Dear Colleague
On behalf of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine and the Faculty of Pre-hospital Care of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh we have pleasure in welcoming you to the 14th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine.
Originally formed as the Club of Mainz in 1975 the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine’s mission is to synthesise original research and practical experience in order to improve the delivery of everyday emergency medical services, public health and safety, and the provision of medical care and health services to those stricken by disaster.
An important function of WADEM is the presentation of its biennial World Congresses. This is only the second time the congress will have been held in the United Kingdom. In 1984 Peter Baskett led a team including some of the current committee to provide a quality event in Brighton. We are delighted that the Congress is returning to the United Kingdom.
We will be looking at a wide range of subjects - civilian/military collaboration in disaster medicine and relief; children in disasters; politics and disaster, rural emergency medical services to name but a few. And, with the collaboration of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Britain’s oldest Royal medical college, which will be celebrating its 500th anniversary in 2005, we will look back at lessons from history and move forward with innovation, integration and application of technology. A mass-gathering education emergency ‘exercise’ will immediately precede the Congress.
Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital, is an excellent venue for this meeting. We promise you not only a stimulating academic programme but a pleasant and dynamic social environment in which to learn and relax amongst like-minded friends from around the world.