OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE
GULF RESEARCH PROGRAM
Community Resilience
and Health
SUMMARY OF A WORKSHOP
Gulf Research Program
LeighAnne Olsen and Steve Olson, Rapporteurs
GULF RESEARCH PROGRAM
INNOVATE | EDUCATE | COLLABORATE
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Engineering
Institute of Medicine
National Research Council
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-36852-0
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-36852-9
Additional copies of this workshop summary are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.
Copyright 2015 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
Cover photo credit: SeaWiFS Project, NASA/GFSC, ORBIMAGE.
Suggested citation: GRP (Gulf Research Program). 2015. Opportunities for the Gulf Research Program: Community Resilience and Health: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
ABOUT THE GULF RESEARCH PROGRAM
In 2010 the Deepwater Horizon explosion and fire in the Gulf of Mexico caused the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, resulting in significant impacts on the region’s environment and residents. Legal settlements with the companies held responsible led the federal government to ask the National Academy of Sciences to form and administer a 30-year program to enhance oil system safety, human health, and environmental resources in the Gulf of Mexico and other U.S. continental shelf areas where offshore oil and gas exploration and production occur or are under consideration. The new Gulf Research Program will receive $500 million to support activities using three broad approaches: research and development, education and training, and environmental monitoring.
To inform program planning, the Gulf Research Program held three Opportunity Analysis Workshops in 2014: Middle-Skilled Workforce Needs, Monitoring Ecosystem Restoration and Deep Water Environments, and Community Resilience and Health. These workshops are part of an ongoing effort to elicit input from experts, practitioners, and community members on key opportunities to translate the Program’s strategic vision into activities that will benefit communities in the Gulf region and beyond. The workshops are expected to lead to the development of additional Program activities and opportunities for the research and education communities.
For more information on the Gulf Research Program and to access the additional Opportunity Analysis workshop reports, see www.nas.edu/gulf.
PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR THE WORKSHOP ON OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE GULF RESEARCH PROGRAM: COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND HEALTH1
LYNN R. GOLDMAN, Michael and Lori Milken Dean of Public Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University
BERNARD D. GOLDSTEIN, Professor Emeritus, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
LINDA A. McCAULEY, Dean, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University
J. STEVEN PICOU, Professor of Sociology, Director, Coastal Resource & Resiliency Center, University of South Alabama
LADON SWANN, Director, Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, Auburn University Marine Programs
JAMES W. ZIGLAR, Senior Counsel, Van Ness Feldman, Washington, DC
Staff
LEIGHANNE OLSEN, Senior Program Officer, Gulf Research Program
CHRIS ELFRING, Executive Director, Gulf Research Program
TERI THOROWGOOD, Manager, Administrative Services, Gulf Research Program
Consultant
STEVE OLSON, Consultant Writer and Rapporteur
____________
1 The planning committee’s role was limited to planning the workshop. The workshop summary has been prepared by the rapporteurs as a factual account of what occurred at the workshop. Statements, recommendations, and opinions expressed are those of individual presenters and participants and are not necessarily endorsed or verified by the Institute of Medicine or the National Research Council. They should not be construed as reflecting any group consensus.
GULF RESEARCH PROGRAM
Advisory Group
BARBARA A. SCHAAL (Chair), Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
DONALD F. BOESCH, University of Maryland, Cambridge
ROBERT S. CARNEY, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge
STEPHEN R. CARPENTER, University of Wisconsin, Madison
CORTIS K. COOPER, Chevron Corporation, San Ramon, California
COURTNEY COWART, Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee
ROBERT A. DUCE, Texas A&M University, College Station
DEBORAH L. ESTRIN, Cornell New York City Tech, New York
CHRISTOPHER B. FIELD, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California
GERARDO GOLD-BOUCHOT, Center for Research and Advanced Studies at Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
LYNN R. GOLDMAN, George Washington University, Washington, DC
BERNARD D. GOLDSTEIN, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
THOMAS O. HUNTER, Sandia National Laboratories (retired), Albuquerque, New Mexico
SHIRLEY ANN JACKSON, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
ASHANTI JOHNSON, University of Texas, Arlington, and Institute for Broadening Participation, Damariscotta, Maine
DAVID M. KARL, University of Hawaii, Honolulu
MOLLY McCAMMON, Alaska Ocean Observing System, Anchorage
LINDA A. McCAULEY, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
J. STEVEN PICOU, University of South Alabama, Mobile
EDUARDO SALAS, University of Central Florida, Orlando
KERRY MICHAEL ST. PÉ, Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (retired), Thibodaux, Louisiana
ARNOLD F. STANCELL, Mobil Oil (retired), Greenwich, Connecticut
LaDON SWANN, Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, Ocean Springs, Mississippi
JAMES W. ZIGLAR, Van Ness Feldman, Washington, DC
MARK D. ZOBACK, Stanford University, Stanford, California
Staff
CHRIS ELFRING, Executive Director
BETHANY MABEE, Communications Officer
LEIGHANNE OLSEN, Senior Program Officer
JOCELYN OSHRIN, 2014 Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellow
EVONNE TANG, Senior Program Officer
TERI THOROWGOOD, Manager, Administrative Services
KIM WADDELL, Senior Program Officer
MAGGIE WALSER, Senior Program Officer
REVIEWERS
This workshop summary has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Maureen Lichtveld, Tulane University
Troy Pierce, Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf of Mexico Program Office
Alonzo L. Plough, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Richard Powers, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Liesel A. Ritchie, University of Colorado Natural Hazards Center
Paul A. Sandifer, University of Charleston, South Carolina
Leanne Truehart, National Alliance on Mental Illness
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the workshop summary, nor did they see the final draft of the workshop summary before its release. The review of this workshop summary was overseen by Jonathan M. Samet, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Appointed by the Institute of Medicine, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the rapporteurs and the institution.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Gulf Research Program would also like to express their appreciation to the planning committee and others, who gave their valuable time to provide information and advice through their participation in the planning and execution of this workshop. The Program also acknowledges the contributions of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research Council (NRC) staff who contributed to the planning and execution of the workshop and to the production of this workshop summary report. We would like to thank the staff of the Gulf Research Program (Chris Elfring, Bethany Mabee, LeighAnne Olsen, Evonne Tang, Teri Thorowgood, Maggie Walser, and Kim Waddell), the Gulf Research Programs Mirzayan Science Technology Policy Fellows: Jessica Henkel and Jocelyn Oshrin, and the following IOM and NRC staff for their assistance and valuable contributions: Bruce Altevogt, Alina Baciu, Autumn Downey, Jenny Estep, Chelsea Frakes, Greta Gorman, Daniel Magnolia, Radiah Rose-Crawford, Erin Rusch, Chanel Skinner, and Kathleen Stratton.
Contents
Developing Healthy and Resilient Gulf Communities
2 HUMAN HEALTH, PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE, AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE
Health, Resilience, and Sustainability
Health and Resilience After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Potential Research Opportunities
3 PERSPECTIVES ON RESILIENT COMMUNITIES
Developing a Resilience Mindset
Resilient Communities: Learning from the Past and Planning for the Future
Key Characteristics of Resilient Communities
Lessons from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Resilience as Routine Practice
4 REDUCING RISK AND IMPROVING DISASTER RECOVERY
Assessing Postdisaster Health Impacts
Mental Health Impacts of Disasters
Linking Community Recovery and Resilience
Access and Use of Health Information
Health Needs of Coastal Populations
5 BUILDING RESILIENCE IN THE GULF REGION
Public Health in a Gulf Community
Recovery Planning in Galveston, Texas
Sea Grant and the Gulf Region’s Fishing Communities
Lessons from the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council
6 CAPACITY TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RISKS
Sentinel System for Ecosystem and Human Health
Detecting and Understanding Exposures
NIH Gulf Oil Spill and Disaster Research Response
Connecting Oil Spill Responders to Communities and Researchers
Using Social Media During Disasters
A Gulf Center Linking Health, Society, and the Environment
Tapping into the Knowledge of Communities
Linkages to Oceans and Human Health Programs
Investing in People, Pelicans, and Pupils
Climate Change and Sea Level Rise
BOXES, FIGURES, AND TABLES
BOXES
1-1 The Gulf Research Program: Origins, Strategic Vision, and Workshop Series
2-1 Important Points Highlighted by the Keynote Speaker
3-1 Points Highlighted by Individual Speakers
4-1 Points Highlighted by Individual Speakers
5-1 Points Highlighted by Individual Speakers
6-1 Points Highlighted by Individual Speakers
6-2 Deepwater Horizon Research Consortia
7-1 Points Highlighted by Individual Speakers
FIGURES