Capacity Statements

About the Center for Global Emergency Care

The Johns Hopkins University Center for Global Emergency Care (CGEC) was established with the vision of improving outcomes for populations affected by health emergencies by expanding access to high-quality emergency and critical care globally. CGEC coordinates emergency care initiatives across Johns Hopkins University and collaborates with international partners, governments, health systems, academic institutions, and humanitarian organizations to advance education, research, implementation science, and service delivery.

CGEC works in close collaboration with several leading Johns Hopkins entities, including the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health, the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health, and the Johns Hopkins Hospital Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response. Through these multidisciplinary partnerships, CGEC integrates expertise in emergency medicine, disaster preparedness, health systems strengthening, humanitarian response, infectious disease preparedness, operational readiness, and global health security to support resilient and responsive health systems worldwide.

CGEC faculty bring decades of experience supporting emergency and critical care capacity development both domestically and internationally, including work in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and throughout Central America.

Disaster Preparedness and Response Services

CGEC’s disaster preparedness and response approach focuses on strengthening health system resilience across the mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery phases of emergencies and disasters. By partnering directly with healthcare facilities, ministries of health, emergency management agencies, and community stakeholders, CGEC develops and implements evidence-based strategies that improve operational readiness, coordination, continuity of care, and emergency response capacity.

Our technical assistance and implementation support include workforce development, systems assessments, operational planning, simulation-based training, emergency coordination structures, infectious disease preparedness, and technology-enabled solutions tailored to local health system needs.

CGEC organizes its disaster preparedness and response activities across two complementary domains:

1. Enhancing Response Capacity

2. Maintaining Essential Services

The scope, duration, and scale of support are tailored to specific project objectives, operational contexts, and available resources

Enhancing Response Capacity

• Incident Command & Leadership Training: Development and delivery of competency-based training programs, workshops, and simulation exercises focused on incident command systems, emergency coordination, crisis leadership, and operational decision-making during acute response phases.

• Surge Capacity Planning: Technical support to expand and operationalize surge capacity during disasters and public health emergencies, including workforce mobilization, bed capacity optimization, escalation protocols, and activation procedures.ess support for rapid response teams focused on multi-hazard emergency response competencies, operational coordination, and adaptable response strategies.

Maintaining Essential Services

• Laboratory Capacity Strengthening: Training and technical assistance to strengthen laboratory systems, operational workflows, diagnostic readiness, and integration within emergency preparedness and response systems.

• Healthcare Workforce Strengthening: Programs strengthening healthcare workers’ knowledge, skills, resilience, and operational readiness to deliver emergency and essential services during crises.

• Health Systems Assessments: Guidance and technical support for conducting system-wide assessments related to emergency care delivery, oxygen systems, supply chain resilience, and critical resource availability during disasters and public health emergencies.

• Prehospital & Emergency Transport Systems: Assessments, protocol development, training, and operational support to strengthen prehospital systems and maintain continuity of emergency transport and care during disasters.

• Operational Dashboards & Data Systems: Design and implementation of dashboards and tools for monitoring commodities, workforce capacity, operational metrics, and indicators.

• Infection Prevention & Control (IPC): Support to strengthen IPC practices, workforce training, operational systems, supply chain management, and facility preparedness to reduce transmission risks and maintain safe healthcare delivery.

• Triage & Reverse Triage Systems: Design, implementation, and strengthening of triage and reverse triage protocols for routine and disaster settings, including advanced electronic triage systems and machine learning-enabled decision-support tools.

• Simulations & Tabletop Exercises: Development and facilitation of disaster drills, simulation exercises, and tabletop exercises across facility, district, and national levels to strengthen preparedness, coordination, and operational readiness.

• Knowledge Management & Information Sharing: Strengthening situational awareness and response coordination through the organization, synthesis, dissemination, and operational use of critical preparedness and response information.

• Forecasting & Predictive Modeling: Development of advanced infectious disease forecasting and predictive modeling approaches, including artificial intelligence-enabled tools to improve preparedness, resilience, and response planning.

• Facility-Based Surveillance: Support for the establishment and strengthening of facility-based surveillance systems integrated within emergency care platforms to improve early detection, reporting, and response to emerging threats.

• Rapid Response Team Training: Training for rapid response teams focused on multi-hazard emergency response competencies, operational coordination, and adaptable response strategies.

• Stakeholder Analysis & Multisector Engagement: Facilitation of coordinated disaster planning and response through engagement with ministries of health, civil society, private sector stakeholders, healthcare institutions, and government agencies.

• After-Action Reviews & Continuous Improvement: Support for the development of after-action review frameworks, templates, and institutional learning processes to strengthen quality improvement and implementation of best practices following emergencies and disaster responses.

Leadership

Dr. Bhakti Hansoti, MBChB, MPH, PhD

Director, Center for Global Emergency Care

Email: bhansot1@jh.edu

Dr. Edward Hsu, MD

Faculty, Johns Hopkins Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response

Email: ehsu1@jh.edu

Dr. Sonya Naganathan, MD, MPH

Global Emergency Medicine Faculty

Email: snagana4@jh.edu

Dr. Daniel Barnett, MD, MPH

Professor, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering

Email: dbarnet1@jhu.edu

About the Center for Global Emergency Care

The Johns Hopkins University Center for Global Emergency Care (CGEC) was established with the vision of improving outcomes for individuals affected by health emergencies through increased access to high-quality emergency, critical, and operative care globally. CGEC coordinates emergency care activities across Johns Hopkins University and collaborates with international stakeholders to lead initiatives in education, research, systems strengthening, implementation science, and service delivery.

CGEC faculty bring decades of experience building emergency and critical care systems domestically and internationally across diverse settings including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South America and countries throughout Central America.

CGEC focuses not only on technical clinical training across the full spectrum of emergency, critical, and operative care, but also on strengthening sustainable emergency care capacity through strategic health systems development, leadership training, workforce development, operational mentorship, and long-term institutional partnership. Our approach emphasizes scalable, locally led solutions that improve patient outcomes, strengthen resilience, and support national health priorities.

CGEC works closely with leading professional societies and international organizations to advance the science and practice of emergency and critical care globally, including:

·         Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM)

·         American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

·         International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM)

·         African Federation for Emergency Medicine (AFEM)

·         Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM)

CGEC is also designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Emergency, Critical, and Operative Care and works closely with colleagues at the World Health Organization in Geneva to support the development, piloting, implementation, and scale-up of foundational emergency and critical care programs worldwide. CGEC faculty have played instrumental roles in advancing WHO Basic Emergency Care (BEC) and Basic Critical Care initiatives through technical leadership, curriculum development, implementation support, operational research, and global dissemination efforts.

Emergency, Critical & Operative Care Capacity Services

Increasing emergency, critical, and operative care capacity is a core activity of CGEC and directly advances our mission to improve access, strengthen systems, and improve patient outcomes globally. Our strategy is grounded in three pillars: education, research, and patient care.

In education, CGEC trains the full spectrum of healthcare professionals — including nurses, physicians, technicians, prehospital providers, administrators, and health leaders — to become highly skilled emergency care practitioners, educators, and system leaders. Our educational model integrates clinical competency development with leadership training, operational management, quality improvement, and systems strengthening.

In research, CGEC faculty operate at the forefront of implementation science, emergency systems innovation, and operational research. We collaborate closely with global partners to conduct high-quality research that informs policy, improves patient outcomes, advances sustainable health development, and supports evidence-based emergency care delivery.

Direct patient care remains central to CGEC’s mission and faculty identity. The majority of CGEC faculty continue active clinical practice across emergency departments, intensive care units, prehospital systems, and disaster response settings.

By working directly with clinicians, health leaders, ministries of health, academic institutions, professional societies, and healthcare facilities, CGEC delivers tailored strategies to strengthen emergency and critical care systems at local, regional, and national levels. Project scope, duration, and implementation approach are customized to partner priorities, operational context, and strategic objectives.

Emergency & Critical Care Capacity Interventions

• Curriculum Development: Tailored development of competency-based curricula designed to strengthen healthcare workforce capacity, resilience, and leadership. Flexible delivery models include virtual, hybrid, simulation-based, and in-person learning platforms. Programs support all clinical cadres, from community responders and nurses to physicians and specialty-trained providers.

• Emergency Department Operations: Assessment, optimization, and operational mentorship focused on emergency department design, triage systems, staffing models, patient flow, quality improvement, clinical protocols, laboratory integration, radiology utilization, and interdisciplinary coordination.

• Intensive Care Unit Operations: Operational assessments and technical assistance to strengthen ICU systems, including oxygen ecosystems, biomedical technology integration, diagnostics, staffing structures, workflows, quality and safety systems, and critical care protocols.

• Prehospital and Interfacility Transfer Systems: Assessment and strengthening of lay and professional prehospital systems, ambulance operations, communication systems, referral pathways, transport protocols, and interfacility transfer networks.

• Triage Systems Strengthening: Implementation and enhancement of triage protocols for both routine and surge/disaster settings, including WHO Interagency Triage Tool implementation using app-based platforms and targeted nurse/provider training initiatives.

• Leadership & Health Systems Development: Specialized leadership development programs for emerging and senior healthcare leaders focused on strategic planning, systems management, communication, operational leadership, quality and safety, workforce development, patient flow optimization, healthcare financing, and sustainable emergency care system development.

• Short Courses & Technical Training: Implementation of internationally recognized short courses including:

o WHO/ICRC Basic Emergency Care (BEC)

o Pediatric Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment (PedsETAT)

o Basic Critical Care programming

o Hypoxia management and oxygen systems training

o Customized emergency and critical care simulation programs

o Procedural and operative care skills training

• Quality, Safety & Systems Improvement: Programs focused on reducing preventable harm, improving outcomes, strengthening patient safety culture, implementing quality improvement systems, and increasing operational efficiency.

• Research Capacity Strengthening: Development of sustainable local research capacity through mentorship, operational research training, implementation science collaboration, data systems strengthening, and research program development.

CGEC Leadership & Faculty Expertise

CGEC leadership and faculty represent internationally recognized experts in emergency medicine, global health systems strengthening, emergency critical care, nursing education, implementation science, trauma systems, and humanitarian response.

Core faculty and leadership include:

• Bhakti Hansoti, M.B.Ch.B., M.P.H., Ph.D. — Director, Center for Global Emergency Care; Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Infectious Diseases & International Health

• Teagan Lukacs, D.O., M.B.S., M.P.H. — Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships and Partner Engagement, Center for Global Emergency Care; Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

• Amelia Pousson, M.D., M.P.H., CTropMed® — Associate Director of Education, Center for Global Emergency Care; Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

• Valerie Osula, M.D., M.P.H. — Associate Director for Workforce Development, Center for Global Emergency Care; Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

• Jonathan Dyal, M.D., M.P.H. — Associate Director for Global Health Security, Center for Global Emergency Care; Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

• David Rudolph, M.D. — Infectious Diseases Expert, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

Nursing leadership and clinical education expertise include:

• Robert Sellke, M.P.H., M.S.N., R.N. — Nursing Education and Clinical Simulation Lead

• Maddie Whalen, M.S.N., M.P.H., R.N. — Clinical Education and Emergency Care Training

• Jennifer Gaver, M.S.N., R.N., F.N.E.-A. — Emergency and Critical Care Nursing Education

• Kelly Forbes, M.S.N., R.N. — Nursing Leadership and Clinical Operations Support

Together, CGEC faculty and partners provide multidisciplinary expertise spanning emergency medicine, critical care, nursing leadership, disaster response, implementation science, health systems strengthening, operational management, and global emergency care education.

About the Center for Global Emergency Care

The Johns Hopkins University Center for Global Emergency Care (CGEC) was established with the vision of improving outcomes for people affected by health emergencies by increasing access to high-quality emergency care globally. CGEC coordinates global emergency care activities across Johns Hopkins University and collaborates with diverse international stakeholders to lead initiatives in education, research, and service delivery.

CGEC faculty and staff have decades of experience building emergency and critical care capacity both domestically and internationally in countries and regions including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Mozambique, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and across Central America.

CGEC staff have direct experience supporting the prevention, detection, clinical management, and response to high-consequence infectious disease outbreaks including COVID-19, Mpox, Marburg Virus Disease (MVD), Ebola, and Measles. This work includes support for recovered patient cohorts, point-of-care diagnostics, triage systems, transport and referral pathways, community engagement, and the introduction and scale-up of new therapeutics and medical products within health systems.

CGEC leadership supporting pandemic preparedness and emergency response activities includes Dr. Bhakti Hansoti, Principal Investigator of the Clinical Characterization Protocol for Severe Emerging Infections (CCPSEI); Drs. Jonathan Dyal; Amelia Pousson; David Rudolph; and Teagan Lukacs. Collectively, the team brings extensive technical, operational, and implementation experience across infectious disease response, emergency systems strengthening, outbreak operations, and frontline healthcare delivery in complex settings.

CGEC also maintains specialized expertise in biocontainment operations and transport medicine, including the safe assessment, stabilization, movement, and referral of patients with high-consequence infectious diseases in both domestic and international contexts.

Future Pandemic Preparedness Services in CGEC

Our strategy to enhance future pandemic preparedness focuses on health system resilience and strengthening to meet the needs of communities and develop strategies to promptly detect and respond to disease threats. We focus our activities in three comprehensive domains: Integrated Surveillance in Emergency Medicine, Enhancing Response Capacity, and Maintaining Essential Services.

Illustrative Areas of Support

• Facility-Based Surveillance: Establishing surveillance systems integrated into emergency medicine to enhance early detection and response.

• Point-of-Care Diagnostics: Strengthening diagnostic pathways and implementation of rapid and decentralized testing systems.

• Forecasting and Modeling: Advanced infectious disease modeling utilizing artificial intelligence to optimize readiness, resilience, and responsiveness.

• Dashboard Development: Creation of commodity and human resource dashboards to improve monitoring and management capacity.

• Infection Prevention & Control: Optimization of IPC knowledge, practices, attitudes, and supply chain management.

• Incident Command and Leadership Training: Didactic and simulation-based training to optimize acute phase response performance.

• Surge Capacity: Supporting expansion of surge capacity during disasters and streamlining activation procedures.

• Triage, Transport, and Referral Systems: Implementing and enhancing triage protocols, patient transport systems, and referral pathways.

• Biocontainment and Transport Medicine: Expertise in high-consequence infectious disease transport, patient isolation systems, referral coordination, and safe movement protocols.

• Simulations and Table-Top Exercises: Developing and implementing disaster drills and simulations at all levels.

• Rapid Response Training: Preparing response teams for multiple hazards and outbreak scenarios.

• Stakeholder Analysis and Community Engagement: Supporting engagement with communities, civil society, private sector, and government stakeholders.

• Recovered Patient Cohort Support: Technical and operational support for survivor follow-up and cohort engagement.

• Laboratory Capacity: Strengthening laboratory systems to optimize detection of public health threats.

• Healthcare Workforce Strengthening: Enhancing workforce knowledge, resilience, and operational readiness.

• Health Systems Assessments: Conducting assessments related to oxygen systems, emergency care, and pandemic readiness.

• New Therapeutics and Product Introduction: Supporting the introduction, adoption, and operationalization of new therapeutics, diagnostics, and medical products.

• Prehospital Systems Support: Assessments, training, protocols, and management support for emergency response systems.

CGEC has extensive expertise in just-in-time learning methodologies and rapid workforce development across the full spectrum of healthcare personnel, including physicians, nurses, clinical officers, laboratorians, public health professionals, emergency responders, community health workers, and non-clinical ancillary staff. Training approaches include simulation-based education, tabletop exercises, blended learning platforms, operational mentorship, and competency-based rapid response training tailored to outbreak and emergency contexts.

Leadership and Technical Expertise

·  Dr. Bhakti Hansoti

·  Dr. David Rudolph

·  Dr. Amelia Poussan

·  Dr. Teagan Lukacs

·  Dr. Sonya Naganathan

·  Dr. Jonathan Dyal

These leaders bring extensive operational and technical experience supporting domestic and international preparedness initiatives, emergency response operations, health workforce development, implementation research, and strategic partnerships focused on strengthening emergency care systems globally.