“9/11- 10 Years Later”

A National Conference on Preparedness and Response Examines Advances in Disaster Preparedness and Response Since September 11 Terrorist Attacks

9/11 Commission Chairman Tom Kean to Offer National Perspective on Disaster Preparedness at December 9 Conference Presented by the University Center for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response of Rutgers University, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Newswise — (New Brunswick, NJ)- The horrific and tragic events of September 11, 2011 exposed serious flaws in the nation’s terror alert and disaster response systems. Many changes have been made since that day, but just how far has the United States come in improving its preparedness and response to another large-scale terror attack?

This question will be among the related topics addressed at “9/11- 10 Years Later” – A National Conference on Preparedness and Response, which will be hosted by the University Center for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response (UCDPER) on Friday, December 9 from 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. at the Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick, NJ. Members of the media are invited to attend.

The conference’s goal is to define and discuss the established advances and the opportunities for improvement in disaster preparedness and response since 9/11.

The program features a presentation by former New Jersey Governor and 9/11 Commission Chairman Tom Kean, who will discuss “Disaster Preparedness: the National Perspective.”

“This conference will give individuals of different disciplines and diverse roles involved in disaster preparedness and response an excellent opportunity to share the latest information on current best practices and ongoing research to better prepare for, prevent, mitigate, respond to, and recover from natural, accidental, and intentional disasters,” explains Clifton R. Lacy, M.D., Director of UCDPER, who has also served as New Jersey’s Commissioner of Health and Senior Services and President and CEO of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

In addition to Governor Kean’s presentation, a faculty of national, regional and state experts will offer their perspectives on a broad range of emergency and disaster preparedness topics including: the status of New Jersey disaster preparedness, federal-state cooperation and collaboration, protecting transportation and transit infrastructure, anthrax bioterrorism, living with hazardous chemicals after 9/11, countering chemical, biological and nuclear terrorism, hospital and health system disaster preparedness, and the cascading economic consequences of disasters.

UCDPER is a collaborative initiative of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. The mission of the Center is to protect the lives, health and well-being of the general public, vulnerable populations and the workforce, and to protect the societal, economic and physical infrastructure of New Jersey and the nation, through research, education, community outreach and clinical advances in preparedness and response to all hazards emergencies, disasters, and terrorism.

The next conference will be held in March 2012 and will focus on Risk and Crisis Communication.

For more information about UCDPER, please visit the website at www.ucdper.org or call 732-418-8486.

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About Rutgers UniversityEstablished in 1766, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is America's eighth oldest institution of higher learning and one of the nation’s premier public research universities. Serving more than 59,000 students on campuses in Camden, Newark and New Brunswick, Rutgers offers more than 280 bachelors, masters, doctoral and professional degree programs. The university is home to 28 degree-granting schools and colleges, and more than 150 specialized centers and institutes.

About Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolAs one of the nation’s leading comprehensive medical schools, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school’s principal affiliate, they comprise New Jersey’s premier academic medical center. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region, and as one of the eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with 2,500 full-time and volunteer faculty, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 22 basic science and clinical departments. The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students on its campuses in New Brunswick, Piscataway, and Camden, and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs.

About Robert Wood Johnson University HospitalRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care. RWJUH is the first hospital in the nation to implant the AbioCor self-contained artificial heart since the device received FDA approval in 2006. RWJUH is one of only three sites in the nation approved to offer this groundbreaking technology. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness. The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. RWJUH ranks among the best hospitals in America, according to U.S.News & World Report’s 2011 ranking of “America’s Best Hospitals.” It is the fifth consecutive year that RWJUH has achieved this prestigious ranking. The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated RWJUH as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified RWJUH as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. RWJUH is also a four-time recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence. Visit us online at www.rwjuh.edu.