Charges to the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine:
The tasks assigned to the WADEM by the 5th Asia-Pacific Conference on Disaster Medicine include (but not limited to):
1) Develop White Papers on disaster: a) Management; b) Health and Public Health in Disasters; c) Education and training; d) Research; e) Psychosocial aspects; and f) Plans;
2) Establishment of Task Forces on terrorism, landmines, and emerging infections;
3) Develop standardized evaluation tools (underway);
4) Develop and make available a disaster medicine resource list (Underway in PDM webpage);
5) Evolve a standardized template for the assessment of medical needs;
6) Development of a standardized curriculum for Disaster medicine/Management;
7) Create an information and data clearing house (underway); and
8) Provide courses on applied disaster research.

The World Health Organization (WHO) suggested that WADEM provide:
1) Consultation to WHO as needed;
2) Facilitate access to educational programs;
3) Link relevant websites (underway);
4) Produce a glossary of terminology (completed as part of the Guidelines);
5) Standardize curricula;
6) Coordinate training activities;
7) Develop an inventory of indicators; and
8) Assist with the development of a standardized set of applied tools for data collection in the field.

In addition, in a recent review of Research in Disaster Medicine, the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Assistance (ALNAP) (an inter-agency forum working to improve learning and accountability in the international humanitarian system) suggested the following:

1) Strong consideration should be given to following and supporting the Utsteinian templates model in developing the discourse around disaster medicine research as the current best possibility for generating a unified language and common data sets for the field;

2) An Internet based Delphi study on the priority topics for Disaster Medicine research, along the lines of that sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges on the future of medical practice and medical education, should be considered as a way of generating systematic data on research priorities. This study should be undertaken in conjunction with the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) and other associated groups.

ALNAP also provided several recommendations relative to the organization of Disaster Medicine Research that included:

1) Consideration should be given to the development of a Cochrane collaboration like structure for advancing the aggregation of research into disaster medicine; and

2) Consideration should be given to establishing a permanent or semi permanent secretariat along the lines of the KAMEDO Project to stimulate, initiate, coordinate and communicate on activities in disaster medicine research in Australia and internationally.