When the Stars Align, Magic Happens
Sometimes, when we are really lucky, the stars align just so, and magic happens. Things fall into place in a way you never dreamt possible. That’s what happened 20 years ago with the birth of the Health Emergency Response Office (HERO) and the University of Minnesota Medical Reserve Corps (U of M MRC). Assessments on our campus and at the national level identified gaps in health-related response readiness. The country was still reeling from the devastating events of 9/11 and subsequent bioterrorist anthrax attacks. As one of the largest urban universities in the nation, our Twin Cities campus faced the same challenges as any large city. Importantly, our campus housed a wealth of interdisciplinary, experienced personnel able to rise to meet these challenges. So in 2004, the University of Minnesota took action to ensure readiness for health emergencies on our campus and to prepare our unique workforce to provide service to the state when needed. Since its establishment, HERO has worked primarily behind the scenes to prepare for and respond to a multitude of public health issues. We are fortunate to have a dream team in the HERO office with “boots on the ground” public health practice experience at the state, county, city, non-governmental organization, and international levels.
HERO’s largest and most visible program is the U of M MRC. This national program was created to address rapid response gaps revealed during 9/11. It was the perfect platform for our health sciences schools to engage in readiness work, so we were one of the first applicants for the program. In those early days, the University of Minnesota joined the MRC program knowing we had something important to offer – the largest collection of health faculty, staff, and students in Minnesota – and a commitment to serving both our campus and the broader community. As co-founder of the U of M MRC with Dr. Frank Cerra, I honestly was unsure in 2004 if this idea would take flight. We believed that our health sciences community could be of service during emergencies. We also believed that service would provide unique, interdisciplinary educational and experiential opportunities for those students, staff, and faculty. As I look back on the last two decades, the impact of our members has exceeded my wildest dreams.
We recently completed a 20th-anniversary report where you can find much more information about accomplishments and plans for the future. My sincere thanks to all of our U of M MRC members, HERO staff, and partners on this milestone. Here’s to the next 20 years!