incidents and include the fundamental components of hazard identification and risk assessment, risk prioritisation, risk mitigation, emergency planning and preparedness, response and recovery. The materials are delivered via Moodle, a software package for producing Internet-based courses. Moodle can be accessed from anywhere with an Internet connection. Learning materials include a mixture of powerpoint presentations, interviews with experts, case studies, scenarios and exercises as well as checklists and self-assessment questions. The materials can be found on moodle.uwic.ac.uk for which you will need login details. Send your details to itc@cardiffmet.ac.uk and an account will be set up for you
ARCOPOL Plus T
he ITC recently hosted the ARCOPOLplus international conference with partners from the UK, Republic of Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal, the conference covered topical subjects in the field of marine pollution including creating public communications, identifying and deploying required resources and planning strategies to aid the response to and recovery from - maritime incidents.
Delegates discussed the risks associated with the increase in the maritime transportation of hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) across the globe and across Europe in particular. There is an international recognition that spills of these substances pose potential risks to the environment, to ecology and to public health.
Spreading the World: International Teaching & Training Belgrade, Serbia
Hong Kong
The Chulabhorn Research Institute
In March 2013, a 2-day workshop was held at the Institute of Public Health in Belgrade, Serbia. Held in conjunction with WHO Euro and with participants from Serbia, Albania, Moldova and Bosnia the workshop specifically addressed the obligations of the International Health Regulations (IHR) regarding public health capacity building and resilience in the field of chemical incident management. It addressed key aspects such as hazard and risk, risk prioritisation and mitigation, integrated emergency management and response.
In April 2013, members of the WHOCollaborating Centre and Cardiff Metropolitan University hosted a workshop on the public health management of chemical incidents at the School of Professional and Continuing Education, Hong Kong University. Attended by local emergency physicians, environmental health officers, public health consultants and policy makers the workshop focused upon identifying and managing risk, developing and updating chemical plans and co-ordinated emergency response. It culminated in an exercise probing the planning required for and response to-a major maritime chemical incident involving the release at the port of Hong Kong of hydrogen fluoride.
Members of the ITC recently contributed to Chulabhorn Research Institute’s annual Environmental Toxicology programme in Bangkok, Thailand in December. Attended by students and professionals from south East Asia, the course covered the principal aspects of hazard and risk, the physic-chemical properties of major air, water, soil and food pollutants. It culminated in a practical risk assessment session based upon case studies illustrating key aspects of scenarios associated with air and water pollution and food contamination
Miami, Florida The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) hosted a workshop in Miami, Florida in May of this year. With participation from 15 Caribbean countries, the ITC was represented by Danny Sokolowski from Health Canada who facilitated the running of an exercise focusing upon emergency planning and preparedness. The exercise provided a scenario that tested each individual country’s national response plan. The workshop concluded that planning and preparedness for major chemical incidents and events tended to reflect the complexity of the chemical industry in a given country. It is hoped that further training will be organised in the future.
Recent and Future Events 28 Nov – 13 Dec 2013 International Training Course on Essentials of Chemical Safety: Principles of Toxicology and Risk Assessment, Bangkok, Thailand 5 – 6 February 2014 Canadian Workshop on Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism, Ottawa, Canada
David Russell with delegates from the Public Health Management of Chemical Incidents workshop at Hong Kong University
Date to be confirmed Environmental Public Health Teaching, Kenya Medical Training College, Nairobi, Kenya
Meet the Team
David Russell is a visiting professor of Environment and Health at Cardiff Metropolitan University. He runs the WHO Collaborating Centre for Chemical Incidents and is the co-chair of G7 +Mexico Chemical Events Working Group.
Peter Sykes is a principal lecturer and Director of Enterprise at Cardiff School of Health Sciences. Peter is a senior education advisor to the WHO-CC and is actively involved in teaching, training and research in Environmental and Occupational Risk Assessment approaches and applications.
Andrew Kibble is Operations Manager of the Wales office of Public Health England’s Centre for Radiation, Chemicals and Environment Hazards. His interests focus on chemical risk assessment, environmental public health and risk communication. Andrew has published widely on subjects such as contaminated land and health, air quality and cancer, environmental monitoring and modelling and most recently shale gas. He is a consultant in risk assessment for the WHO Collaborating Centre for Chemical Incidents.
Gayle Davis is a university lecturer and professional trainer, regularly delivering lectures, seminars and workshops to students and professionals. Gayle joined the School of Health Sciences in 2011 and leads the environmental protection aspects of the BSc (Hons) Environmental Health programme. She has previously held a broader public health role as manager of a strategic public health partnership between local authority, health board and third sector partners.
Danny Sokolowski is Consultant with the WHO Collaborating Centre for Chemical Incidents at Cardiff. He has recently facilitated workshops in Belgrade and Miami with the purpose of enhancing emergency preparedness and response for chemical incidents.
Sian Westcombe is e-learning developer at Cardiff School of Health Sciences. Along with subject matter experts she is developing e-learning courses on the Public Health Management of Chemical Incidents and the Management of Maritime Shoreline Incident Response.
Contacts All elearning and technical queries should be addressed to: Sian Westcombe ITC elearning co-ordinator Tel: 02920416315 Email: swestcombe@cardiffmet.ac.uk
Other Contacts Prof. David Russell Director of WHO Collaborating Centre E-mail: David.Russell@phe.gov.uk Tel: 02920 416381 Dr Peter Sykes Director of ITC and School Director of Enterprise E-mail: psykes@cardiffmet.ac.uk Tel: 029 20416831
International Training Centre Cardiff Metropolitan University Llandaff Campus Western Avenue Llandaff Cardiff CF5 2YB Find us on the web: www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/itc