Our Mission

The mission of the Division of Disaster Medicine and Emergency Management at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School/UMMMC is to promote the health and safety of the community through: disaster preparedness and response, emergency preparedness education, and scholarly work to advance the field of disaster medicine. Within these core areas, our mission and efforts include the following areas of focus:

Disaster Preparedness and Response:

Our faculty members have wide ranging experience in disaster response both nationally and internationally. As members of multiple deployment teams including the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) and private non-governmental response agencies, we provide medical and technical disaster response capability and have deployed extensively in fulfillment of this part of our mission. In addition to deployments, the division creates and coordinates training for disaster response in the UMass Emergency departments. Specific planning efforts for expected hazards including MCIs, active shooters, emerging infectious diseases, hazardous material and other threats are ongoing. As the only tertiary care center in central Massachusetts, UMass broadly and the disaster division specifically, help coordinate disaster preparedness throughout the region through work on numerous committees, regional level exercises and other cooperative efforts.

Emergency Preparedness Education:

As a National Disaster Life Support Foundation (NDLSF) accredited training center, our division provides multiple educational opportunities for UMass personnel as well as community members in the larger New England region. We also sponsor yearly disaster simulation activities for UMass Chan students and UMass Emergency Medicine residents.

Scholarly Work:

The division is engaged in multiple research and other scholarly activities to advance the field of Disaster Medicine and Emergency Preparedness. Through work specifically focused on MCI management, mass gathering medicine, the incorporation of new technology into emergency response efforts, as well as collaborative efforts with experts in Emergency Medical Services, International Emergency Medicine, and others, our division is at the forefront of innovative disaster medicine research.