Pitt's Center for National Preparedness to Give Overview of Its New Certificate in Homeland Security Program at April 8 Presentation

PITTSBURGH-Pitt's Center for National Preparedness (CNP) and College of General Studies have developed a new program of study leading to a Certificate in National Preparedness and Homeland Security. Carey Balaban and Ken Sochats, codirectors of CNP, will present an overview of the program at 3 p.m. April 8 in Room 532, Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Ave., Oakland. The free public discussion, which concludes CNP's 2009-10 Seminar Series, will be followed by a question-and-answer session and a reception.

Focusing on the analytical and managerial aspects of emergency preparedness, the new certificate program trains professionals for crisis-management leadership positions in both the public and private sectors. The core curriculum of the 18-credit program will cover federal, state, and local emergency procedures; advanced training with analytical tools used in disaster response; and a capstone project in which students role-play a disaster scenario.

Balaban, a professor of otolaryngology and neurobiology in Pitt's School of Medicine and director of the University's Center for the Biology of Vibration and Shock Exposure, has extensive experience conducting multidisciplinary neuroscience-based research in homeland security and defense applications. In addition to writing more than 130 peer-reviewed articles, Balaban is the author of two medical books.

Sochats has more than 25 years of experience in the homeland security and emergency management fields. He is a founding member of the board of directors of the Pittsburgh Regional Business Alliance for Homeland Security and chair of the education and research team of the Regional Joint Readiness Center. Sochats is also a member of the advisory board to FEMA, Region III, which includes the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Pitt's CNP is a broad, multidisciplinary collaborative enterprise that engages the University's scientists, engineers, policy experts, and clinical faculty. Members of the center possess expertise in biomedical research, public health, medicine, national security policy, engineering, and information technology.

For more information, visit www.cnp.pitt.edu/seminar.

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