Disaster Medicine & Health Care Emergency Management

Overview

The Disaster Medicine and Health Care Emergency Management (DM-HEM) Fellowship Program is a one-year training program designed to give physicians the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue careers and leadership roles in the field of disaster medicine. Fellows will develop the skills and expertise necessary to create and grow evidence-based emergency management programs that best promote readiness and effective and equitable response to the broadest range of emergencies in our communities.

Requirements

Applicants from emergency medicine residency programs must be graduates of an ACGME-accredited program and have completed their program in good standing. Applicants who have completed ACGME-accredited residency programs in other specialties may be considered, however, arrangements will need to be made with the appropriate chief of service within Mass General Brigham to identify an appropriate clinical commitment to fund the fellow’s efforts in the program.

Curriculum

The goal of the DM-HEM Fellowship is to provide and advance state-of-the-art disaster medicine expertise through teaching, research and clinical care. Data show that disaster events are increasing in frequency and severity in the United States and globally. In addition, there is an ever-expanding body of literature that demonstrates that successful disaster response in health care requires a combination of knowledge of effective emergency management content and expertise in disaster medicine. Fellowship activities will train physicians to be effective leaders and researchers in the fields of healthcare emergency management and disaster medicine.

The DM-HEM Fellowship Program has four overarching objectives for its trainees:

1. Develop a comprehensive understanding of emergency management principles and essential activities in the health care setting, including how to develop, implement, maintain and administer emergency management programs and plans for health care facilities and/or systems
2. Acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to deliver and guide medical care in resource-limited circumstances and settings while also practicing clinical emergency medicine through an ongoing employment in a busy academic, urban emergency department and Level 1 trauma center
3. Nurture the leadership skills required to operate successful emergency management programs, working internally within health care organizations and externally with governmental and non-governmental partners with the full interdisciplinary breadth of partners.
4. Generate intellectually rigorous new knowledge that advances the field of disaster medicine and/or health care emergency management

These goals will be accomplished by integrating the fellow into the operational, research and teaching activities of the Mass General Center for Disaster Medicine (CDM), the Mass General and Brigham and Women’s Hospital Departments of Emergency Medicine and the Mass General Brigham Department of Emergency Preparedness and Continuity. The Mass General CDM works to continuously improve and enhance hospitals’ readiness for disasters and emergency situations of all types through effective training and exercise efforts, critical review of internal and external events and the ongoing development of innovate new research and emergency response programs.

The core curriculum will successfully address clinical training in disaster medicine, as well as the strategic and operational components of emergency management in a health care setting; this will be achieved through didactics and clinical/operational learning experiences. Fellows will gain a detailed understanding of the existing local, state and federal emergency management programs and systems that exist, teaching them current best practice in health care emergency management, and through a comprehensive review of the existing literature and sentinel events in health care disaster response. Fellows will gain experience interacting with many differing disciplines outside of health care who participate in emergency response, including public safety and governmental leaders. Fellows will also receive training in the core specialty knowledge that is unique to disaster medicine, including training in disaster triage, mass casualty incident response, response to hazardous materials incidents, response to high consequence infectious diseases, mass care and other topics. The program also addresses academic and research skills, tailored to the career interests of the participant, to provide fellows with the knowledge and experience to support a successful academic career.

Upon completion of this fellowship, graduates will be skilled in all aspects of the disaster cycle and will possess the skills and knowledge to assume a leadership role on the local, regional, federal, or international level in the area of disaster medicine. Graduates will be well-prepared to be effective researchers in the field of healthcare emergency management and disaster medicine.

Clinical Experience

The Mass General Emergency Department is a busy, high-acuity Level 1 Trauma Center, Burn Center and Pediatric Trauma Center with an annual census of more than 117,000 patients. As all fellows will have completed a residency in emergency medicine and be either board-eligible or board-certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine before starting the fellowship, they will meet the institutional criteria for appointment as attending physicians and will deliver care in that role. Clinical care will occur in the Mass General Emergency Department.

As a member of the Center for Disaster Medicine, the fellow may be required to participate in response to real-world emergencies in a clinical or administrative capacity. Fellows will serve as part of the hospital’s emergency preparedness team and will remain available by pager/cell phone in an “available to respond” status. The fellow may be required to report to the hospital to respond to events that require emergency management support and may be required to work extended shifts for multiple periods during emergency events.

Research Experience

It is expected that all DM-HEM fellows will actively pursue quality research as a key focus of their fellowship. There are numerous research opportunities within the Center for Disaster Medicine and Department of Emergency Medicine, as well as with partners across the regional disaster community. Interested fellows are encouraged to pursue their specific interests in developing research projects that will be rewarding in the immediate term, and that will prepare them for a career as a leader of disaster medicine.

How to Apply

1. Cover letter - This letter should include a narrative that details your interest in the fellowship program. If applicable, we would like to hear about any prior experiences in disaster medicine and healthcare emergency management. Current Curriculum Vitae
2. Two letters of recommendation (one must be written by your residency fellowship director if you are a current resident, or your direct supervisor if you are a practicing clinician)
3. For graduates of international residency programs (not ACGME accredited), please also include an example of academic or professional writing in English (minimum of 500 words) for which you are the sole author.

Complete applications should be submitted by September 30th for consideration for a July 1st start in the following year. Candidate interviews will be scheduled and conducted on a rolling basis. Offer letters will be extended in early November.

• Applicants must have successfully completed an ACGME accredited Emergency Medicine Residency in the US or Canada.
• Applicants must be a U.S. Citizen, have permanent residency status in the U.S. or be eligible for a J-1 Visa.
• Applicants must graduate from an ACGME accredited residency or have at least three years of medical education prior to fellowship.
• Applicants who have not completed an ACGME accredited residency may be eligible to participate in the fellowship if they have external funding support.