Robert Ditch Robert Ditch
Adjunct Associate Professor of Clinical Research and Leadership

Office Phone: N/A
Email: Email
Department: Clinical Research and Leadership

Education

  • B.S., Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, 1978
  • MS, Chapman University, 1981
  • B.S., University of Maryland, College Park, 1999
  • EdD, Walden University, 2012

Biography

Awarded the 2024 Career Excellence Award – Highest Award for Emergency Management (EM) in the nation, by the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), Dr. Bob Ditch is a 50-year career All-Hazards Incident Management Team (AHIMT), Fire/EMS, Homeland Security/ EM, Terrorism Response, and Disaster Management Planner, Incident Commander, Public Information Officer, and Educator. He has concentrated 32+ years of military service and 20+ years in the Private, Local, Academic, and Federal Sectors supporting EM research, education, and domestic/international responses.

He teaches for five universities, one medical school, and three federal/state Homeland Security and EM agencies, two Fire/EMS academies: Disaster/Emergency Medicine, Exercise Planning, Public Information & Communications and Terrorism; and is a Homeland Security consultant. He has served as a Planning Section Chief (PSC) on a Metropolitan Medical Response System – Terrorism Strike Team, for 12 years on a Federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team, both a U.S. Departments of Homeland Security (DHS)/FEMA and Health & Human Services (HHS) IMT, and Arizona based Regional IMT. He served in the FEMA National Response Coordination Center, HHS Secretary’s Operations Center, five Federal Joint Field Offices and three FEMA Regional Response Coordination Centers; deploying on over three dozen federally declared and six international disaster missions including 9/11 in New York City, numerous hurricanes including Katrina/Rita, Ivan, Charlie, Issac, Gustave, Hermine, Sandy, Erma, Matthew, Harvey, Imelda, Ian, Laura, and Beryl; the Somalia famine, Haiti Earthquake, Zika Virus crisis in Puerto Rico, Hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas, the Puerto Rico Earthquake, and COVID-19 outbreak He has responded on numerous tornado outbreaks, winter storms, floods, aircraft crashes, and HAZMAT incidents. He has served as a volunteer chief fire officer/paramedic for 49 years and 16 years as an IMT Incident Commander, PSC, and PIO for the Civil Air Patrol. He is also an ordained minister supporting disaster chaplaincy missions.

Formerly the first Director of Planning for DOD’s Terrorism response Joint Task Force – Civil Support headquarters; he was handpicked to serve as the Director of Education, Training & Exercises for DOD’s Standing Joint Force Headquarters-Homeland Security; setting up and managing the initial Homeland Security Education, Training, and Exercise programs for both U.S. Joint Forces Command and later the new U.S. Northern Command. He served on the latter’s Implementation Team; training the initial staff. He later served as a project/planning consultant and trainer for DHS, DOD, the FBI, and FEMA. He was a Senior Executive FEMA pandemic flu trainer and a Subject Matter Expert for a FEMA and EMS/Aeromedical Evacuation Typing project, and both IMT and Emergency Operations Center Position Task Book and Typing projects. He was engaged in the terrorism planning and support for the 2002 Winter Olympics; served as the first DOD liaison officer at Ground Zero in New York City on 9/11; terrorism planner for the DHS TOPOFF II & III National terrorism exercises and participant in the New Madrid earthquake 2011 National Level Exercise, Super Bowl XLIX, and the 2016 Republican National Convention. He was the Public Health/Medical IMT PSC for two Presidential Inaugurations and five State of the Union Addresses. He served as the Medical Director of United Nations (UN) in Somalia (1993-94); directing UN humanitarian medical operations, and 39 mass casualty incidents; including multiple incidents involving 100-150 wounded; six times under hostile fire and directing the 4-day US/UN multi-national casualty care/evacuation operations in Mogadishu, Somalia depicted in the movie Black Hawk Down. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he conceptualized/created the nation’s largest volunteer blood collection program, called Operation Pulse Lift, at 66 sites in 26 states: saving over 124,000+ lives; When the pandemic closed the FEMA National Disaster & Emergency Management Institute (EMO), he led a team of volunteer instructors, teaching 51 week-long courses for FEMA, keeping the EMI (virtually) open throughout the pandemic. He has instructed and/or developed over three dozen Emergency Management/ Homeland Security and fire/EMS curriculums for over 25 years: teaching terrorism response courses for the Texas A & M University Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) and the Texas, Virginia, and Arizona Divisions of Emergency Management and Fire Programs. He has been a visiting lecturer at the National War College, Air University, Army War College, National Defense University and Joint Forces Staff College; teaching Homeland Security Planning/Incident Management in the Joint Advanced Warfare School. He is a Health Services Research & Leadership/Management Associate Professor at The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington D.C., a full Professor of Emergency Management/Homeland Security Emergency Management & Leadership studies for the University of Maryland Global Campus, American Public University, and Grand Canyon University. He served as a Center Director and Academic Committee member for the National Disaster Life Support Foundation, and Preparedness & Education Committees for the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. He has presented to the Secretary of Defense/National Defense Minister at the US/Canadian Joint Board on Defense in Ottawa, Canada; School of Aerospace Medicine; Naval Post-Graduate School, Defense Medical Readiness Training Institute, and Uniformed Services University for Health Services; the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany; and many Medical and Nursing Schools; Medical/EMS/Fire-Public safety conferences nationwide/overseas; the National Fire Academy, EMI/NDEMU, the Center for Domestic Preparedness; and Tidewater Virginia Regional Fire Academy. He served as a 12-year Certification Commissioner, seven-year Uniformed Services Caucus Chairperson, and five-year Awards Committee Member, for IAEM and curriculum evaluator for the American Council on Education.

Professional History, Licenses, Certifications

  • Retired Colonel, USAF, 32yrs service (6 - combat tours in Southeast Asia (2), Somalia, Middle East (3))
  • Professor - Emergency Management (EM), Homeland Security/Terrorism, Fire Science/EMS, and Leadership
  • FEMA Executive Emergency Manager/Instructor
  • Federal Responder – 37 Domestic/International Disasters
  • Federal/State Fire/EMS, AHIMT, and EM Instructor
  • Internationally Certified Emergency Manager (CEM ®)
  • Certified Military Emergency Management Specialist
  • Certified Chief Fire Officer (CFO)/Incident Commander
  • 50-year Licensed (TX)/Nationally Registered and State Certified (AZ/VA) Paramedic/EMT and EMS Instructor
  • FEMA Terrorism/Emergency Management Instructor

Awards

  • Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device for heroism (Somalia); and 20 other DoD awards for heroism-meritorious service
  • Ten campaign medals from United Nations, Africa, Middle East, Latin American, Korea, and Southeast Asia operations; and three for Homeland Defense/Disaster Operations
  • 2004 Governor of Virginia - Fire Services Instructor of the Year
  • 2007 Governor of Virginia - EMS Educator of the Year
  • 2010 Governor of Virginia - Fire Service Excellence Awards for teaching Disaster/Terrorism/Homeland Security courses
  • 2008 and 2013 National EMS Educator of the Year Award
  • For three years, the DHS/FEMA Bronze Trainer Award
  • The international Alpha Epsilon Xi Scholarship Initiate Award by the Kappa Delta Pi - International Honor Society in Education
  • In 2008, a U.S. Public Health Service Commendation Award by the U.S. Surgeon General
  •  In 1992, while serving as a volunteer fire captain, he received the Fire Service Life-Saver Award for single handedly rescuing/saving the lives of six family members in a swift-water rescue near Austin, Texas.
  • In 2015, he was named one of the Top 25 Emergency Medicine Professors in the Nation.
  • In 2020, 2021, and 2022 he received the Outstanding Service Award, Premier Partner Status and the Ironman Award, by the American Red Cross for COVID-19 crisis response.
  •  IAEM - Volunteer Emergency Manager of the Year Award (2021)
  • US Air Force Auxiliary–Civil Air Patrol - National Incident Staff Member of the Year (2021)
  • Community Partnership Awards by the Council of Colleges and Military Educators (2021)
  • Arizona Governor’s Lifetime Achievement and Community Service (2023)
  • Arizona Emergency Services Association’s Excellence in Emergency Management Awards (2023)
  • IAEM - Business and Private Sector Integration and Public Sector Partnership (2023)
  • President of the U.S. Volunteer Service, and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Volunteer Excellence Award (2023)
  • AFNORTH Commander’s Meritorious Mission and Regional Operations Staff Officer of the Year Award (2024)

Teaching

Dr. Ditch has taught a full-spectrum of both undergraduate and graduate courses in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Emergency Management, Clinical Paramedicine, and Homeland Security for GWU, the National Defense University/Joint Forces Staff College, the University of Maryland, and American Public University. In addition, he has traveled all around the nation teaching counter-terrorism/weapons of mass destruction response, pandemic planning, bioterrorism, and disaster response for Texas A&M University’s Engineering Extension Service, Louisiana State University, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Domestic Preparedness. He is also an emergency management and incident command/management instructor for FEMA and the States of Arizona and Virginia. He is the Academic Advisor for two paramedic academies and is the director of a National Disaster Life Support (NDLS) training center. He serves on the Academic Review Committee for the National Disaster Life Support Foundation (NDLS) and the Education Committee for the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. In addition, he serves on the faculty and is a course reviewer for the American Council on Education and the Continuing Education Coordinating Board on EMS.

Programs

  • Emergency Medical Services

Publications

Book Author, Consequence Management and Terrorism Response. 2002, CSI, The War College, Carlisle, PA. (Co-Author)

Book Author, “Medic in Mogadishu,” United Nations Medical Operations in Somalia 1993-1994. 1994, United Nations, NY.

Book Contributor, Prehospital Trauma Life Support, Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2014, Burlington, MA.

Book Contributor, The Business of Counterterrorism: Peter Lang Pub Inc. 2014, New York, NY.

Book Contributor, Advanced Disaster Life Support3.0 Texts American Medical Association, 2012, Chicago, IL

Book Contributor, Basic Disaster Life Support 3.0 Texts American Medical Association, 2012, Chicago, IL

Research, An analysis of initiatives that influence the achievement of higher education by chief fire officers. 2012, Walden University.

Research, An analysis of emergency response to terrorism incident management concepts and principles for the employment and direction of fire and emergency services at Department of Defense installations. 2002, U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). Emmitsburg, MD

Research, An analysis of the application of the principles of quality management in fire/EMS services. 2000, USFA

Research, Applying principles of command & control to employment of fire services in the Air Force. 1999, USFA

Research, An analysis and status of emergency service planners in the U.S Air Force. 1998, USFA

Article Reviewer, Review of Homeland Security and Best Practices for Local Government. Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (JHLSEM), The Berkeley Press Volume 8, Issue 2011 Article 21

Article Reviewer, Review of The long Shadow of 9/11. JHLSEM, Berkeley Press Vol 8, 2011, 21

Article Reviewer, Review of Who’s in Charge? Leadership during Epidemics, Bioterror Attacks & Public Health Crises. JHLSEM Berkeley Press

Article Reviewer, Review of Catastrophic Disaster Planning and Response. JHLSEM. The Berkeley Press. Volume 7, Issue 1 2010,

Article Reviewer, Review of High-Tech Terror: Recognition, Management and Prevention of Biological, Chemical, and Nuclear Injuries Secondary to Acts of Terrorism. JHLSEM, The Berkeley Press. Manuscript 1737.

Article Reviewer, Review of Medical Disaster Response: A Survival Guide for Hospitals in Mass Casualty Events. JHLSEM, The Berkeley Press.

Industry Relationships and Collaborations

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported a financial interest with the health care related companies listed below. These relations have been reported to the University and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts.

  • None