Mission
The World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) is an academic, international, humanitarian association dedicated to improving the everyday delivery of prehospital and emergency health care and enhancing disaster health and preparedness. WADEM's membership is comprised of physicians, nurses, professors, paramedics, EMTs, psychologists, social workers, students, dentists, sociologists, emergency planners and managers, and public health officials representing 55 countries worldwide. WADEM is a non-profit organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. Fostering international collaboration, the organization is inclusive, culturally sensitive, unbiased, ethical, and dynamic in its activities. While individual members are active in field operations, the organization remains non-operational, fulfilling its mission through:
- Facilitation of academic and research-based education and training;
- Interpretation and exchange of information through its global network of members and publications;
- Development and maintenance of evidence-based standards of emergency and disaster health care and provision of leadership concerning their integration into practice;
- Coordination of data collection and provision of direction in the development of standardized disaster assessment and research and evaluation methodologies;
- Encouraging publication and presentation of evidence-based research findings in scientific publications and international conferences and Congresses.
Statement of Purpose
Underscoring a commitment to advance the frontier of disaster and emergency research, WADEM was created, originally as the Club of Mainz in 1976, to focus its members' expertise on the scientific investigation and improvement of disaster and emergency response. Our membership is open to physicians, nurses, administrators, behavioural scientists, emergency medical technicians and paramedics, public health, and other relevant experts in the field from all continents and cultures.
Ultimately, the organization exists to foster international collaboration in the application of knowledge gained from data collected through qualitative and quantitative research to the development of strategies aimed at promoting all aspects of human health, decreasing susceptibility, and increasing resilience to future health disasters and emergencies. To this end, WADEM publishes its own international, peer-reviewed journal, Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, sponsors biennial World Congresses, and supports regional conferences of its affiliated member societies.
History
The World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) was originally founded as the Club of Mainz on October 2, 1976 with the goal of improving the worldwide delivery of prehospital and emergency care during everyday and mass disaster emergencies. The founding members were renowned researchers, practitioners and teachers of acute care medicine, who joined together to focus their energies on the scientific, educational, and clinical aspects of immediate care. Following the constant development of its scope and extension worldwide, and to better reflect its nature, the organization's name was changed to the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine.
While WADEM has grown over the years, the founding principles have remained the same. Our members continue to actively work to solve technical, scientific and political problems surrounding the management of emergency incidents. Through their dedication, and your help, if you join us, we can better provide pioneering solutions and meaningful change in our disaster-ridden world. |
