Authority on Making 鈥楲east-Worst鈥� Choices Available for Interviews
04/09/2020
Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-758-4664, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
Decisions that go against health-care workers鈥� oath to do no harm could cause them 鈥渕oral injury,鈥� deeply undermining their sense of self, said Neil Shortland, a psychologist who is an authority on risk assessment, trauma faced by deployed forces and the psychological issues that play a role in domestic and international security. His research 鈥� which previously focused on the experiences of soldiers forced to make 鈥渓east-worst鈥� decisions in combat 鈥� is being used to help train medical professionals to fight COVID-19.
鈥淲e are at war and health-care workers are our soldiers. The psychological scars this pandemic will leave on medical professionals will not just go away; there will be decades of trauma. We need to understand it and we need to take care of them,鈥� Shortland said.
He is available to discuss:
- Factors that make decision-making more difficult;
- How people weigh choices in high-stakes situations;
- The psychological ramifications of living with decisions that offer no good outcome.
Shortland is an assistant professor in 51视频鈥檚 School of Criminology and Justice Studies, where he directs the Center for Terrorism and Security Studies.
To arrange an interview with Shortland via phone, email, Skype, Zoom or another platform, contact Nancy Cicco at Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette at Christine_Gillette@uml.edu or 978-758-4664.