Forum Background:

The Institute of Medicine’s Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Catastrophic Events serves to foster dialogue among stakeholders and provide ongoing opportunities to discuss and confront issues of mutual interest and concern. The Forum provides a neutral venue for broad ranging policy discussions that serve to facilitate coordination and cooperation among the public and private stakeholders in developing and enhancing the nation’s medical and public health preparedness. More specifically, the Forum: provides a catalyst for voluntary public/private collaboration on topics where there is synergy among potential partners; helps define the scope of the field and thus sets the stage for future policy action; brings ongoing attention and visibility to important preparedness issues; explores new approaches for resolving problem areas; and elevates the general understanding and visibility of medical and public health preparedness in the broader research, public policy, and other appropriate communities.

The Forum is self-governing, i.e., the Forum membership identifies the topics that it wishes to address, and with assistance from staff, develops meeting agendas and identifies workshop topics. As a result, topics span a broad range of issues in research, policy, and practice. Initial attention is being given to the following broad topic areas: medical surge capacity, disaster preparedness training, communication and distribution, psychological and community resilience, and research and evaluation.