Course Overview

In recent years, there has been growing concern that many of the most likely terrorist threats will involve “agents of opportunity” or materials that are readily available in most communities around the country.

The American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) and the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) in partnership with the Region 4 Regional Disaster Response System (Southern Regional Disaster Response System - SRDRS) are pleased to offer this course on emergency medical response to exposures from radioactive materials and toxic chemicals. The Coordinating Office for Environmental Readiness, Response and Recovery (COER3) in the Office of the Director, within the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), supported the delivery of this unique course to familiarize health care providers and responders with toxic exposures. The course will review the medical and psychological consequences of exposures to a variety of chemical and radiological materials. It will include practical information regarding scene safety for such agents as high potency fentanyl analogs, inhaled irritants, and proper decontamination of a victim contaminated with radiological material.

Presented by:

Agenda | July 29, 2025

8:50 AM - 9:00 AM ET         Welcome and Opening Remarks
                                                CAPT Jill Shugart
                                                Associate Director
                                                Coordinating Office for Environmental Readiness, Response and Recovery (COER3)
                                                National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR)
                                                Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

                                                Carol Iddins, MD
                                                Director, Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS)

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM ET       Practical Radiation Physics and Radiation Protection
                                                Meghan Dieffenthaller, MS, NRRPT
                                                Health Physicist, Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS)

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM ET     Acute Radiation Syndrome
                                                Carol Iddins, MD
                                                Director, Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS)

11:00 AM - 11:10 AM ET       Break

11:10 AM - 12:00 PM ET     Radiation Instrumentation and Early Dose Magnitude Estimation
                                                Dillon Vogt, BS
                                                Health Physicist, Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS)

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET       Cutaneous Radiation Injuries
                                                Carol Iddins, MD
                                                Director, Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS)

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM ET           Lunch

1:30 PM - 2:20 PM ET          Preparedness and Response to Radiological Incidents
                                                Emily Kiernan, DO, FAACT, FACEP
                                                 Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Medical Toxicology, and Addiction Medicine
                                                 Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine

2:20 PM - 3:10 PM ET          Common Radiation Sources
                                                Dillon Vogt, BS
                                                Health Physicist, Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS)

3:10 PM - 3:20 PM ET           Break

3:20 PM - 4:10 PM ET           Management of Internal Contamination
                                                 Carol Iddins, MD
                                                 Director, Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS)

4:10 PM - 5:00 PM ET           Donning/Doffing and Decontamination
                                                 Meghan Dieffenthaller, MS, NRRPT
                                                Health Physicist, Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS)

5:00 PM - 5:10 PM ET           Closing Remarks/Adjourn
                                                 Carol Iddins, MD
                                                 Director, Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS)

Agenda | July 30, 2025

8:50 AM - 9:00 AM ET          Welcome & Opening Remarks
                                                CAPT Jill Shugart
                                                Associate Director
                                                Coordinating Office for Environmental Readiness, Response and Recovery (COER3)
                                                National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR)
                                                Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

                                                Paul Wax, MD, FACMT
                                                Executive Director, American College of Medical Toxicology

9:00 AM - 9:40 AM ET          Toxic Disasters: Beyond Conventional Chemical Weapons
                                                Charles McKay, MD, FACMT
                                                Associate Clinical Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine

9:40 AM - 10:00 AM ET        Chemical Explosions
                                                 Emily Kiernan, DO, FAACT, FACEP
                                                 Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Medical Toxicology, and Addiction Medicine
                                                 Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine

10:00 AM - 10:40 AM ET      Toxic Gases as Threats
                                                 Emily Kiernan, DO, FAACT, FACEP   
                                                 Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Medical Toxicology, and Addiction Medicine
                                                 Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine

10:40 AM - 10:50 AM ET      Break

10:50 AM - 11:30 AM ET      Why are Cyanide and Fumigants So Worrisome?
                                                 Sukhi Atti, MD
                                                 Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
                                                 University of Alabama at Birmingham
                                                 Associate Medical Director, Alabama Poison Information Center

11:30 AM - 12:10 PM ET      Food, Water and Medication as Vehicles for Toxic Threats
                                                 Charles McKay, MD, FACMT
                                                 Associate Clinical Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine

12:10 PM - 1:00 PM ET        Clinical Neurotoxicology of Chemical Threats
                                                 Paul Wax, MD, FACMT
                                                 Executive Director, American College of Medical Toxicology

1:00 PM - 1:30 PM ET         Lunch

1:30 PM - 2:10 PM ET         Delayed Toxic Syndromes
                                                Charles McKay, MD, FACMT
                                                Associate Clinical Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine

2:10 PM - 2:50 PM ET         The Psychological Impact of Mass Exposures
                                                Paul Wax, MD, FACMT
                                                Executive Director, American College of Medical Toxicology

2:50 PM - 3:00 PM ET         Break

3:00 PM - 3:40 PM ET         After Event Population Monitoring: Pros and Cons
                                               Charles McKay, MD, FACMT
                                               Associate Clinical Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine

3:40 PM - 4:40 PM ET         Scenario-Based Discussion
                                                Sukhi Atti, MD
                                                Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine
                                                University of Alabama at Birmingham
                                                Associate Medical Director, Alabama Poison Information Center   

                                                Emily Kiernan, DO, FAACT, FACEP
                                                Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Medical Toxicology, and Addiction Medicine
                                                Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine

                                                Charles McKay, MD, FACMT                                            
                                                Associate Clinical Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine

                                                Paul Wax, MD, FACMT
                                                Executive Director, American College of Medical Toxicology                                                                                     

4:40 PM - 4:50 PM ET         Closing Remarks/Adjourn
                                                Charles McKay, MD, FACMT                                                 
                                                Associate Clinical Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine

                                                Paul Wax, MD, FACMT
                                                Executive Director, American College of Medical Toxicology

Registration Rates

Registration will include: 

• Access to the on-demand recordings of all lectures from both events (Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism: Toxic Radiological Materials and Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism: Toxic Industrial Chemicals and Toxic Industrial Materials) for 1-year
• Continuing Education for each day of the course (provided at no cost through CDC via TRAIN) - information and instructions are available on the individual course webpages.
• Downloadable Attendance Certificate for each day of the course

Please note that for proprietary reasons, PDFs of the presentation slides will not be available for download. You will have access to an on-demand recording of the course for one year from the event date.

Interested in becoming an ACMT Member? Contact our Membership Manager at membership@acmt.net. Learn more at: www.acmt.net/membership