Title:

Health Physics and the Challenges of Medical Care After A Nuclear Detonation

Speaker:

Colonel Jama VanHorne-Sealy

Affiliation:

Manager, Army Reactor Program, US Army Nuclear and Countering WMD Agency

When:

Thursday, March 17, 2022 at 11:00:00 AM   Add to Calendar

Where:

https://bluejeans.com/933070155/4079 Building

Host:

Nolan Hertel
dbrown360@gatech.edu

Abstract

The effects of nuclear weapons are not often covered in academic programs. This includes medical schools, nursing schools, physics programs, and nuclear engineering programs. Yet, we expect all of those individuals to step up and help deal with the aftermath. This talk will cover an introduction to the various nuclear weapons effects, on people, structures, and the environment, and then provide some recommendations on how you can apply your understanding of fission, radiation, radiation management, and radiation detection to help mitigate the chaos in the aftermath.

Biography

Colonel VanHorne-Sealy currently serves as the Manager of the Army Reactor Program. She previously served as Director of Health Physics at Army Public Health Center and as Nuclear Effects Advisor for the US Army Nuclear & Countering WMD Agency. She was interagency project lead for the National Radiation Emergency Medical Education & Training Project, wrote the Army’s assessment on readiness to fight in a radiologically contaminated battlefield for the President’s 2018 Nuclear Posture Review, and served as technical advisor on eleven different Army-wide future radiation-related capabilities projects. Prior to her work at USANCA, she served as Director of Radiation Safety and as Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She has served as lead for the DoD’s Medical Radiobiology Advisor Team and Instructor for Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute’s Medical Effects of Ionization Course. During the Fukushima Reactor release in Japan, she established an in-country presumptive radiation detection laboratory for the Pacific US Forces and served as a technical advisor to US Forces Japan and US Embassy staff. She developed and implemented the first Radiation Safety Program for US Forces in Afghanistan, for which she was selected as the Preventive Medicine Officer of the Year for Deployment. Her awards include: The Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and three Meritorious Service Medals. Colonel VanHorne-Sealy received a Master of Science degree in Radiation Health Physics from Oregon State University and Bachelors of Science in Health Chemistry from the University of Central Oklahoma.