COVID-19 lessons learned focus on value of public health, complicated recovery
The importance of the impact of local health officials may be one of the biggest lessons learned by the public during the pandemic so far. As safer-at-home and stay-at-home guidelines are being relaxed, national media attention is trending toward a focus on recovery, but public health, emergency management and healthcare entities are still in response mode.
Community preparedness: Best practices for emergency and disaster response
For decades, ORAU has engaged state and local public health departments across the United States to develop tools that focus on a whole-community approach to emergency preparedness. The approach requires public health, healthcare, emergency medical services and emergency management working together to provide the right care at the right time.
Since 2003, ORAU has worked with Department of Health and Human Services operating and staff divisions that are instrumental in preparing for and responding to public health emergencies. Our capabilities and experience make us uniquely suited to support federal agencies and other organizations working to better understand and solve COVID-19 issues. We have proven experience in areas including peer review, health communication, pandemic preparedness, social listening and more.
For more than 70 years, we have helped our customers advance their mission by providing science, health and workforce solutions. Through our specialized teams of experts and a consortium of more than 120 universities, we connect the right people and resources to help our customers solve our nation’s most challenging issues.
ORAU K-12 goes virtual: Setting teachers up for success with remote professional development
Educators around the country had to make a huge pivot from classroom to virtual learning this spring. ORAU’s K-12 STEM team had to follow suit with this summer’s teacher professional development programs. Because of the pandemic, all 29 sessions that would have normally been held in a classroom setting were instead offered in a virtual environment.
Podcast: Riding into the danger zone: the work of ORAU’s forensic DNA examiners
Sean Crabbe says The Hurt Locker, the 2008 Academy Award-winning film that follows an Iraq War ordnance disposal team, comes pretty close to following the approach he and his team take when conducting forensic DNA analysis for the Defense Forensic Science Center. In this episode, Crabbe talks about the work he and his team do, his background and what awaits him when pandemic travel restrictions are lifted. Don't miss this conversation!
Are Brazil nuts radioactive? Can I get radiation poisoning from my Fiestaware® plates? Are kitty litter and lawn fertilizer really made from uranium? These are the kinds of questions that lead many people to the treasure trove of information found in theORAU Radiation History Museumsection of the ORAU website.
Podcast: Jill Latchana on balancing work and caring for five kids
Jill Latchana says it's the little things that bring her joy, like a dance party with her five children to celebrate 15 years of marriage to her husband, Neil. Her five children each have different ethnic backgrounds, all are adopted or being fostered, and they clearly bring her joy. Jenna and Michael talk to Jill about how she and Neil balance work with life as foster parents (they've fostered 18 kids), how they made the decision to adopt, how they pour love into the lives of their foster kids, and so much more.
ORAU provides innovative scientific and technical solutions to advance science education and workforce development and protect health and the environment. We connect the right people and resources to get things done, and we put the full power of our organization behind every project—both large and small.
