Center for Emerging Infections
and Emergency Preparedness (CEIEP)
Co-Directors: Richard Whitley, MD and Ziad Kazzi, MD
Established: 2006
Mission and Demographics
In October 2006, the Center for Emergency Care and Disaster Preparedness merged
with the Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infections to form the UAB Center
for Emerging Infections and Emergency Preparedness (CEIEP), a University-wide
Interdisciplinary Research Center. The CEIEP will enhance the core areas of
basic/fundamental research, translational research, clinical research, population
and behavioral research, computer modeling and simulation, as well as training
and education surrounding biodefense, emerging infections, emergency medical
care, and public health disaster preparedness in Alabama and across the world.
The Center facilitates partnership among UAB faculty who are interested in pursuing education and research opportunities in the realm of emerging infections and emergency preparedness. The CEIEP categorizes faculty by research area, productively distributes announcements for interdisciplinary research and funding opportunities, and develops researchers who can translate discovery into application through formation of a product development effort. In addition, the CEIEP has initiated discussions regarding collaboration with external partners such as local, state, and federal agencies, universities, community-based organizations, and the private sector to develop research and training programs, particularly in the area of seasonal and pandemic influenza.
Center Research and Infrastructure
The CEIEP is currently involved in several on-going research and educational
projects in the realms of biodefense, emerging infections, and emergency and
disaster preparedness.
The Center received support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for the Southeastern Regional Center of Excellence for Emerging Infections and Biodefense (SERCEB), a multi-institutional consortium of researchers focusing on basic and translational research in the areas of biodefense and emerging infections. In addition, NIAID and the State of Alabama awarded funding for construction of the Southeast Biosafety Laboratory (SEBLAB), a BSL-3 laboratory. Construction of the 35,000 square foot facility began in July 2006, following two years of bid solicitation, review, and site preparation, which included demolition of two existing buildings, and is scheduled for completion in February 2008. Research projects will focus on new vaccines for pox viruses, botulism, and anthrax. Other planned projects will investigate areas of emerging infections such as West Nile virus and influenza.
In related research through the NIAID-sponsored Collaborative Antiviral Study Group (CASG), Dr. Whitley is directing ongoing and proposed clinical trials for the treatment of emerging infections such as West Nile Virus and pediatric influenza (in conjunction with Roche Pharmaceuticals). A protocol is also being developed for treatment of orthopox in adults (in conjunction with Chimerix).
The CEIEP was awarded a consortium grant led by Johns Hopkins University to form the National Center for the Study of Preparedness and Catastrophic Events Response (PACER). This Department of Homeland Security funding will be used to address the technical, systematic, behavioral, and organizational challenges posed by various terror-related public health threats. The CEIEP-based research team will lead in the identification and assessment of "informal" disaster response networks and determine how they can be integrated into formal response plans.
As part of the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium, the CEIEP will serve as the Alabama Resuscitation Center tasked with the following: 1) evaluation of optimal strategies for fluid resuscitation including permissive hypotension, timing of initiation of infusion, and use of alternative fluids after traumatic injury; 2) evaluation of alternative CPR methods including device-assisted CPR; and 3) training clinical scientists in the field of resuscitation and emergency medicine.
Most recently, CEIEP has focused on the organization and coordination of the Pandemic Influenza Task Force (PITF) whose goal is to design and implement a campus-wide strategy for dealing with potential pandemic illnesses or similar disasters expected to impact UAB. As part of the PITF initiative, CEIEP sponsors symposiums, tabletop exercises, and speaker presentations related to research and planning for pandemics. Recommendations from the PITF are expected to be presented to other UAB and community planning groups.
Training
The Mentored Career Development Program in Biodefense and Emerging Infectious
Disease, sponsored by the SERCEB, provides training opportunities in the basic
or translational/clinical sciences in emerging infections or biothreats for
MDs, PhDs, or MD/PhDs who have completed their clinical subspecialty training
and/or dissertation. These opportunities consist of didactic and experiential
curricula at each participating institution and are complemented by common training
experiences attended by all trainees. Funding is guaranteed for two years, assuming
satisfactory performance during the first year, and includes an NIH-level stipend,
tuition, travel, insurance and research-related expenses.
The Center also maintains the Bioterrorism and Emerging Infections CME Website (http://www.bioterrorism.uab.edu/). With the busy clinician in mind, this website includes comprehensive, compact web-based summaries on the disease, diagnosis, and treatment of the CDC defined Category A agents (anthrax, botulism, plague, smallpox, tularemia, viral hemorrhagic fevers) and three emerging infectious diseases (monkeypox, severe acute respiratory syndrome, West Nile virus) to provide the learner with quick, easily accessible, accurate information. If the learner has additional time to review, the site is designed to provide in-depth information on these diseases, a place to turn for additional education and training resources, and the opportunity to complete specialty-specific learning modules for first point-of-care clinician specialists (Emergency Medicine, Infection Control, Pathology, Radiology, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and those involved with cases that require Dermatology referral) with case-based questions on the diseases listed above. The learning module section utilizes a remediation format in which the learner receives immediate feedback regarding his/her selected answer, and upon completion of one module the learner can receive one Category 1 continuing medical education credit at no cost.
The Department of Defense (DoD) awarded the National Agricultural Biosecurity Center at Kansas State University (KSU) to develop software to improve the professional agricultural community's understanding and awareness of bioterrorism-related threats to agriculture and protocols for response. The CEIEP and the UAB Division of Continuing Medical Education are working with KSU to create screensavers that will serve as an entry portal to a website with zoonotic and human disease information.
For additional information:
Co-Director: Richard Whitley, MD
Email: rwhitley@peds.uab.edu
Phone: 205-934-2424
Co-Director: Ziad Kazzi,
MD
Email: zkazzi@uabmc.edu
Phone: 205-975-7387
Website: www.uab.edu/ceiep
Approved by: Richard Whitley, MD and Ziad Kazzi, MD, Co-Directors
Date: May 9, 2007
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