NSU to Host Panel Discussion on Lessons Learned from Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks

Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, and Public Health Officials to Discuss the Anniversary of the Attacks and Lessons Learned that can be applied to South Florida

FT. LAUDERDALE-DAVIE Fla. — Nova Southeastern University (NSU) will host a panel discussion on Thursday, Sept. 8 with homeland security, law enforcement, public health, and weather officials to discuss the 10^th anniversary of  Sept. 11 and lessons learned.

NSU’s Institute for Disaster and Emergency Preparedness (IDEP) will be hosting the panel of experts, who will reflect on 9/11 and use the lessons learned to help South Florida prepare for acts of terrorism; natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and fires; and other manmade disasters such as virus outbreaks or school shootings.

The discussion is also being held to promote the FEMA-led National Preparedness Month in September. It’s an annual campaign to encourage Americans to take steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, schools, organizations, businesses, and communities.

The panel of experts includes:

Capt. Richard Walterman: Head of the Miami Police Department’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. In this assignment, Walterman prepares the department for the potential of terrorist activity.

Terri Sudden: Broward County Health Department’s Coordinator of the Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) program.  The CRI program is designed to respond to a large-scale bioterrorist event or other event requiring emergency distribution of medical supplies and countermeasures to the population of Broward County (1.8 million) within 48 hours.

Capt. Robin Larson: Interim Executive Director of the Broward Sheriff’s Office’s Department of Professional Standards.

Steven Baig: Former leader of the U.S. National Hurricane Center’s Storm Surge Team.

Leonard Levy, D.P.M., M.P.H., Director of NSU’s Institute for Disaster and Emergency Preparedness.

Scott Poland, Ed.D., associate professor at NSU’s Center for Psychological Studies and co-director of NSU’s Suicide and Violence Prevention Office.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Cecilia F. Rokusek, Ed.D., R.D. She is the project manager for NSU’s Institute for Disaster and Emergency Preparedness. She is also the executive director of education, planning, and research at NSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, which oversees IDEP.

The panel discussion is open to the public. It will be held on Thursday Sept. 8 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. in NSU’s Knight Auditorium of the Carl DeSantis Building on NSU’s main campus in Davie. Parking is available at the Alvin Sherman Library parking garage, which is adjacent to the DeSantis Building.

For more information, please call IDEP Assistant Project Manager Kristi Messer, M.P.H., M.S.W., at 954-262-1072 or km1320@nova.edu

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About NSU’s Institute for Disaster and Emergency Preparedness:  The Institute for Disaster and Emergency Preparedness is a regional and national resource center focused on interdisciplinary training, information dissemination, and technical assistance related to all-hazards preparedness in a global society. We work closely with state and national agencies to develop and distribute its educational programs and services. It began as taskforce shortly after 9/11, becoming a center in 2002. IDEP is the recent recipient of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to develop and implement interdisciplinary bioterrorism and all-hazards preparedness curriculum for health professional students as well as continuing education for 37,000 health care professionals and health care workers in South Florida. For more information, please visit: http://www.nova.edu/idep/

About Nova Southeastern University: Located in Davie, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic fully accredited Florida University dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs of distinction from preschool through the professional and doctoral levels. NSU has more than 29,000 students and is the seventh largest not-for-profit independent institution nationally. The University awards associate’s, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, specialist, and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields, including business, counseling, computer and information sciences, education, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, dentistry, various health professions, law, marine sciences, early childhood, psychology and other social sciences.  Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU was also awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification in 2010 for the University’s significant commitment to and demonstration of community engagement.   For more information about Nova visit www.nova.edu