Item talk:Q46179

usgs_staff_profile:

 meta:
   status_code: 200
   timestamp: '2023-09-30T15:23:39.795925'
   url: https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/jack-r-friedman
 profile:
   abstracts: []
   affiliations: []
   education:
   - 2003 Duke University, Ph.D., Cultural Anthropology
   - 1993 Florida State University, B.A., Anthropology (with honors), summa cum laude
   email: jfriedman@usgs.gov
   expertise_terms:
   - social science
   - cultural anthropology
   - psychological anthropology
   - decision support
   - natural hazards
   - culture
   - mental health
   - socio-ecological systems
   - drought
   - severe weather
   - Romania
   - risk
   honors: []
   intro_statements:
   - I am a social scientist who studies and designs solutions to address how the
     science of hazards can be better integrated into decision support services for
     emergency managers and the multiple publics that they serve. Located in the
     Natural Hazards Mission Area, I work with both Risk Reduction and the Office
     of Emergency Management to create real-world decision support tools.
   name: Jack R. Friedman, Ph.D.
   name_qualifier: null
   orcid: 0000-0002-2109-4259
   organization_link: https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/natural-hazards
   organization_name: Natural Hazards Mission Area
   personal_statement: "I joined the Natural Hazards Mission Area as a Social Scientist\
     \ at the beginning of December 2022. I came to the USGS from the University\
     \ of Oklahoma\u2019s Center for Applied Social Research where I was a Senior\
     \ Research Scientist (2011-2022). I tend to approach problems with the eye of\
     \ an ethnographic researcher: I seek to understand local perspectives (including\
     \ the cultures of organizations), cultural models, histories, ways of thinking,\
     \ and real-world resources/constraints/structures to identify and address gaps,\
     \ tensions, and potential points of (often unrecognized) synchronicity between\
     \ people and groups.Decision Support Tool DevelopmentI have experience applying\
     \ social science to improve the delivery of science to decision-makers. Before\
     \ starting work with USGS, I collaborated with NOAA and the NWS (2015-2022)\
     \ to design, test, and develop methods for the broad implementation of the Brief\
     \ Vulnerability Overview Tool (BVOT) \u2014 a GIS-based tool that displays local\
     \ vulnerabilities associated with specific weather hazards that is integrated\
     \ into the everyday workflow of NWS meteorologists. The goal of all decision\
     \ support-focused work should be to ensure that scientific findings can be transitioned\
     \ into an actionable and operationalizable form for the end users. This takes\
     \ careful research and a commitment to open dialogue and changes in business-as-usual\
     \ practices from all parties - but the result is something that can truly protect\
     \ lives, property, and the nation's critical resources.Drought and Socio-Ecological\
     \ SystemsI have experience conducting socio-ecological and coupled human and\
     \ natural systems research on drought and water limitations. Before starting\
     \ work with USGS, I led a research team (2013-2018) that examined socio-ecological\
     \ responses to drought and drought management across the state of Oklahoma,\
     \ including working with tribal partners and agricultural communities. In addition,\
     \ I was the PI (2015-2019) on a project that examined cultural and cognitive\
     \ barriers to \u201Cwhole river\u201D solutions to water limitations \u2014\
     \ before, during, and after formal periods of drought \u2014 along the Rio Grande/Rio\
     \ Bravo.Mental HealthI have almost a decade of research experience in psychiatry,\
     \ mental health, and mental health care. Mental health care is critical for\
     \ people and communities that are impacted by natural hazards. At the same time,\
     \ many scientists who study natural hazards and seek to protect people with\
     \ their science are at risk of suffering from stress, burnout, and secondary\
     \ traumatic stress. As such, I hope to contribute to raising awareness of mental\
     \ health issues and to help mitigate the risks associated with these challenges."
   professional_experience:
   - 2022-present   Social Scientist, USGS, Natural Hazards Mission Area
   - 2011- 2022  Senior Research Scientist, Center for Applied Social Research, University
     of Oklahoma, Norman
   - 2007-2011  National Institute of Mental Health Post-Doctoral Researcher, Semel
     Neuropsychiatric Institute, University of California, Los Angeles.
   - 2006-2007  Senior Fulbright Scholar (Romania) and Research Affiliate, Department
     of Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago
   - 2004-2006  National Institute of Mental Health Post-Doctoral Fellow in Culture
     and Mental Health, Department of Comparative Human Development, University of
     Chicago
   - 1995-2004 Instructor, Duke University, Department of Cultural Anthropology
   title: Social Scientist