Dear Colleagues, students and friends,

The  Athens  University,  School  of  Medicine,  Post-graduate  program  “Global Health – Disaster Medicine” in collaboration with the Emergency Medicine Department, University of Bern, Switzerland welcome you to the “11th International Congress in the Management of Disaster Victims” on the Island of Rhodes, Greece.

The scope of the conference is to train not only our post graduate students but also officials from civil protection agencies, medical and nursing staff and humanitarian organizations representatives while dealing with both manmade and natural disasters so as to acquire the necessary know-how for the effective and efficient management of Major Mass Casualty Incidents. Our vision is to advance learners critical thinking and problem solving ability through a series of simulation exercises in real life settings.

Participants will follow keynote lectures on the most sensitive issues of major disasters and mass casualty crises resulting from earthquakes, tsunamis, transport accidents (road, aviation and maritime), fires in urban complexes etc.

This Advanced Course offers a comprehensive and up-to date knowledge to the participants giving them the opportunity to acquire skills and experience to plan for and respond efficiently in major events both in pre-hospital as well as in hospital settings. Moreover, the participants will receive training in modern search-and-rescue procedures, emergency care of victims and response within the “golden-hour”. Training on emergency planning, evacuation procedures and vulnerability assessment using state of the art technologies is also provided.

This  program  is  designed  to  help  healthcare  professionals,  managers  and  the  local communities improve their capacity to cope with Major Mass Casualty Incidents.

For the 11th Advanced Course we have once again chosen the Island of Rhodes. Rhodes, due to its geopolitical position, its particular interest as a touristic destination for more than one million tourists per year and its high standard infrastructures guarantees ideal conditions for hosting this initiative on a permanent base.

We strongly believe that a high-level seminar on health intervention in major incidences in this area shall empower the resilience and mitigation level not only of the local population but also of the visitors. 

This year the conference will be implemented in collaboration with the The Jean Monnet Chair (JMC) EU humanitarian medicine and response in action (EU MEDAID),  the first Chair ever awarded to the Medical School of Athens of the National and Kapodistrian University and the first ever chair to be awarded to a surgeon. The Chair’s activities run from October 2020 to September 2023. The Chair holder is Professor of Surgery Emmanouil Pikoulis, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
The Jean Monnet Chair (JMC) EU humanitarian medicine and response in action (EU MEDAID) responds to a need of an in depth and extended research and teaching on the newly established -yet least studied- unique feature of the EU’s medical response and humanitarian aid to complex emergencies, through a combined use of civil protection and humanitarian medicine competences and mechanisms, triggering solidarity among its member states. It therefore addresses and identifies new unchartered scientific grounds in EU medical and inter-disciplinary studies, that draw important shift in EU’s strategy 2020 cross-sectoral approach to enhancing EU’s resilience to crises, as well as its capacity to anticipate, prepare and respond to risks.