University Times

Pitt’s Center for National Preparedness (CNP) and the College of General Studies have developed a new program of study leading to a certificate in national preparedness and homeland security.

Focusing on the analytical and managerial aspects of emergency preparedness, the certificate program will train professionals for crisis-management leadership positions in both the public and private sectors. The core curriculum of the 18-credit program will cover federal, state and local emergency procedures; advanced training with analytical tools used in disaster response, and a capstone project in which students role-play a disaster scenario.

Carey Balaban, faculty member in the School of Medicine and director of Pitt’s Center for the Biology of Vibration and Shock Exposure, is co-director of CNP with Ken Sochats, who is a member of the board of directors of the Pittsburgh Regional Business Alliance for Homeland Security and chair of the education and research team of the Regional Joint Readiness Center.

Sochats also is a member of the advisory board to FEMA, Region III, which includes Pennsylvania.