Adjunct Assistant Professor The Department of Applied Psychology of the New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
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| Instructor The Center for Management, Division of Business and Legal Studies of the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) Currently developing, for the Paul McGhee Division of New York University’s School for Continuing & Professional Studies, a Bachelor of Science in Critical Infrastructure Protection degree program with concentrations in Homeland Security, Emergency Management, Strategic Intelligence, or Business Continuity. Independent study for 3 students: Intro to Homeland Security |
| The HIV/AIDS pandemic is one of the most important and urgent public health challenges facing governments and civil societies around the world. Adolescents are at the centre of the pandemic in terms of transmission, impact, and potential for changing the attitudes and behaviours that underlie this disease. It is estimated that 50% of all new HIV infections are among young people (about 7,000 young people become infected every day), and that 30% of the 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS are in the 15-24 year age group. The vast majority of young people who are HIV positive do not know that they are infected, and few young people who are engaging in sex know the HIV status of their partners. - World Health Organization 2004 * Young people are defined as 10-24 years, and adolescents as 10-19 years |
| Since 1 in 5 reported AIDS cases is diagnosed in the 20-29 year age group, and the median incubation period between HIV infection and AIDS diagnosis is about 10 years, it is clear that many people who were diagnosed with AIDS in their 20s became infected as teenagers. Among adolescents reported with AIDS, older teens, males, and racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected. - CDC 2003 |
| In 2004, of the estimated 1,000,000 U.S. cases of HIV/AIDS, 94,495 were found among New Yorkers, more than in any other city in the country. In 2004, 32% of new HIV diagnoses in New York City were among women. 89% of these were Black and Hispanic women. Each year, 640,000 children under 15 globally were infected with HIV. Of the 40.3 million people living with HIV worldwide at the end of 2005, 10 million were young people between the ages of 15 and 24. Every hour in the United States, two people between the ages of 13 and 24 are infected with HIV, and half of all new HIV infections occur among youth under 25 years of age. In addition, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) reports that almost half of the city's public high school students are sexually active, with 1 in 4 engaging in sexual behaviors which place them at risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. |
| The Lowy Institute, a Sydney think-thank, argues that AIDS, left unchecked, could prove another potential source of regional instability along with terrorism. |
| POSITION STATEMENT of Dr. Michael T. "Mick" Maurer In a global society increasingly defined by issues of political, economic, ethnic and racial differences and polarization, war and violence are the likely resulting outcomes. Invariably, the innocent and the downtrodden become the collateral victims of these social and economic dysfunctions. Naturally occurring events, such as hurricanes, earthquakes and floods provide yet another context from which we can appreciate the enormous impact that disastrous events play in the lives of the affected. When catastrophic events cast their daunting affects upon the lives of citizens and the larger community as a whole, it is precisely at this point that constructive intervention of trained professionals in emergency and disaster management becomes most warranted and needed. FEMA established the Higher Education Project to establish at least one college degree program in Emergency Management in every State by the year 2001 (FEMA 2000). Disaster Management degree programs are relatively new. Between 1983 to about 1998, only two undergraduate degree programs graduated students in the United States. Neal (2000) noted that a number of factors have created a demand for educated, professional disaster managers. We continue to see a rise of disasters (especially in post 9-11), victimization, and economic losses from disasters. Not only are these increases occurring in the United States, but throughout the world (Mileti 1999). With the rise of terrorism now on the shores of all continents, along with an expanding professionalism of the profession there is an increased demand in the job market for trained disaster professionals. FEMA’s higher education initiative, a push by professional organizations like IAEM & NEMA for certification, accreditation and professionalism; along with the move to publish the research more widely in the profession have all created an environment for such degree programs in the New York City Metropolitan area as well as around the world. My work focuses on designing curriculum to equip the responder with the preliminary identification of special populations and their needs in a disaster. To examine these populations and focus on their demographics, their specific issues, and the current disaster response measures in place. Curriculum designed with an ALL-HAZARDS preparedness framework in mind to address issues and problems specific to special needs populations in a post-disaster setting. Looking at special populations such as: Women & Children in disaster; Elderly and aging issues; People with disabilities; Race & Ethnicity; Immigrants & Refugees, Language barriers; Poverty & related social problems; Residential facilities, orphanages, schools, treatment centers; the role of religiosity and spirituality in the lives of disaster victims. Of particular interest to me are the ways in which religion and spirituality inform prosocial development and positive psychological outcomes (e.g., altruism, volunteerism, civic engagement, optimism, and forgiveness) among disaster survivors. My specialization is the Impact of Violence, Disaster, and War & Terrorism upon Adolescent Development. While I was in graduate school in Chicago in the early 1980’s, the specter of HIV and AIDS appeared as an emerging public health issue. This brought about my third area of interest for integrating medical, public health and psychological processes into public health and HIV prevention programs then under development. This brought about my focus on expanding in the disaster curriculum the link between the existing and developing science of disasters and public health. The emergence of HIV/AIDS, with the public health and societal issue of drug abuse, brought my military training and counseling experience with substance abusers and alcoholics into alignment. Both recreational drug use and sexual risk taking continue to be behaviors that characterize gay and bisexual men’s lives as we enter the third decade of AIDS (Halkitis & Parsons, in press; Stall, 1999). In light of treatment advances for HIV and the potential for viral mutation, drug resistance, and superinfection with HIV (Angel et al., 2000; Halkitis & Wilton, 1999a; 1999b), these unsafe sexual practices, which may be influenced by drug use, present even greater threats to the long-term health of both HIV Seropositive (HIV+) and Seronegative (HIV-) gay and bisexual men. We see similar issues with the growing infection rates amongst sexual minority adolescents. Raising the question, why in one part of the world an adolescent/emerging adult would die by strapping a bomb to his/her self, and in another part of the world would self-implode by engaging in unsafe sexual behavior ignoring prevention messages. Why in one part of the world he joins a terrorist cell; while in another she joins a street gang both terrorizing civilians in their communities’ as mutated forms of urban insurgency. |
Position Statement
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www.MickMaurer.com
Mick Maurer at Vanderbilt Hall, NYU
