Brussels - 25 March 2024
Enhancing European Public Health Preparedness, Prehospital, and Disaster Medicine
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The inaugural WADEM Disaster Medicine Summer School has come to a successful close!
Conceived and organized by WADEM’s Student and Young Professional Special Interest Group (SYP-SIG), Disaster Medicine Summer School brought subject matter experts, academics, and participants from more than 25 countries for three intensive and inspiring days exploring the breadth and depth of disaster and emergency medicine.
From 3 to 5 July, participants representing human and veterinary medicine, nursing, prehospital care, paramedicine, and public health engaged with expert-led lectures on topics including operations, leadership, tactical and counter-terrorism medicine, One Health, and CBRNe. These activities were reinforced with multidisciplinary discussions, tabletop exercises, and live emergency training sessions designed to strengthen preparedness for the complex emergencies of today and tomorrow. Students were taught methods of engaging in scholarly work and beyond the curriculum; the event fostered meaningful international connections, mentorship, and a shared commitment to evidence-based practice and global collaboration.
WADEM conveys its deepest appreciation to the partners who helped make the Disaster Medicine Summer School possible:
- The European Centre for Disaster Medicine (CEMEC) and its president, Dr. Roberto Mugavero, for graciously hosting and contributing to this initiative.
- The Republic of San Marino and its community and local partners (San Marino Red Cross, University of San Marino, Protezione Civile San Marino, and many more).
- Counter-Terrorism Medicine Europe (CTM-E) and CTM-E founder and board member, George Tataru.
Disaster Medicine is an emerging and evolving discipline. Together, we have taken an important step toward developing the next generation of leaders. The inaugural Disaster Medicine Summer School will be followed up by the 25th Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine, taking place in Paris in April 2027. We can’t wait to see everyone soon and hope to have the next edition of the WADEM Disaster Medicine Summer School in 2028!
Featured Articles from Prehospital and Disaster Medicine
Capacity-Responsive COVID-19 Testing Performance in Emergency Departments: Turnaround Time Thresholds for Lateral Flow Assay and Polymerase Chain Reaction Strategies
The fastest test is not always the fastest system. During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency departments often had to choose between rapid bedside tests (lateral flow assays) and laboratory PCR testing. Bedside tests provide results within minutes but rely on emergency department staff and space, whereas PCR takes longer but is processed by the laboratory. A study of more than 31,000 emergency visits in Taiwan found that the operational performance of these two strategies depended on system conditions. Read the full-text article…
MARS E-ECG: Prehospital Electrocardiogram Teletransmission by Firefighter Rescuers: A Retrospective Pilot Study within a Physician-Based EMS System
Early prehospital ECG teletransmission by firefighter first responders can provide emergency physicians with valuable diagnostic information before an advanced medical team arrives. A retrospective pilot study published in PDM evaluated the implementation of the MARS E-ECG teletransmission system within a physician-led emergency medical service in France. The system enabled dispatch physicians to remotely interpret ECGs recorded in the field, supporting earlier recognition of acute cardiac conditions.
Prehospital ECG teletransmission helped refine medical decision-making, adapt the level of prehospital resources when necessary, and facilitate earlier referral of selected patients to appropriate cardiac care pathways. Read the full-text article…
Listen to the Recent Podcasts
Tokyo Congress Abstracts Supplement is now on Cambridge Core!
The abstracts supplement from the 23rd Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine is now available online on Cambridge Core! The supplement includes nearly 700 abstracts presented at the congress from the plenary sessions, reports from the field, oral and lightning presentations, roundtable talks, and posters. The full supplement can also be downloaded here.
Posted Online – 23 March 2026
Call for Submissions: AI in Prehospital and Disaster Medicine
The Prehospital and Disaster Medicine (PDM) Editorial Team is pleased to announce a forthcoming special collection dedicated to “Evidence-Based Artificial Intelligence in Prehospital and Disaster Medicine.” The journal invites the submission of original, evidence-based research articles that explore the application of artificial intelligence within these critical fields.
All submissions must follow the PDM Instructions for Authors and conform to the formatting and content requirements for either the Original Research or Innovation Report article types. Please note the following exclusions: this collection will not consider expert opinions, frameworks, editorials, review articles, calls for action, or commentaries.
All submissions must follow the PDM Instructions for Authors and conform to the formatting and content requirements for either the Original Research or Innovation Report article types. Please note the following exclusions: this collection will not consider expert opinions, frameworks, editorials, review articles, calls for action, or commentaries.
The primary mission of the journal is to publish innovative, high-impact, evidence-based research in both prehospital and disaster medicine. All manuscripts will undergo our standard peer-review process, as detailed on the journal’s website, and must adhere to the ethical guidelines outlined therein.
An international panel of judges will evaluate selected manuscripts. All selected articles will receive a temporary, free-of-charge open-access publication. The top three selected manuscripts will be featured in exclusive podcast interviews published on the WADEM website and social media channels. Authors of the first-place manuscript will be invited to give a webinar about their project, sponsored by PDM and WADEM.
Submissions are currently open and will be accepted on an ongoing basis. Articles will be published on a rolling basis in accordance with the standard PDM schedule. We eagerly anticipate your high-impact contributions to this rapidly evolving field.
Questions about the special collection can be addressed to the PDM Editorial Team:
- Ellen Johnson (Managing Editor): ejohnson@wadem.org
- Jeffrey Franc (Editor-in-Chief): jeffrey.franc@ualberta.ca
Last Updated – 12 January 2026
Thank you for joining us in Tokyo. The congress was a huge success!
More than 1,250 delegates from over 80 countries gathered at the Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo from 2-6 May 2025 for WADEM’s first congress in Asia since 2011 to share research, exchange ideas and experiences, and connect with friends and colleagues. Special thanks to Dr. Osamu Kunii, Prof. Sang Do Shin, Prof. Saini Yang, Dr. Masahiro Morikawa, Dr. Luca Pigozzi, Prof. April Llaneta, and Prof. Elizabeth Newnham for their excellent plenary presentations.
WADEM would also like to acknowledge the special sessions organized by the ARCH Project, WHO Kobe Centre, Kyoto University, Tohoku University, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), World Society of Disaster Nursing, Prof. Jeffrey Franc, and New Orleans EMS and University Medical Center Trauma Center. These sessions greatly contributed to the scientific program.
WADEM would especially like to thank all the delegates, many of whom traveled long distances, for joining us in Tokyo! The wide variety of professions and nationalities represented truly makes the congress a memorable event.
Colloquium – Enhancing European Public Health Preparedness, Prehospital, and Disaster Medicine
The colloquium aimed to seek consensus from professional associations, international organizations, expert stakeholders, and citizens on adaptive ways forward for the discipline to enhance existing public health curricula in the face of emerging threats. Public and global health are challenged by unprecedented population growth, human migration, urbanization, natural disasters, climate change, war and conflict, and novel disease emergence.
