COURSE START DATE

JULY 24, 2025

Course Description:


This course is designed to introduce the participant to the early concepts inherent to all-hazards preparedness for disasters. This includes understanding the disaster legal and administrative frameworks, conducting risk assessments, selecting and gathering stakeholders, writing preparedness plans, and establishing a command-and-control system to manage the incident. Using mock scenarios, participants will explore Egypt’s current legal frameworks and response infrastructure, in addition to international response agencies, to best organize a response to a disaster.


The course is a joint activity between Ain Shams University and Nebraska Medical center , and it is funded by the Islamic Development Bank.

Course Objectives:

 

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe the roles of command staff and section chiefs in the Incident Command system
  2. Conduct a facility risk assessment
  3. Assemble a facility plan for continuity of operations in a disaster
  4. Write a regional disaster plan using appropriate stakeholders
  5. Organize a response to a disaster based on Egypt’s existing legal and response infrastructure
  6. Describe the support provided by the top 5 international response agencies
  7. Apply existing response structures to a facility-level event

 

Target Audience


This course is designed for participants from any background. Course content will be commensurate with undergraduate scholarly rigor, where critical thinking will be expected.

 

course structure

Course Structure:

This course includes 11 modules. Each module will contain content that is delivered in approximately 1 hour, through lectures, readings, website exploration, or other activities. This course is fully online and is conducted asynchronously. Participants can progress at their own pace through the modules.

 

Assessments: 

Course content will be assessed using a combination of quizzes, critical thinking discussions, Scenario-based activity , and a final exam.

Course curriculum

    1. Demographic Data

    1. Lecture Presentation: Understanding Disaster Types: A Critical First Step in Preparedness

    2. Lecture Presentation Handouts: Understanding Disaster Types: A Critical First Step in Preparedness

    3. Module Quiz: Understanding Disaster Types

    1. Lecture Presentation: Introduction to the Incident Command System

    2. Reflection Activty: Prepare your hospital with an Incident Command structure

    1. Lecture Presentation: Risk Assessment

    2. Discussion Board Assignment: Let's Explore Risk Assessment and Reduction with a Hazard Example

    1. Gathering Stakeholders

    2. Lecture Presentation Handouts: Gathering Stakeholders

    3. Gathering Stakeholders Activity

    1. Disaster Planning Foundations

    2. Lecture Presentation Handout:Disaster Plan Foundations

    3. Disaster Planning Foundations Discussion Board

About this course

Course Modules

#

Module

1

Types of Disasters

2

Introduction to Emergency Laws and Structures in the MENA Region

3

Incident Command System (ICS)

4

Advanced ICS ( PPOST and scenario incident management)

5

Risk Assessment

6

Gathering Stakeholders

7

Disaster Plan writing

8

Business Continuity Planning

9

Organizing a response using the U.S. Emergency Support Function (ESF) model applied to Egyptian emergency response infrastructure

10

International Response Agencies

11

A Facility-Level Response using the ESF Model

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Certificates

 

After completion of the course requirements, participants will receive a joint certificate signed by the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and Ain Shams University (ASU). 

Instructor(s)

Wael El Rayes, MBBCh, PhD, MS, FACHE

•Faculty, Department of Health Services Research, Administration and Policy, College of Public Health, UNMC •Co-Director, Center for Global Health and Development (CGHD), UNMC •Director of Evaluation, National Emerging Special Pathogens Treatment & Education Center (NETEC)

Sharon Medcalf, PhD

•Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, UNMC •Director of Academic Programs in Emergency Preparedness •Center for Preparedness and Emergency Response Solutions •Consultant/President: Meaker Enterprises, LLC

Leslie Scofield, MPH

Academic Instructor Scofield Strategic Solutions, LLC