Crisis, the Brain, and Decision-Making - with Deborah Needham

In celebration of National Preparedness Month, host Dr. I. David Daniels will speak with emergency management professional Deborah Needham about the focus of her research into neuroscience and the effect of stress, emergencies, and disasters on human decision-making. Since its inception in 2004, National Preparedness Month has been observed each September in the United States. It is sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the Department of Homeland Security and encourages Americans to prepare for emergencies in their communities. An essential component of emergency preparedness and response is the ability to make decisions focused on preserving life, property, and the environment. Often, decisions in emergencies are described as “split-second decisions.” Still, the basis of these decisions tends to be lived experiences, not only in similar situations but in dissimilar ones. These decisions can have a lasting effect on those impacted by the incident, emergency, or disaster and on the person who makes the decision. Sometimes, these decisions set up a lifetime of mental and emotional challenges for all involved. Ms. Needham will share her expertise in crisis decision-making from emergency management and neuroscientific perspectives.