When disaster inevitably strikes, the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) will ride in prepared, thanks to a $1.3 million Continuing Training Grant (CTG) from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
SMHS hosts one of the first emergency medical services degree programs in the nation, and the new funding — with Geoff Shapiro, director of emergency medical services and tactical/operational medicine, at the wheel — will allow GW to develop training programs and resources that focus on medical readiness and victim care at mass casualty events.
“Since the 1980s, GW has been a leader in providing training and education to our nation’s first responders,” said Joseph Bocchino, Ed.D., M.B.A., senior associate dean for health sciences at SMHS. “GW’s emergency response professionals and clinicians are highly regarded experts in developing training programs, and through this grant, they will develop training programs that better prepare responders to act swiftly and effectively in emergency situations involving mass casualties.”
