Member Spotlight

Below is the inaugural Member Spotlight, a new forum which will feature stories about WADEM member accomplishments in the field of disaster medicine and beyond. If you would like to recommend a member to be featured, please contact the International Office at – info@wadem.org.

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Dr. Rajeev Fernando

One reason people pursue a career in health care is to help others. Some volunteer with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to treat victims of disasters ranging from natural catastrophes to conflict. Yet others apply artistic skills to create things of beauty, the sale of which benefits NGO disaster health operations. There are those rare few who do all three.

Meet Dr. Rajeev Fernando. Dr. Fernando is an internal medicine physician with disaster medicine and infectious disease specialties. He serves as co-chair of WADEM’s Infectious Disease Special Interest Group (SIG). He volunteers with the NGO Heal Corp and Chiraj where his service as Chief Medical Officer has taken him to places as varied as Ukraine, Darfur, and western North Carolina.

Rajeev’s penchant for fashion prompted him to launch his own line of clothing, the design of which reflects the histories and cultures of the peoples impacted by disasters that he and Heal Corp serve. October is the month when the design world reveals the coming season’s fashion concepts at a series of “Fashion Week” shows around the globe.

When not delivering health care to those in austere environments and challenging circumstances, Dr. Fernando and his team of models have been bringing high design, humanitarian-focused, and socially responsive style to the runways of New York, Los Angeles, and Paris. Additionally, through his non-profit, Chiraj he focuses on mitigating child trafficking.

Contributors to emergency and disaster medicine donate their time, energy, and skills to serving others upon whom tragedy has befallen. All do so with great dedication. Some, like Rajeev, also do it with style.

Posted – 11 February 2025