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From February 28 to March 12, the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) held its second 12-day intensive course, Public Health in Complex Emergencies (PHCE), in joint collaboration with World Education Inc., Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, and the International Rescue Committee. Despite the current situation in Lebanon, the course attracted 18 regional and international public health practitioners, who received training in the special skills needed for addressing public health needs in times of war, large-scale natural disasters, and population displacement. The course participants included emergency physicians, nutritionists, emergency relief workers, and health program managers from ministries of health and non-governmental agencies in Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Palestine, Sudan, Uganda, and the United States. The facilitators for the courses were all experts in the field of health care in emergencies, and most of them had come to the course directly from Southeast Asia, where they had been involved in the international post-Tsunami relief and rehabilitation efforts. The course was organized by Dr. Muna Al-Khalidi, assistant professor of public health practice at FHS. The course covered the following modules: the Context of Emergencies, Epidemiology, Communicable Diseases, Reproductive Health, Nutrition, Environmental Health, Protection and Security, Violence, Weapons and Trauma, Psychosocial Issues, and Coordination. At the end of the two-week course, participants developed their own plans of action for the next six months, based on their newly acquired knowledge and skills, with both FHS and World Education Inc. following up to offer support as needed. The participants expressed great satisfaction with the course, stressing the need for a course addressing issues of public health in situations of war or major natural disasters. They also suggested that the training materials, particularly the case studies, should be more region-specific for future courses. FHS is considering running a third PHCE course in the spring of 2006.
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