Duke Faculty Offer Expertise on Katrina-Related Topics

The following Duke University faculty members have expertise pertaining to Hurricane Katrina that they are willing to provide to government and relief agencies.

Duke faculty: To be included in this listing, please send information in the format below to Dennis Meredith, dennis.meredith@duke.edu.

Children Coping with Katrina

Kenneth Dodge, director of Duke's Center for Child and Family Policy can discuss how to talk with children about tragedy and feeling safe. Dodge can be reached at (919) 613-7319 or dodge@pps.duke.edu.

John Fairbank, co-director of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, can discuss the effects of repeated viewing of the disaster on kids. Fairbank can be reached at (919) 682-1552 or jaf@psych.mc.duke.edu.

Robert A. Murphy, executive director of the Center for Child & Family Health, a center focused on child posttraumatic stress and maltreatment, can arrange for mental health consultation and treatment for children and families. Murphy can be reached at (919) 419-3474 x291 or robert.murphy@duke.edu.

Coastal Development and Katrina

Orrin H. Pilkey Jr., a professor emeritus of geology who directs Duke's Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines and program associate director Andrew S. Coburn have surveyed coastal impacts of Katrina during an overflight of the Gulf region. They can offer an assessment of the feasibility and wisdom of rebuilding within the beachfront environment. Pilkey can be reached at (919) 684-4238 or opilkey@duke.edu. Coburn can be reached at 684-2206 or acoburn@duke.edu.

Environmental Health and GIS

Marie Lynn Miranda, director of the Children's Environmental Health Initiative, is collaborating with the NIEHS and other agencies to provide GIS support for research into environmental health hazards within the affected Gulf region. Dr. Miranda can be reached at (919) 613-8023 or mmiranda@duke.edu.

Future of New Orleans

Jacob Vigdor, assistant professor of public policy and economics, offers an historical perspective on New Orleans and its changing population, economy and demographics. He believes that the post-evacuation New Orleans will thus likely be much smaller, with its poor former residents most noticeably absent. Vigdor can be reached at (919) 613-9226 or jacob.vigdor@duke.edu.

Government Role in Disasters

Gunther Peck, associate professor of history and public policy, has analyzed the role the federal government should take in rebuilding New Orleans and helping the urban poor who lived there. Peck can be reached at (919) 668-5297 or peckgw@duke.edu.

Health Epidemics, Government Response

Margaret Humphreys, professor of history, has studied the federal response to past public health epidemics in the South and the capability for such a response after Katrina. Humphreys can be reached at (919) 684-2285 or meh@duke.edu.

Hospital Disaster Preparation

Jim Chang, the emergency management coordinator for Duke University Hospital, can comment on emergency plans for hospitals. Chang helps coordinate preparedness drills within Duke University Hospital and with external groups at both the local and state levels. Chang can be reached at (919) 681-2933.

Immigration and Hurricane Victims

Noah Pickus, associate director of Duke's Kenan Institute for Ethics, an adjunct associate professor of public policy, says that the large numbers of Louisiana and Mississippi citizens displaced by Katrina provide insight into the problems of immigrants and current immigration policy. Pickus can be reached at (919) 660-3033 or pickus@duke.edu.

Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology

John Hamilton, chief, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, can provide information on general infectious disease. Hamilton can be reached at (919) 684-2660 or hamil008@mc.duke.edu.

Samuel L. Katz , W.C. Davison Professor and chair emeritus, Department of Pediatrics, is an international authority on vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases. He can consult with physicians or other groups who need advice. Katz can be reached at (919) 668-4582 or katz0004@.mc.duke.edu.

Chris Woods, assistant professor, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, can provide information on epidemiology and infectious disease. Woods is available by e-mail only until Sept. 19, by phone and e-mail after. He can be reached at (919) 286-0411 x6681 or woods004@mc.duke.edu

Leadership During Crisis

Alma Blount, director of Duke's Hart Leadership Program, is examining the leadership lessons that can be gleaned from the Katrina aftermath. Blount can be reached at (919) 613-7323 or blt@duke.edu.

James A. Joseph, Leader in Residence for Duke's Hart Leadership Program, can address the forms of leadership required for managing a disaster such as Katrina. He is a former U.S. ambassador to South Africa and a native of southwest Louisiana. Joseph can be reached at (910) 668-6907 or james.a.joseph@duke.edu.

Sim Sitkin, associate professor of management at Duke's Fuqua School of Business and faculty director of the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics can address leadership lessons arising from Katrina and the challenges still facing FEMA. Sitkin can be reached at (919) 660-2946 or sim.sitkin@duke.edu.

Media Coverage Analysis

Robert Korstad, associate professor of policy studies and history, has analyzed how media coverage of Katrina has reinforced racial stereotypes. Korstad can be reached at (919) 613-7335 or rkorstad@duke.edu.

Pets and Animals in Hurricane

Kathy Rudy, associate professor of Women's Studies and member of Independent Animal Rescue is coordinating rescue efforts for dogs and cats brought to the Triangle from hurricane disaster. Because hundreds of animals are dying everyday in gulf coast area, Rudy is sending vans down almost daily to bring back animals to be fostered in Durham/Chapel Hill area until owners can be located. Pets will be put up for adoption in Triangle if owners can't be found after three months. Rudy can be reached at 919-684-4063 or krudy@duke.edu.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment

Karen Kingsolver, clinical psychologist with the Department of Community and Family Medicine, has a background in treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and can help with treatment of hurricane survivors. Kingsolver can be reached at (919) 681-3087 or karen.kingsolver@duke.edu.

Racism and the Response to Katrina

Mark Anthony Neal, associate professor of African and African American Studies, has analyzed the response to Katrina in light of the racial and political makeup of New Orleans. Neal can be reached at (919) 684-3987 or man9@duke.edu.

Rebuilding New Orleans

Henry Petroski, the Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, offers historic perspective on rebuilding New Orleans, based on the examples of Galveston and Chicago. Both cities raised their levels -- Galveston after the devastating 1900 hurricane and Chicago in 1856 to accommodate larger-capacity storm sewers to combat floods. Petroski can be reached at (919) 660-5203 or petroski@duke.edu.

Religious Institutions, Role of

Keith Meador, director of the Duke Divinity School's Theology and Medicine Program, can share insights for pastoral care in a time of loss. Meador can be reached at (919) 660-3488 or kmeador@div.duke.edu.

Social Responsibility and Katrina

Tony Brown, professor of the practice in public policy studies and sociology, has proposed a new approach to "social entrepreneurship" in the context of the response to Katrina. Brown can be reached at (919) 613-7347 or brown@pps.duke.edu.

Water Quality and Floodwaters

Karl Linden, associate professor civil and environmental engineering, has been monitoring the pumping of New Orleans floodwaters into Lake Pontchartrain and the subsequent long-term implications for the lake ecosystem and future human use of the area. He can be reached at (919) 660-5196 or kglinden@duke.edu.

Wetland Preservation

Curtis Richardson, a professor of resource ecology at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and director of Duke's Wetland Center, has studied imperiled wetlands in Florida's Everglades and Iraq's Mesopotamian Marshes, and sees parallels with the equally imperiled wetlands on the Gulf side of New Orleans. Richardson can be reached at (919) 613-8006 or curtr@duke.edu.