Israel's Sheba Medical Center and Florida Atlantic University Team Up to Better Prepare South Florida for Large Scale, Mass Casualty Emergencies

BOCA RATON, Fla., Oct. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As parts of Florida are still reeling from the deadly aftermath of hurricane Michael, pioneering doctors from Israel's Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer are traveling to South Florida to teach emergency response students at Florida Atlantic University's International Center for Emergency Management the best ways to manage and respond to large-scale emergencies. This will help first responders and medical teams save the most lives during natural disasters, mass casualty incidents and CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) attacks.

FAU is now one of the few universities in the world to partner with an international hospital to develop emergency management training programs ? informed with a global perspective and world-renowned expertise.

During this week-long training course, Sheba's world-class experts will guide 33 students through active emergency scenarios, focusing on leadership skills needed during preparation, response and recovery efforts.

Leading the intensive course will be Prof. Yitshak Kreiss, M.D., former Surgeon General of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Director General of Sheba Medical Center, Prof. Elhanan Bar-On, Director of the Israel Center for Disaster Medicine and Humanitarian Response, Prof. Kobi Peleg, Director of The National Center for Trauma & Emergency Medicine Research in The Gertner Institute for Health Policy & Epidemiology, Dr. Yoram Klein, Director of the Trauma and Acute Surgery in Sheba and Dr. Ross Gross, a Senior psychiatrist and PTSD specialist.

All are renowned experts who have traveled the world administering much-needed care in a wide range of disaster scenarios.

The course runs October 14 ? 20, 2018. Media is invited to attend, observe the first responders and medical teams in action and speak with experts from both Sheba and FAU on Friday, October 19th.

WHO:    Prof. Yitshak Kreiss, Director General of Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer and former Surgeon General of the Israel Defense Forces

Prof. Elhanan Bar-On, Director of the Israel Center for Disaster

Medicine and Humanitarian Response at Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer

Rebekah Dickinson, Chief Program Officer, International Center for Emergency Management, Florida Atlantic University

WHAT:    An opportunity to observe interactive emergency response exercises, and to interview Israeli humanitarian medical experts and FAU officials about this historic partnership.

WHEN:    Friday, October 19, 2018

1:00 p.m. ? Sheba and FAU officials available for interviews.

2:00 p.m. ? A visual opportunity to see students engage in interactive exercises to simulate responding to a variety of disaster scenarios under limited time constraints and with limited resources.

WHERE:     FAU Boca Raton Campus, Office Depot Center for Executive Education, Building 93, 1st Floor Lobby (The media may park at metered spots and used department 9635 to pay).

R.S.V.P.:     Press is invited to R.S.V.P. for this portion of the course or to schedule interviews in advance with Prof. Kreiss or Prof. Bar-On by contacting Kelcey Kintner at 646.391.8001 or kelcey(at)redbanyan.com.

When disaster strikes ? whether it's a hurricane, a fire or a terrorist attack, it's crucial to be prepared. The historic collaboration between Sheba Medical Center and Florida Atlantic University will help ensure that Floridians can respond to emergency situations in a manner that saves as many lives as possible.

For more information about the ICEM ? academics, research, our leadership, events, and to register for training programs, please visit http://www.fau.edu/savinglives

About Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer
Born together with Israel in 1948, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer is the largest and most comprehensive medical center in the Middle East. Sheba is the only medical center in Israel that combines an acute care hospital and a rehabilitation hospital on one campus, and it is at the forefront of medical treatments, patient care, research and education. As a university teaching hospital affiliated with the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University, it welcomes people from all over the world indiscriminately. To learn more, visit: eng.sheba.co.il.

About Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit http://www.fau.edu.

SOURCE Sheba Medical Center