In 2021, IGC, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy Sandia National Laboratories (DOE/SNL) and Emory, was awarded a contract with the U.S. Department of State Chemical Security Program (DOS/CSP). The scope of work entails training professionals in both the law enforcement and healthcare sectors. Although the training was initially planned to be conducted in February of 2022, due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19, it was rescheduled for 2023 at the MENATOX Conference in Abu Dhabi. 20 Iraqi participants representing the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Defense, and emergency first responders learned how to conduct an outbreak investigation training specific to organophosphate poisonings. The Government of Iraq (GOI) and the Kurdistan Government (KRG) collaborated throughout this engagement.
After the MENATOX conference, first responders from Baghdad Teaching Hospital conducted their individual Train-the-Trainer course with other medical professionals. This was a huge milestone for both IGC and the DOS/CSP. IGC continues its collaboration with both participants from the GOI and KRG.
