Project Overview

The purpose of the California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) Bioterrorism Training and Curriculum Development Project (BTCDP) is to develop a culturally relevant bioterrorism and disaster preparedness curriculum that is multidisciplinary, experiential and problem-based. The curriculum will be used to prepare prospective professionals in four or more disciplines in the College of Health and Human Services including: Health Science, Nursing, Health Care Administration, and Professional Studies.

Objectives:

The first is to integrate an overview of bioterrorism and disaster planning into general education and undergraduate major courses (where appropriate) offered by the four collaborating departments. The emphasis is to train a number of volunteers including representatives from various ethnic groups (African American, Hispanic, Cambodian, Vietnamese, etc.) who are ready to be mobilized in the event of a disaster.

The second goal of the curriculum will be to prepare post-baccalaureate professionals and graduate students to develop the leadership and managerial skills, knowledge, abilities and competencies needed to lead and respond effectively in a bioterrorist event or a public health emergency.

Characteristics of the Curriculum:

This curriculum will be developed from a competency-based perspective using the Bioterrorism and Emergency Readiness Competencies for All Public Health Workers (Gebbie, KM) of the Centers for Disease Control and Columbia University School of Nursing (2002) Guide.

After a careful needs assessment, eight curriculum modules will be developed with one or more public health and other competencies integrated into each module so that all competencies will be covered in the complete set of modules.

In order to assure that our curriculum is consistent with local, state, and national emergency preparedness plans of preparing a competent workforce, we will collaborate with local, state, and national leaders in the field enlisting them as consultants in the development and implementation stages of the curriculum.

Our departments have also developed strong collaborative relationships with international experts working for the World Health Organization (WHO) and experts from hospitals and medical schools who have dealt with epidemics.