It is the mission of the “International Medical Education and Harmonization Program for Nuclear Accident Preparedness” to further medical knowledge and instruction in nuclear accident preparedness. To this end, Boston University School of Medicine developed a program to:
- train a cadre of instructors in a standardized curriculum on recognition and management of patients accidentally exposed to radiation;
- train the cadre in pedagogical technique and educational assessment that will assist teaching;
- provide monitored training, by the cadre, at established regional training centers or at other similar institutions;
- integrate the nuclear accident responses among participating nations in the event of an accident.
The program is a combined effort by BUSM; University of Massachusetts Medical School; Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site, a U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge facility; Boston University Center for Educational Development in Health; the USAID-funded American International Health Alliance; and the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency.
The project is a funded regional project of the IAEA.
Boston University School of Medicine envisions that inter-regional and international cooperation is not only possible, but effective, and that expanded cooperation among nations will ensure prompt and optimal care of patients exposed to environmental threats.