Latin America & Caribbean Chapter

Latin America and the Caribbean (LATAC) is one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions in the world exposed to natural hazards such as hurricanes, earthquakes, droughts, wildfires, mudslides, and floods. The frequency and intensity of many of these hazards are worsened by the impacts of climate change. The region also faces ongoing humanitarian crises from large migrations of people from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, and several countries in Central America. High levels of economic inequality and poverty and underdeveloped health systems exacerbate these challenges.

The LATAC Chapter of WADEM was founded to promote collaboration and integration among regional scientists and health professionals around research and education in the fields of disaster and emergency medicine and thus contribute to the improvement of its standards of practice in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

Statement on the Roof Collapse Tragedy in the Dominican Republic from Dr. Alejandro Baez

From TraumaRD and the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine, we extend our deepest condolences to the families affected by the tragic structural collapse in Santo Domingo (8 April 2025). We join in the profound sorrow that grips the Dominican Republic and the entire Americas region in the face of this regrettable event.

This tragic event underscores the vital importance of WADEM’s mission: to promote and advance knowledge and practice in disaster and emergency medicine worldwide, fostering multidisciplinary collaboration to improve the health and safety of populations affected by emergencies and disasters.

We recognize the outstanding and rapid response of the Dominican emergency teams, reflecting the significant progress in emergency management and trauma care in the country. This effort is a testament to the advancement achieved in the Americas region in preparing for and responding to adverse events.

Read the full statement. (English / español)

Watch the Recent LATAC Chapter Webinars

Webinar Date: 3 April 2025

El papel crucial de los urgenciólogos de los equipos de Búsqueda y Rescate: experiencias de Colombia

En esta presentación, el Dr. Santiago Jiménez describe el papel crucial de los médicos de medicina de emergencia en las operaciones de búsqueda y rescate. Descubre cómo la intervención experta de un médico emergenciólogo transforma la atención prehospitalaria en búsqueda y rescate, crucial para mejorar el pronóstico del paciente atrapado. Conéctate y aprende de un experto, quien mostrará su experiencia en Colombia y otros países de la región de las Américas, y redefine tu visión del rol de la medicina de emergencias en este contexto particular, crucial en la respuesta a terremotos y otros eventos que requieren búsqueda y rescate.

In this presentation, Dr. Santiago Jimenez describes the crucial role of emergency medicine physicians in search and rescue operations. Discover how the expert intervention of an emergency physician transforms prehospital care during search and rescue, which is crucial for improving the trapped patient’s prognosis. Connect and learn from this specialist, who will share their experience in Colombia and other countries across the Americas, and redefine your vision of emergency medicine’s role in this particular context, which is critical for responding to earthquakes and other events requiring search and rescue.

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LATAC Chapter Leadership

Amado Alejandro Báez, MD, MPH, PhD, FACEP, FCCM, FAEMS

Co-Chair

Professor of Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology; Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University

Darren Dookeeram, MBBS, DM, MBA, MRCPS, MA, FRSPH, CHPM

Co-Chair

Specialist Emergency Physician, Sangre Grande Hospital

Lecturer; School of Pharmacy, University of the West Indies

Objectives

Increase membership and promotion of WADEM´s goals across Latin America and the Caribbean;
Promote a paradigm shift from “response” to integral emergency risk management;
Encourage a culture of disaster and emergency preparedness in the region;
Enhance regional development of knowledge, capacities and motivation for disaster risk reduction;
Adapt and implement international standards in the practice of disaster and emergency medicine in the region and contribute with findings and lessons learned in the process; and
Establish a community of practice for discussion, communication and exchange of information among regional members about disasters and related subjects.

Goals

Research on key topics that are of common concern for the region;
Highlight government decisions that are key for emergency risk management through the members at the local level and through partners at an international level;
Promote joint training activities and sharing of expertise and good practices; and
To increase the availability of worldwide disaster risk literature to local populations and promote its adaptation and application.