Newswise — For stories related to the earthquake in Haiti, consider the following sources from The Johns Hopkins University. Listed with each source is a brief description of his or her area of expertise. Contact information for each source is included below.

Healthcare in HaitiElizabeth (Beth) Sloand, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing, has spent considerable time in Haiti over the past six years and is extremely knowledgeable regarding the capabilities of its medical and health systems. She just returned from Haiti in December and hopes to return in the very near future. Of her ongoing work in Haiti, Sloand has said, "The first time I went to Haiti, I was just taken with the place," she says. "I don't feel that I have a choice. I just have to go back and do what I can." She has spent much of her vacation time in Haiti providing care for problems like infections, injuries, chronic hypertension and malnutrition.

Structural Engineering Nicholas P. Jones, the Benjamin T. Rome Dean of the Whiting School of Engineering and a professor of civil engineering, is a highly regarded structural engineering expert and has conducted research in earthquake engineering.

Water QualityEdward Bouwer, professor and chair of the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering in the Whiting School of Engineering, is a water quality expert. In the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, he can field questions about drinking water supplies, wastewater treatment and public health issues related to water- and food-borne diseases.

An international perspectiveJohns Hopkins can offer many sources at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies who can speak to reporters on topics such as United States foreign policy toward Haiti; the historical perspective of Haiti; Haiti’s economic and political systems; Central America and the Caribbean; humanitarian crises and international relief efforts in general; foreign aid; and the United Nations.

Medical help for children during disastersDr. William Moss, is an associate professor in the Bloomberg School of Public Health's Department of Epidemiology. He was chief editor of the WHO’s Manual for the Care of Children in Humanitarian Emergencies, which provides guidelines for care of trauma, diarrheal diseases, respiratory infections, measles, malaria, malnutrition and other conditions for children and newborns in crisis settings. Moss can discuss the care of children in disasters, particularly the need to standardize and coordinate care. He can also talk about some of the problems that might arise after the acute situation. More info about the manual is available online at http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/articles/2008/Moss_disaster_guide.html.

Medical disaster expertsDr. Christina Catlett, a Johns Hopkins emergency physician, has extensive experience responding to disasters, including helping to lead teams of doctors and other medical experts on the ground in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ivan. She is familiar with Haiti’s public-health infrastructure, having co-lead three medical missions to the Central Plateau region of the island for Project Medishare for Haiti. The nonprofit is dedicated to helping that country develop and improve public health services. Catlett also is the founder and director of the Johns Hopkins Go Team, a ready reserve of Johns Hopkins medical experts who can respond quickly to major catastrophes anywhere in the United States. This team includes a cross-spectrum of experts, including physicians, nurses, mental health providers and others. She is also the associate director for health system preparedness at the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR) and an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine. She has developed detailed medical response strategies for major disasters involving casualties. For more biographical information, visit: www.hopkinsmedicine.org/emergencymedicine/Faculty/JHH/catlett.html

Dr. Thomas Kirsch, a Johns Hopkins emergency physician, has extensive experience responding to major disasters, including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Andrew, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and California wildfires. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he directed an 80-member medical team on the ground in Southern Louisiana assisting victims of the catastrophe. Immediately following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City, Kirsch served for a month on the ground, directing first-aid response and serving as public liaison for the American Red Cross. He also has lectured and written extensively on medical and public health responses to earthquake disasters. For the past 15 years, he has served as the national physician advisor for the American Red Cross Disaster Health Services, and has consulted on disaster-related issues for the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Centers for Disease Control and the United States Agency for International Development (Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance). Kirsch has extensive international experience and has been involved in disaster response, education and research for 20 years. Kirsch also has lectured nationally and internationally on a variety of health issues. He teaches “Public Health Issues in Disasters” at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is the director of the Johns Hopkins Wilderness Medicine Course. For more information visit: www.hopkinsmedicine.org/emergencymedicine/Faculty/JHH/kirsch.html

Attention national TV media: Johns Hopkins has a VYVX line in our live-remote studio available to uplink interviews with our experts.

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