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Thomas
Dean
Kirsch
,
MD

Professor
- Adjunct

Contact Info

410-502-8881

Research Interests

  • Disaster Refugee
  • Injury Management
Experiences & Accomplishments
Education
MPH
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
1986
MD
University of Nebraska Medical Center
1984
BA
Creighton University
1980
Overview

Disaster assessment Disaster management Disaster-related injuries Health care surge capacity

Honors & Awards

Dr. Kirsch has extensive disaster, international health and health care management experience. He is the co-Director of the Center for Refugee and Disaster Response (CRDR) in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, an Assistant Professor and the Director of Operations for the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Deputy Director of the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR). He currently teaches the course, “Public Health Issues in Disasters” at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.


For the past 15 years he has served as the National Physician Advisor for the American Red Cross Disaster Health Services, and has consulted on disaster-related issues for the World Health Organization, Unicef, the Centers for Disease Control and the United States Agency for International Development (Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance).

Select Publications
  • Book: VanRooyen M, Kirsch TD, Holiman CJ, Clem C. Emergent Field Medicine: McGraw-Hill, 2001.

  • Articles: Jenkins JL, McCarthy M, Kelen GD, Sauer L, Kirsch TD. Changes needed in the care for sheltered persons: A multistate analysis from Hurricane Katrina. Am J Dis Med 2009: In press.

  • Kaiser H, Hsu E, Barnett D, Kirsch TD, et al. Perspectives of Future Physicians on Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness: Challenges of Building a Capable and Sustainable Auxiliary Medical Workforce. Dis Med and Pub Health Prep 2009: In press.

  • Kirsch TD, Jenkins JL, Sauer L, Hsieh YS, Calvello E, Hsu E. Evolution of medical needs in displaced persons after the 2007 California Wildfires. Dis Med and Pub Health Prep 2009: In press.

  • Kirsch TD, Jenkins JL, Sauer LM, Hsieh YH, Calvello E, MD, Hsu E. Sheltering patterns and utilization following the 2007 southern California wildfires. AJDM 2009: In press.