Emergency Management

The way we define Emergency Management has been greatly impacted by this pandemic crisis. While there were plenty of Emergency Preparedness Plans available for a pandemic scenarios, none of them were created on a holistic approach that takes into consideration how every single person is now a part of the Emergency Management framework we are having to navigate. The coronavirus pandemic is changing all of our lives, and we are completely re-defining every aspect our lives – work, family, leisure, and, financial and emotional stability.  The emergency we are currently facing differs from so many others because the underlying combination of circumstances we are currently adapting to, make up a big part of it.  Many of us are taking unprecedented measures to adapt or expand our ability to care for our environment and ourselves. What this translates into is that, in some way shape or form, we are all in an active state of “micro emergency management.”

About Joana Gaia
Joana Gaia, PhD '17, PMCRT '10, MS '10, earned her doctorate from the University at Buffalo School of Management, and her research interests include decision support systems, health information systems, emergency management and design science. In her research, Joana has investigated the psychology of hackers, as well as how privacy concerns can impact an individual's smartphone use or willingness to share personal health information. In addition, she can comment on multi agency collaboration in emergency management situations. Joana also has worked for several years in the private sector (financial services) in IT migration projects. Co-founder of Girl Tech Day, Gaia can also discuss the importance of introducing kids to coding and other STEM concepts at a young age.