Enhancing Community Resilience for Disaster Preparedness

Enhancing Community Resilience for Disaster Preparedness

April 30, 2018

Interviewee: Brian Mayer, Ph.D.

In the context of environmental health research, resilience refers to a community’s ability to withstand, adapt, and recover from a disaster or a public health emergency.

In this podcast, hear how researchers are working with communities to develop research questions related to resilience, while learning how communities and individuals are impacted by disasters and how they recover from them. Plus, learn how these efforts are helping to inform future disaster response preparations to improve human health and resiliency.

Interviewee

Brian Mayer, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the School of Sociology at the University of Arizona whose research focuses on the public health impacts of disasters and recovery. Specifically, his work examines the role of community participation in the identification and management of potential environmental health risks.

One of his recent NIEHS-funded projects sought to examine the long-term psychosocial and community health impacts of the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. For this project, "Healthy Gulf, Healthy Communities," Mayer served as the principal investigator for the community resilience research team.

Additional Resources

• Visit the Healthy Gulf Healthy Communities Website to learn more about Dr. Mayer's research.
• Learn more about community resilience and disaster preparedness.

Relevant References

• Clarke H, Mayer B. 201t. Community recovery following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Towards a theory of cultural resilience. Soc Nat Resour.30(2): 129-144.PMC ID: 5667684 [Abstract Clarke H, Mayer B. 201t. Community recovery following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Towards a theory of cultural resilience. Soc Nat Resour.30(2): 129-144.PMC ID: 5667684]
• Mayer B, Running K, Bergstrand K. 2015. Compensation and community corrosion: Perceived inequalities, social comparisons, and competition following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Sociol Forum 30(2):369-390. PMCID: 4477958 [Abstract Mayer B, Running K, Bergstrand K. 2015. Compensation and community corrosion: Perceived inequalities, social comparisons, and competition following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Sociol Forum 30(2):369-390. PMCID: 4477958]
• Bergstrand K, Mayer B, Brumback B, Zhang Y. 2014. Assessing the relationship between social vulnerability and community resilience to hazards. Soc Indic Res. 122(2):391-409. PMID: 29276330 [Abstract Bergstrand K, Mayer B, Brumback B, Zhang Y. 2014. Assessing the relationship between social vulnerability and community resilience to hazards. Soc Indic Res. 122(2):391-409. PMID: 29276330]
• Mayer B, Bergstrand K, Running K. 2014. Science as Comfort: The strategic use of science in post-disaster settings. In Daniel Kleinman and Kelly Moore (eds). Routledge Handbook of Science, Technology, and Society. New York: Routledge Press.
• Abramson DM, Grattan LM, Mayer B, Colten CE, Arosemena FA, Bedimo-Rung A, Lichtveld M. 2014. The resilience activation framework: a conceptual model of how access to social resources promotes adaptation and rapid recovery in post-disaster settings. J Behav Health Serv Res. PMID: 24870399 [Abstract Abramson DM, Grattan LM, Mayer B, Colten CE, Arosemena FA, Bedimo-Rung A, Lichtveld M. 2014. The resilience activation framework: a conceptual model of how access to social resources promotes adaptation and rapid recovery in post-disaster settings. J Behav Health Serv Res. PMID: 24870399]
• Morris JG Jr, Grattan LM, Mayer BM, Blackburn JK. 2013. Psychological responses and resilience of people and communities impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Trans Am Clin Climatol Assoc. 124: 91-201. PMID: 23874022 [Abstract Morris JG Jr, Grattan LM, Mayer BM, Blackburn JK. 2013. Psychological responses and resilience of people and communities impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Trans Am Clin Climatol Assoc. 124: 91-201. PMID: 23874022]