Political Science Professor Patricia Bodelson traveled to Athens, Greece this summer to research the country’s disaster preparedness status. During her stay she attended several professional Colloquiums, research round tables and met with influential leaders involved in national disaster planning efforts.
Instrumental to her work was the assistance she received from Vicki Kouskouna, professor at the University of Athens, Greece in the Geophysics and Geometrics Department. Kouskouna is an
E.U. Hazard Mitigation grant recipient working in collaboration with other E.U. members and the community of Athens. Kouskouna introduced Bodelson to instrumental decision makers in all three areas of the disaster cycle.
Bodelson attended a graduation ceremony where surgeons received advanced training in post-earthquake treatment plans. This was the first of its kind and was directed by Bernd Domes, national director of disaster emergency medicine in Germany. An honorary degree was conferred on him from the school in appreciation of his work with the School of Medicine.
Future plans include collaboration with Bodfelson and Theophilos Rosenberg, associate professor of surgery at the University of Athens to develop a curriculum to be implemented in conjunction with a multinational disaster response plan. Another component of the trip was collaboration with Droso Makris, city inspector and infrastructure coordinator and the city of Athens and International Affairs Director Elini Tsipoura. Future collaboration includes creating a disaster template that could be readily implemented in the event of a disaster (primarily earthquakes).
This research trip sets the stage for creation, implementation and evaluation of a disaster plan based on experiential pedagogy and service learning during Bodelson’s upcoming spring 2015 sabbatical.
