Training School Programme – June 2014

COST Action IS1201 Disaster Bioethics

Location: Inter-University Centre (IUC), Dubrovnik, Croatia:

Monday June 23

12.30 – 13.30 / Meet at IUC for after-lunch coffee
13.30 / Official Opening
Dr AndroVlahušić
PhysicianMayor of Dubrovnik
14.00 – 15.30 / From a Man with a Bible to a Woman with a Briefcase. Are we doing the right thing?
BirgitteSøgaard Lauta
Middle East Regional Representative for Danmission, a Danish Christian NGOinvolved in development work and humanitarian aid. She lives in Lebanon.
The presentation will provide a short analysis of the current situation inside Syria with a special focus on the Kalamoun area. During the first two years of the war,Kalamoun received thousands of refugees from bigger cities in Syria, especially Aleppo and Homs. However, in October 2013 the war spread to Kalamoun, not only leaving the original population in the line of fire with great personal damage, but also threatening the security of, and lines of support to, the internally displaced population.Based upon this example, the organizational set-up for raising funds for, and delivering aid to, internally displaced persons will be unfolded. The presentation will address the challenges and lessons learned in aid distribution.
15.30 – 15.45 / Break
15.45 – 17.15 / Ethical theory for disasters
Dónal O’Mathúna, PhD
Senior Lecturer, Dublin City University, Ireland
Chair, COST Action IS1201: Disaster Bioethics
This presentation will give an overview of some of the main ethical issues in disasters. The main ethical theories and principles used in bioethics will be discussed and their role in disaster bioethics explored. This will lead to a discussion of public health ethics and how it relates to and is distinct from clinical ethics. The critique of ethical theory as overly ideal will be discussed and the principles of what is called non-ideal moral theory presented.
17.15 – 19.00 / Dinner break
19.00 / History of Medicine
Walking tour of Old Dubrovnik
Ana Borovečki, PhD
University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia

Tuesday June 24

9.00 – 10.30 / Treating Gender During Disaster Situations: Intended and Unintended Consequences
Ayesha Ahmad, PhD
Tutor, University College London, UK
Although gender is recognized as important ground to cover during all areas of disaster management and analysis, issues pertaining to gender are, typically, pivoted as consequences. In this session, this notion is challenged by restructuring gender as a causal factor in mitigating the effects of a disaster. Conceptualizing gender in this way is also important for understanding the backdrop of a disaster to be shaped by gender roles. Disasters present unique challenges for bringing both individuals and society under the spotlight. For the humanitarian worker, there is the requirement for an instant familiarity with these social processes that govern essential determinants of health, especially with relation to risk and harm. For example, guidelines for humanitarian workers on gender and disaster situations are typically structured around harm reduction procedures to mitigate the risks to a particular gender: violence against women is a fundamental concern. Through an analysis of a set of case studies, this session will engage in a two-part debate; first, exploring some of the conceptual background for why gender is a neglected aspect of disaster management, and second, what factors need to be taken into account when developing action guidance.
10.30 – 10.45 / Break
10.45 – 12.15 / Ethics in the Field – Ethics for disaster responders
Johan von Schreeb, MD, PhD
General Surgeon and Associate Professor of International Disaster Medicine,KarolinskaInstitutet, Sweden
Introduction to disaster medicine and its ethical dilemmas. This will include a discussion of triage and how it is put into practice in the field. A method of using case studies for disaster dilemmas will be presented.
12.15 – 13.30 / Lunch break
13.30 – 15.00 / Medical ethics in disasters
Johan von Schreeb / Research Ethics for Disasters
Dónal O’Mathúna
Group A will meet in an interactive workshop-style session to engage with case studies related to medical ethics in disasters. Trainees whose projects or publications relate to healthcare provision in disasters should be prepared to discuss these issues. Those with disaster relief backgrounds may be asked to share their experiences. / Group B will meet in an interactive workshop-style session to discuss research ethics in the context of disasters. Trainees developing research projects should be prepared to discuss the ethical issues in their research and how they will be addressed.
15.00 – 15.15 / Break
15.15 – 16.45 / Research Ethics for Disasters
Dónal O’Mathúna / Medical ethics in disasters
Johan von Schreeb
Group A will meet in an interactive workshop-style session to discuss research ethics in the context of disasters. Trainees developing research projects should be prepared to discuss the ethical issues in their research and how they will be addressed. / Group B will meet in an interactive workshop-style session to engage with case studies related to medical ethics in disasters. Trainees whose projects or publications relate to healthcare provision in disasters should be prepared to discuss these issues. Those with disaster relief backgrounds may be asked to share their experiences.
16.45 – 19.00 / Break
19.00 / Welcome Reception
Spoza Palace, Dubrovnik
Dr AndroVlahušić
Mayor of Dubrovnik

Wednesday June 25

9.00 – 10.30 / Successful Writing for Publication and Publication Ethics
Virginia Barbour, MD
Medicine Editorial Director PLOS and Chair, Committee on Publication Ethics
This remote presentation will examine the keys to getting published from the editor of a high-impact, open access journal. It will also examine the key ethical issues in contemporary publishing.
10.30 – 10.45 / Break
10.45 – 12.15 / Public Health EmergenciesEthics
Iskra A. Nola, PhD
AndrijaStampar School of Public Health, Croatia / Disaster Law & Justice
Kristian Lauta, PhD
University of Copenhagen, Denmark / Disaster Ethics Guidelines & Their Development
Dónal O’Mathúna, PhD
Group C will meet in an interactive workshop-style session to discuss the ethics of public health emergencies and how this relates to the trainee projects. / Group D will meet in an interactive workshop-style session to discuss disaster law and how this relates to the trainee projects. / Group E will meet in an interactive workshop-style session to discuss prominent disaster ethics guidelines and how theserelate to the trainee projects.
12.15 – 13.30 / Lunch break
13.30 – 15.00 / Disaster Law & Justice
Kristian Lauta / Disaster Ethics Guidelines & Their Development
Dónal O’Mathúna / Public Health Emergencies Ethics
Iskra A. Nola
Group C will meet in an interactive workshop-style session to discuss disaster law and how this relates to the trainee projects. / Group D will meet in an interactive workshop-style session to discuss prominent disaster ethics guidelines and how theserelate to the trainee projects. / Group E will meet in an interactive workshop-style session to discuss the ethics of public health emergencies and how this relates to the trainee projects.
15.00 – 15.15 / Break
15.15 – 16.45 / Disaster Ethics Guidelines & Their Development
Dónal O’Mathúna / Public Health Emergencies Ethics
Iskra A. Nola / Disaster Law & Justice
Kristian Lauta
Group C will meet in an interactive workshop-style session to discuss prominent disaster ethics guidelines and how theserelate to the trainee projects. / Group D will meet in an interactive workshop-style session to discuss the ethics of public health emergencies and how this relates to the trainee projects. / Group E will meet in an interactive workshop-style session to discuss disaster law and how this relates to the trainee projects.

Thursday June 26

9.30 – 10.30 / The Challenge of Goodness: Humanitarian Aid During War
Prof dr Slobodan Lang, Croatian National Institute of Public Health
Based on the experiences of the 1991-1995 war in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, this presentation will develop a number of proposals regarding health, humanitarian work, and human rights.
10.30 – 13.00 / Walking tour of Dubrovnik focused on healthcare during conflict
13.00 / Welcome Reception
hosted by the Inter-University Centre
14.00 – 16.15 / Project Development Time
Trainees will have time to develop their proposals with input from the trainers. Trainees should complete their presentations to be given on Friday describing their projects.
16.15 – 16.30 / Break
16.30 – 18.30 / Viewing of the documentary, Living in Emergency, followed by group discussion about its ethical issues.

Friday June 27

9.30 – 10.30 / Preparing and Developing Ethical Disaster-Related Research
dr ZdenkoFranić
Institute for Medical Research, Zagreb, Croatia
Based on the experiences of the 1991-1995 war in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, this presentation will develop a number of proposals regarding health, humanitarian work, and human rights.
10.30 – 10.45 / Break
10.45 – 12.15 / Oral presentation of trainee projects
12.15 – 13.30 / Lunch break
13.30 – 15.00 / Oral presentation of trainee projects
15.00 / Visit to Lokrum Island
Ana Borovečki

Saturday June 28

8.30 – 20.00 / Visit Islands near Dubrovnik
Optional social event (not included in COST funding)
Meet at Pile Bus Stop to travel by bus to the harbour.
Boat to Lupud Island and then Špian Island.

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