WADEM will convene the 4th Pan American Regional Conference from 15-17 October 2012 in Leesburg, Virgnia, USA (Washington DC Area). The theme of the conference will be Measuring Progress and Improving Preparedness in Disaster Management. The conference will bring together individuals interested in disaster and emergency medicine/management to discuss developments and to build consensus on important related issues.

There will be a focus on risk reduction, improving preparedness, and assessing responses worldwide from prehospital care systems through post-event evaluations. There will be consensus-building workshops, debates, keynote addresses, as well as invited and free papers. Additionally, there will be several relevant pre- and post-conference workshops and courses.

Abstract submission and registration will be opening soon. Please click on the following link for more information - http://www.wadem.org/4thpan_american.html.

The WADEM Oceania Chapter recently sought nominations for its Chapter Council. The nominations closed on 19 January. All candidates seeking positions on the Council were elected unopposed. Please visit the Oceania Chapter page to view of list of the current Chapter Council.

The very successful 17th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WCDEM) closed on 3 June. The Congress hosted more than 1,600 participants from 57 countries. The 17th WCDEM was held in conjunction with the 14th Annual Meeting of the Chinese Society for Emergency Medicine.

In keeping with tradition, the Closing Ceremony featured a "passing of the flag" from the current WCDEM site to the upcoming one. Prof. Anthony Redmond, Dr. Judith Fisher, and Prof. Li Chengshung (pictured to the right) posed for a photo marking the transfer of the WCDEM from Beijing to Manchester in 2013.

With the scale and frequency of disasters increasing, the 17th WCDEM was more relevant then ever. This year alone marks one of the worst in terms of disasters – the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor issues in Japan; floods in Australia; earthquakes in New Zealand; and tornados in the southern United States. Research, experiences, and lessons learned from these recent events, and many others, were presented by delegates at the 17th WCDEM.

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