The aim of the Phoenix Leader Education Program is the “development of global personnel who manage recovery from breakdown of people, society, and environment, caused by radiation disaster.”
Most of the references are from articles published by PubMed/NCBI in reference to structural violence indicating a possible affiliation with the NIH and other authors researching structural violence.
The plan was created in response to the few cases of ebola in the United States to “err on the side of caution” and be prepared for a possible outbreak, even if it is a very low possibility.
The membership consists of American natives who would like to receive the benefits of this organization. To be eligible to be a member you must be "an Indian and/or Alaskan Native" evidenced by several factors including being a part of a tribe, living on reservation land, or living in the household of a native. The employees consist of federal healthcare professionals commissioned by the United States Public Health Service and Civil Service federal employees.
The author is Sonja D. Schmid who is a professor of Science and Technology in Society at Virginia Tech. Her area of expertise is the social aspect of science and technology, esp. during the Cold War, as well as science and technology policy, science and democracy, qualitative studies of risk, energy policy, and nuclear emergency response. As a professor and researcher she has does relevant studies on Fukushima and nuclear disasters relevant to the DSTS network. One such article titled "The unbearable ambiguity of knowing: making sense of Fukushima" is cited below:
Schmid, Sonja D. "The Unbearable Ambiguity of Knowing: Making Sense of Fukushima." Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. N.p., 2013. Web.
The program targets students with global skills, interdisciplinary skills, and management skills, with the goal of developing global leaders.