Robyn Gershon
Robyn Gershon is a Clinical Professor and researcher at the College of Global Public Health at NYU. Previously she served a Professor at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health and at University of California, San Francisco, with an Adjunct Professorship at UC Berkeley, School of Public Health. She developed and teaches three asynchronous on-line disaster courses, the most recent is on Healthcare Disaster Management.
Dr. Gershon's research focuses on barriers and facilitators to disaster preparedness - especially with respect to vulnerable populations and essential workers- including the health care and public health workforce. Dr. Gershon's research is designed to inform policy and practice, as exemplified by her landmark "World Trade Center Evacuation Study," which helped lead to the first changes in the New York City high rise fire safety codes in more than 30 years. One of her most recent studies: "Mass Fatality Preparedness in the US", was the first national study on the operational capabilities and readiness for the management of mass fatalities within the US. Along with her colleague, Lewis Kraus of the Pacific ADA, she conducted a large national study on disaster preparedness for people with disabilities. They are currently conducting a study to determine the degree to which the needs of people with disabilities are addressed in local emergency management (FEMA Region 9) disaster planning and response activities - the topic of today's session. Dr. Gershon has published more than 125 peer review articles on her research.