Speakers 2023

Dr. Abdulaziz Alburaidi

Research Fellow , BIDMC Fellowship in Disaster Medicine, Harvard Medical School, | Kuwait

Abdulaziz Alburaidi, MD, is a disaster medicine fellow at BIDMC in Boston, MA. After graduating from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, he completed an emergency medicine residency. He also completed a fellowship in clinical simulation from STRATUS Centre in Boston

Dr. Abdullah Hadhira

Department of Operational Medicine, Chairmen , Johns Hopkins ARAMCO Healthcare | Saudi Arabia

25 years of experience in Medicine and Management. Emergency Medicine Consultant, Subspecialized in Disaster Medicine, Prehospital Care, and Crisis Management. Chair, Department of Operational Medicine and Disaster Committee at JHAH. The founder of the Emergency Medicine Residency Program at Johns Hopkins ARAMCO. Interest in education, research, industrial disaster science, crisis management leadership, telemedical technology innovation, entrepreneurship, ethical perspectives in medicine, executive health, and dignitary medicine. I love my family, my wife, and my children, and they support me all the time, I am a sailor and love the sea as a sport and hobby.

Dr. Ahmed Alshemeili

Disaster Medicine Fellow , Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center & a Research, Harvard Medical School | United Arab Emirates

Disaster Medicine Fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center & a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School. Completed emergency medicine residency at McGill University, Montreal in 2022. Graduated from UAE University- Faculty of medicine in 2012. Also, a Current student of master's in medical education at the University of Dundee.

Prof. Attila J. Hertelendy

Co-Director of Research , Department of Emergency Medicine, BIDMC Fellowship in Disaster Medicine, | USA

"Dr. Hertelendy has over 28 years leadership experience in emergency and disaster management including the development, implementation and evaluation of public health emergency plans. He has worked as a hospital administrator in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Canada and the USA with responsibilities that included the oversight of emergency and disaster management for the Saudi Arabian National Guard Hospitals and the American Hospital in Dubai. Dr. Hertelendy’s consultations have involved pandemic planning and response efforts related to H5N1, SARS, MERS and COVID 19. Dr. Hertelendy is the Co-Director of Research at the BIDMC Fellowship in Disaster Medicine. Dr. Hertelendy is an award-winning Associate Professor in the College of Business and has a secondary appointment at the Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University in Miami. Dr. Hertelendy teaches Leadership, Organizational Behavior and Management of Healthcare in the Healthcare and Executive MBA programs. Dr. Hertelendy is also a Professor at Georgetown University where he teaches Public Health and Disaster Management in the international Executive Master’s in Emergency Management program. Dr. Hertelendy is the author of over 90 published articles, numerous book chapters, and is the guest editor for the Journal of Emergency Management, co-editor-in-chief for the International Journal of Emergency Services, Associate Editor for Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness and is on the editorial boards of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine as well as the Journal of Climate Change and Health. Dr. Hertelendy is a crisis leadership and health systems researcher. He studies healthcare resiliency and the intersection between climate change health, disaster medicine and technology. Research includes the health implications of climate change and how technology can be used to improve both the delivery and sustainability of healthcare during disasters. He is a frequent international keynote speaker on leadership, crisis and emergency management, global health security and climate change. He has developed and validated over 100 plans, conducted and evaluated numerous disaster exercises, and facilitated over 150 seminars and workshops ranging in topics from leadership, crisis management, incident command training and business continuity planning worldwide for over 50 clients in healthcare, oil and gas, refinery and petrochemical industries, aviation, government, manufacturing, security services, heavy industry and technology. "

Dr. Benoit Viault

Emergency and Pre-Hospital Medicine Physician , Toulouse University Hospital | France

"Dr. Benoit Viault is an Emergency and Pre-Hospital Medicine Physician, and a research fellow in Toulouse University Hospital. Specialised in medical education, medical simulation and disaster medicine, he coordinates different European projects related to disaster medicine and new technologies, and is in charge or disaster medicine education. He also helps coordinate the Centre for Disaster Response (under the patronage of BIDMC), and works as a national expert in disaster medicine for the SFMU (French society of emergency medicine). "

Mr. Bradford Newbury

Associate Director of Prehospital Disaster Operations , Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Disaster Medicine Fellowship | USA

Experienced, empathetic, innovative, and collaborative leader with demonstrated managerial, interpersonal and customer service skills. Captain/Paramedic with over 37 years of eclectic Firefighting and EMS experiences. Entrepreneur who launched a full-service EMS education organization that has grown to enroll over 1000 students annually. International speaker/presenter focusing on Firefighting, EMS, leadership, and disaster response.

Dr. Caleb Dresser

Assistant Director, Climate & Human Health Fellowship Attending Physician, Faculty of Emergency Medicine , Harvard Medical School / BIDMC | USA

Dr Caleb Dresser is an Emergency Medicine physician on faculty at Harvard Medical School and Assistant Director of the Fellowship in Climate and Human Health, which is offered in collaboration with the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, BIDMC, and the Harvard FXB Center. He also serves as a research scientist with CrisisReady, where his work focuses on understanding the public health and healthcare system implications of climate-related disasters. Dr Dresser is actively involved in efforts to educate healthcare workers, policymakers, and the general public about the value of action to enhance preparedness and resilience and protect human health in the context of ongoing climate change.

Dr. Christina Woodward

Emergency medicine physician | Associate Director of Education Fellowship in Disaster Medicine , Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center | USA

Dr. Woodward is an emergency medicine physician in Boston with fellowship training in disaster medicine. She is currently the Associate Director of Education for the Fellowship in Disaster Medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She has a background in emergency medical services, and served as Director of EMS for several agencies in the Washington, DC region. She has an interest in austere medicine and resource-limited settings, with previous experience as a wilderness medicine instructor and staffing physician for extreme sports events, as well as clinical medicine and teaching experience in the Ecuadorian highlands and India.

Dr. David DiGregorio

Director , Massachusetts Department of Fire Services Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) | USA

David DiGregorio currently serves as the director for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services Hazardous Materials Emergency Response/Special Operations Division after holding the position of deputy director until 2016. He retired from the US Army and Massachusetts Army National Guard after 32 years of service in 2014. Amongst his duty assignments, David served as a non-commissioned and commissioned officer with the 1st Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team in the positions of Medical NCO, Physician Assistant and Deputy Commander. Prior to retiring, he held the position of Deputy State Surgeon for the Massachusetts National Guard, earning the Legion of Merit Award, Meritorious Service Medal and several Army Commendation and Army Achievement Medals. He has earned a MS degree in Emergency Management from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy as well as a BS degree and MS degree in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He currently serves as an adjunct faculty member for the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School Fellowship in Disaster Medicine and served on the faculty of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy as a capstone advisor for the graduate level Emergency Management course from January 2015-August 2021. David is married with 3 children and resides in Hopkinton, MA.

Dr. Debra Weiner

Pediatric Emergency Medicine Attending Physician | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics , Boston Children's Hospital | Harvard Medical School | USA

Debra Weiner, MD, PhD is a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and charter faculty and Director of Pediatric Disaster, for the Harvard Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Disaster Fellowship. She is also a Disaster Physician who has deployed nationally and internationally as a member of the US National Disaster Medical System. Dr. Weiner is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Council on Children and Disasters, an appointed member of the US Health and Human Services (HHS)/Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response (ASPR), National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters, and a member of the World Association of Disaster Emergency Medicine (WADEM) and co-founder and charter member of the newly initiated WADEM Pediatric Special Interest Group. Dr. Weiner develops and teaches pediatric disaster preparedness and response courses and workshops nationally and internationally and has published on pediatric disaster training and deployment. Dr. Weiner also focuses on establishing priorities and building capacity for pediatric disaster science through research as a site-PI for a federally funded disaster research network of networks, as a member of the Society Pediatric Research Advocacy Committee, and recently as a co-lead for a Pediatric Disaster Science Symposium host by the US National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine.

Dr. Derrick Tin

Senior Fellow and Faculty Disaster Medicine , Beth Israel Medical Center, Harvard Medical School | Australia

"Faculty at BIDMC and Harvard Medical School Disaster Medicine Fellowship and Associate Professor in Critical Care medicine at the University of Melbourne "

Dr. Donald A. Donahue

Professor of Global Health , University of Maryland Baltimore | World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine | USA

Dr. Donald A. Donahue is professor of global health at University of Maryland Baltimore and senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. Dr. Donahue’s experience includes Professor and Program Chair for Healthcare Administration and Global Health with University of Maryland Global Campus, Deputy Surgeon (Plans and Fiscal Operations) for the U.S. Army Reserve, Board Chair for Melwood (a disability services agency), and internal consultant and administrator for the New York City public hospital system. A charter member of the U.S. Department of Defense Vaccine Agency, he was a core planner for the anthrax, smallpox, and military vaccine programs, as well as for readiness and force health protection for the Reserve Components. A fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and Royal Society for Public Health, he serves on the boards of directors of the American Academy of Disaster Medicine, World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine, Team fEMR, and Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health. He has served as editor-at-large for the journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. He is a co-founder, director, and fellow of the Commission Internationale de Médecine de Catastrophe/International Commission on Disaster Medicine and the Co-Chair of the World Humanitarian Forum Medical and Health Programming Board.

Dr. Duane Caneva 

Advisor CEPAR/ Adj Faculty Disaster Medicine Fellowship BIDMC Harvard , AD DOH CEPAR | United Arab Emirates

Duane Caneva is an Emergency Medicine Physician currently serving as an advisor to the Abu Dhabi Department of Health Center of Emergency Preparedness and Response (CEPAR). He served in the US Navy for 23 years with operational tours of duty as the physician on a nuclear missile submarine, with the Navy SEALs, with the US Marines Chemical Biological Incident Response Force, and with the Shock Trauma Platoon in Fallujah, Iraq. He has served on two details to the White House National Security Council staff and recently retired as the Chief Medical Officer for the US Department of Homeland Security.

Dr. Fadi Issa

BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship , Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. | USA

"Dr. Issa is the Director of Education at BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship. He is an Emergency Medicine consultant with over 12-years of experience in the academic and clinical fields. He is a Jordanian board-certified emergency physician, a graduate of the European Master in Disaster Medicine in 2015, a graduate of the BIDMC Fellowship in Disaster Medicine in 2018 and a Harvard Medical School research fellow in disaster medicine. He has deployed several times in humanitarian missions to serve Syrian refugees in Jordan and in response to natural disasters including the Dorian hurricane in the Bahamas. Dr. Issa serves as a chair of the WADEM special interest group in Counter Terrorism Medicine and senior editor for WIKI-EM. Since 2018, he has mentored and supervised several research papers with fellows as part of the BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship faculty. "

Dr. Fadwa Alhammadi

Emergency Specialist , Burjeel Medical City | United Arab Emirates

Fadwa Alhammadi is currently working as a Emergency Specialist at Burjeel Medical City.

Mr. Frederick John Abo

Technical Lead, Emergency Preparedness , Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) | Thailand

A Paramedic Nurse by profession with more than 20 years of experience in pre-hospital emergency care and capacity development programs on disaster preparedness and response. John is currently a Technical Lead of Emergency Preparedness at the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) in Bangkok, providing technical support in the field of disaster risk management with specific interests and expertise in managing capacity-building programs in mass casualty management, healthcare facility preparedness, simulation exercise management, Incident Management System, Emergency Medical Service System (EMS), health risk assessment, epidemic and pandemic preparedness. John also worked as the Disaster Management Specialist to support the Saudi Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Response Team (Saudi-HEART) Program with the Saudi Red Crescent Authority in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2015-2016. Before joining ADPC, he worked as the Medic Chief and head of the emergency preparedness and response department of MMDA Metro Rescue in Metro Manila, Philippines. Currently, John is serving as the Chief of the Party of PEER, a USAID regional capacity development program on emergency response in 8 South Asian countries for community volunteers, first responders, search and rescue and hospitals. John also leads the Bangladesh Preparedness Partnership (BPP), which supports establishing a multistakeholder partnership that advocates locally-led actions for preparedness and response in Bangladesh with the government, civil society organizations, and the private sector, including academia.

Prof. Gabriel Benmoussa

Adjunct Core faculty , BIDMC Fellowship in Disaster Medicine Division of Disaster Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians | USA

Fire Chief Gabriel Benmoussa is Director of Fire and Rescue for the City of Milton, Georgia, in the USA, and is a core faculty member of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Disaster Medicine Fellowship at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. With over 20 years’ experience in emergency services, CBRN special operations, disaster preparedness and emergency management, Chief Benmoussa has served as Deputy Chief of Emergency Medical Services, and member of the Oregon State Regional Hospital Preparedness Group, Public Health and Wildland Incident Management Teams, and Terrorism Liaison Officer with the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center. Chief Benmoussa has an M.S in Executive Leadership with a concentration in Disaster Management and is a graduate of Harvard University’s National Preparedness Leadership Initiative. Gabriel holds numerous certifications including Chief Fire Officer (CFO) from the Commission of Fire Accreditation International and is a contributing author and reviewer for various fire and emergency services publications including the International Journal of Emergency Services and Jones and Bartlett. He is fluent in six languages and has lectured in Morocco, the UAE, Belgium, and Switzerland.

Prof. Gregory Ciottone

President , World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine | USA

Dr. Ciottone is President of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine, and an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is an Instructor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH), and the Founding Director of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Fellowship in Disaster Medicine. He serves as the Director of Medical Preparedness for the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard University, a joint program of the HSPH and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and also serves on the Faculty Committee for the Harvard University Scholars at Risk program. Dr. Ciottone has been a consultant to the White House Medical Unit for the past three administrations. Dr Ciottone has practiced clinical Emergency Medicine for over 25 years and has completed more than 500 missions as a flight physician on an aeromedical helicopter service. He has served as a Disaster Medicine fellowship director for the International Atomic Energy Agency and conducted educational programs in more than 30 countries around the world. He has written over 150 scholarly works, including the first and second editions of the leading textbook “Ciottone’s Disaster Medicine”. The third edition will be released Spring, 2023. He is the 2018 recipient of the American College of Emergency Physicians Disaster Medical Sciences Award, and the 2020 recipient of the American Academy of Disaster Medicine Distinguished Service Award.

Dr. Hamid Ravaghi

Regional Advisor for Hospital care and Management , World Health Organization, Regional Office for Eastern Mediterranean | Iran

Hamid Ravaghi currently works as Regional Advisor for Hospital Care and Management in WHO/ Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office. Cairo, Egypt. Hamid has a PhD in Health Policy and management from the University of York, UK. He has worked as an international consultant in hospital care and management in different countries. He has also served as hospital director, policy maker and advisor for the health (hospital) sector in the past 25 years ago.

Dr. Ives Hubloue

Chairman , Department of Emergency Medicine of the Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel | Belgium

"Ives Hubloue is the chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine of the Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel) and of the Research Group on Emergency and Disaster Medicine (ReGEDiM) at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB, Belgium). He graduated in Medicine at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 1988 and started a residency in Internal Medicine (finished in 1993) followed by a training in emergency, intensive care and disaster medicine (finished in 1995). He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine. In 2003 he obtained his PhD in Medical Sciences at the VUB. His PhD thesis was entitled : Humoral control of the pulmonary circulation in animal models. As full professor at the medical school of the VUB he is responsible for the medical skills training for medical students (undergraduate and graduate). He is also the program director for the residency training in emergency medicine at the VUB. Besides this he is a Faculty member and Chairman of the Strategic Management Board of the European Master in Disaster Medicine (EMDM) course. With regards to education his interest is mainly focused on the integration of innovative technologies and methodologies such as blended learning, e-learning, virtual reality, augmented reality and computer simulation in educational programs. In 2011 he founded ReGEDiM, the Research Group on Emergency and Disaster Medicine. ReGEDiM is the organizing body of the master after master program in Emergency Medicine (Master in Emergency Medicine) and from the Master of Science in Disaster Medicine (European Master in Disaster Medicine, EMDM), both accredited by the Flemish Government. The mission of ReGEDiM is to bring emergency and disaster medicine to a higher level by creating and sharing scientific research, field expertise and knowledge. In order to further professionalize research activities and developments in the field of disaster and humanitarian medicine he initiated in 2018 a PhD-program in Global Health, Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Medicine. Ives Hubloue is author and/or co-author of several peer-reviewed papers and abstracts. He has also presented the results of his scientific work in a large series of oral communications and posters at several national and international conferences. He is also the promotor/co-promotor of PhD theses in different fields of emergency and disaster medicine. "

Ms. Jamla Rizek

Fellow , BIDMC Fellowship in Disaster Medicine | USA

"Jamla is active duty, currently serving as a Lieutenant in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Cops (USPHS), as part of the Public Health Emergency Response Strike Team (PHERST), who are “first on the ground.” PHERST is available to deploy immediately (within 8 hours) at the request of the President, the Secretary of Health, the Assistant Secretary for Health, or the Surgeon General. As a Registered Nurse, her experience includes caring for athletes at the 2016 at the Olympic Games in Brazil, underserved patients in the Sharjah, Dubai, completing over 25 different contracts as a travel Nurse, a nurse educator and nurse manager in New York and Michigan and a flight nurse/medic. For 10 years, she was a part of a federal disaster response team, DMAT NY-6, where she was deployed to disaster sites after hurricanes in addition to National Safety and Security Events (NSSE), such as Presidential Inaugurations, supporting COVID-19 missions, Unaccompanied Minors and Afghan Refugees missions. Jamla is actively involved in Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management (WRAP-EM), Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society and the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) and is a reviewer for the Journal of Emergency Nursing an Associate Editor for Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness and a published author. She received the Rising Star Award from New York State Emergency Nurses Association and was recognized as a Worldwide Leader in Healthcare by the International Nurses Association and was highlighted in “Nurses You Should Know.” She is completing her Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) and is currently a Disaster Medicine Executive Fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) at Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital. "

Dr. Jehan Al-Badri

Technical officer- Country preparedness and international health regulations unit/ WHO health emergency program , WHO Regional Office of the Eastern Mediterranean | Egypt

A medical doctor with public health background and more than 10 years of professional experience both at national and international levels, working as a preparedness Technical officer in WHO EMRO looking after two main program areas; emergency care systems and disaster risk management.

Ms. Kathryn Vear

Director of Emergency Management Education , Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Fellowship in Disaster Medicine | USA

Kathryn Vear is a disaster nursing, critical care transport and hospital emergency preparedness subject matter expert. Kathryn has worked in multiple level 1 trauma centers across the Eastern United States as a Registered Nurse. She is a founder of the most recently accredited Critical Care Transport program in Massachusetts, the first accredited program in over 25 years in the state. She has worked as a hospital emergency preparedness manager for multiple hospitals and has been a faculty member of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Disaster Medicine Fellowship for 5 years. She participates in multiple state and federal government oversight committees for disaster preparedness and regularly deploys as a disaster nurse with the National Disaster Medical System in the United States.

Prof. Kobi Peleg

Founder and head of the emergency and crisis management program , Ramat Gan Academic College | Israel

Prof. Peleg is the founder and head of the emergency and crisis management program at Ramat Gan Academic College. Prof. Kobi Peleg is the founder and served as the Head of the Israeli National Center for Trauma and Emergency Medicine Research in the Gertner Institute for 20 years. Prof Peleg is a Professor and the founder of the Disasters & Emergency Management Department and the Executive Master Program for Emergency and Disasters Management in the School of Public Health, Tel-Aviv University. Prof Peleg served 13 years as the Head of these department and Master programs. Prof. Peleg served as the Chair of Board of Directors for the World Association for Disasters and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) in the years 2017-2019. Prof. Peleg is the owner and CEO of PK Hagador Ltd., a company engaged in consulting for Emergency Preparedness and Response in Israel and around the world. In this capacity he is serving as the strategic and Scientific consultant to the Israeli NEMA (National Emergency Management Authority), to the Israeli MoH, to the WHO-EMT and other private and government organizations. Prof. Peleg combines the academy with the field practice and is considered a world leader in the field of disasters and emergency management. Prof. Peleg lectures disasters and Mass Casualty Incidents management, disaster medicine and EMS optimization models as other related topics at Tel-Aviv University. Prof. is a visiting Prof in another 5 universities in Italy, USA, Belgium, Czech Republic and China. He published around 200 world leading articles and book chapters in leading journals. Prof. Peleg served as Senior Assistant to the Minister of Health, and as a member of the executive board of Magen-David-Adom (Israeli EMS). Prof. Peleg is anUNDAC (United Nations Disasters Assessment and Coordination) expert and served in UNDAC teams to the Indonesia (2009) and Nepal (2015) earthquakes. Prof. Peleg served as the chief of the IDF military medical Academy (col.). Prof. Peleg serving as a WHO (World Health Organization) consultant and as the mentor to the Italy, UK and Romania field hospitals. Prof Peleg leading training courses for MCI management around the world and served as a consultant for Emergency and Disasters preparedness for private companies, organizations and ministries. Prof. Peleg served as the Head of the Civil Defense - Medical Brunch, in the 1st "Golf War. He served as the head of Operation, Training and Organization of the Israel Defense Force Medical Corps in the IDF, and served in command positions in Israeli Field Hospital to Rwanda in 1995, the Field Hospital to the Armenian earthquake site in 1988, and the Field Hospital to Haiti in 2010.

Dr. Lashanda Cobbs

CEO , Optum Serve Preparedness & Emergency Response | USA

Dr. LaShanda Cobbs is the President and CEO of Optum Serve Preparedness & Emergency Response, a business unit to help customers prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from public health emergencies and other contingencies by leveraging organizational capabilities and technical solutions from across the UnitedHealth Group enterprise. Prior to leading in Optum Serve, Dr. Cobbs served with the Mitre Corporation in health practice and systems, and has over 30 years of service in the US Military.

Dr. Lea Sarna Cahan

Adjacent faculty in Pediatric Disaster Medicine | Disaster medicine fellowship , BIDMC, Harvard | Israel

Lea Saran-Cahan, board certified in pediatrics, Adjacent faculty in Pediatric Disaster Medicine at the Beth Israel deaconess medical center Disaster medicine fellowship. Co-chair Pediatric Disaster Medicine special interest group at WADEM - World Association of Disaster and Emergency Medicine. Former reserch fellow at Harvard Medical School, Alumni of 2022 Beth Israel deaconess medical center Disaster medicine fellowship. Currently, Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow, Hadassah Medical center, Jerusalem, Israel.

Dr. Lenard Cheng

Disaster Medicine Fellow | Director of disaster relief in National University Health System , Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre | Singapore

Dr Lenard Cheng is an Emergency Medicine Specialist from Singapore, currently subspecializing in Disaster Medicine with the Disaster Medicine Fellowship in Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Back home, he is the director of disaster relief in National University Health System, organizing humanitarian teams to be deployed from the regional health system. He is also assistant commander of Disaster Site Medical Command, Singapore’s national disaster coordinating agency. He is part of the expert working group of, and has authored training material for, the ASEAN Regional Capacity on Disaster Health Management. He received the 2022 national award Public Administration Medal (Bronze) for setting up and directing a major community COVID-19 treatment facility in Singapore, and led the development and adoption of an electronic health record in a major hospital. He received his MBBS (MD-equivalent) from National University of Singapore and completed his residency as chief resident and valedictorian in Emergency Medicine at National University Hospital, Singapore.

Dr. Lina Echeverri

Senior Research Fellow , CRIMEDIM | Italy

"Lina is a medical doctor with 18 years working experience, combined clinical, disasters and public health expertise in complex humanitarian emergencies, protracted crises, and outbreaks of infectious diseases. Has a keen interest and experience in migration/displaced population health related operations, programs, and policy. She has worked with various international, governmental, non-governmental organizations and WHO, in a variety of contexts such as Colombia, the Mediterranean, Middle-East, Asia and Africa covering a variety of roles, leading cross-functional teams, negotiating access and operational space for health programs and humanitarian responses in insecure environments, in particular for migration crises. Lina holds a Master in Disaster Medicine (EMDM) and is as faculty member of the European Master in Disaster Medicine (EMDM) where she has been supporting the development, design, and improvement of the complex humanitarian emergencies module of which she is a senior lecturer for Migration and Health, in addition to playing a role as thesis supervisor. She is currently a PhD candidate in Global Health, Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Medicine at the Università del Piemonte Orientale in Novara-Italy, focusing on the use of the surge capacity in responses to migration crises, and lately an adjunct faculty member at the fellowship in Disaster Medicine Leadership at Harvard Medical School. Lina is also an active member of the Health Care in Danger Initiative working group from ICRC. "

Dr. Mick Molloy

Professor , School of Medicine, University College Dublin,Ireland | USA

Professor Molloy works clinically as a Consultant in Emergency Medicine in Wexford General Hospital, part of the Ireland East Hospital Group (IEHG) and sits on the Unscheduled care project board of IEHG. Professor Molloy is a fellowship-trained expert in Disaster Medicine and awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine UK (FRCEM) on completion specialty training in Emergency Medicine in Ireland. He completed basic and higher specialist training in emergency medicine in Ireland and during this time gained further post graduate qualifications in medical informatics from University College Dublin, and a European Master in Disaster Medicine degree jointly awarded by the University of Novara, Italy and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium in 2007 during his clinical training years. Having completed specialist and sub-specialist training he maintained his interest in further academic training and recently completed a Postgraduate Masters degree in Surgical Science (MCh) from University College Cork with focus on Trauma Networks and their impact for regional and rural hospitals in Ireland and also a Postgraduate Diploma in remote and offshore medicine from the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. He completed a Harvard Affiliated Disaster Medicine Fellowship in 2009, having being awarded the Dr Richard Stevens scholarship by the Health Services Executive in Ireland to pursue further work in Disaster Medicine and has a particular interest of managing medical care at mass gatherings about which he has widely published and lectured. Professor Molloy has recently been appointed Dean of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

Dr. Nahida Nayaz Ahmed

Chair , Behavioral Health Council, SEHA | United Arab Emirates

Dr. Nahida Nayaz Ahmed is an Emarati Consultant Psychiatrist, who serves as Chair or Behavioral Health Council at SEHA- Abu Dhabi, and Chair of mental health task force at Department of Health, Abu Dhabi UAE. Dr. Ahmed graduated from psychiatry residency from St Elizabeth, a Tuft’s university hospital in Psychiatry residency and Consultation Liaison fellowship from Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard University hospital. Her primary focuses are the integration of Psychiatry in Primary care clinics across Abu Dhabi, and promoting awareness and rehabilitation programs for Mentally ill patients in the community. She has been on the front line for changes in Mental health across the country. Her efforts are rallied towards evolving UAE’s mental health care into a modernized and futuristic service. She has been an advocate for employee’s mental health, especially through COVID by establishing Psychological resources for SEHA employees and has contributed to various other mental health initiatives across the country. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at UAEU. Dr. Ahmed has been active in teaching psychiatry and family medicine residents and mentors young physicians. She is an avid reader, travel enthusiast, mother to three amazing children, and spouse to a distinguished Transplant Nephrologist.

Dr. Omar Najim

Director Executive Affairs Office , Department of Health | United Arab Emirates

Omar is the director of the Executive Affairs and Special projects Office projects reporting to Chairman of AD DoH and Abu Dhabi Public Health Center. He is one of the main leaders shaping the landscape of healthcare in the emirate of Abu Dhabi to achieve its full potential and aspirational goals.

Mr. Richard Reed

Head of Corporate Emergency Management and Continuity , Saudi Aramco | USA

Richard Reed is the head of Corporate Crisis and Continuity Management for Saudi Aramco. Prior to assuming his role at Saudi Aramco in 2016, Richard served as Senior Vice President at the American Red Cross. He served over 20 years with the US Government working for multiple Departments. Richard worked at the White House for 7 years, serving 2 US Presidents at the National Security Council and Homeland Security Council, where he held multiple positions.

Dr. Robert Kadlec

Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response , U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | USA

Dr. Robert Kadlec is the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). The ASPR serves as the Secretary’s principal advisor on matters related to public health emergencies, including bioterrorism. The office leads the nation in preventing, responding to and recovering from the adverse health effects of manmade and naturally occurring disasters and public health emergencies. As such, the office coordinates interagency activities between HHS, other federal agencies, and state and local officials responsible for emergency preparedness and the protection of the civilian population from public health emergencies. Dr. Kadlec spent more than 20 years as a career officer and physician in the United States Air Force before retiring as a Colonel. Over the course of his career, he has held senior positions in the White House, the U.S. Senate, and the Department of Defense. Most recently, he served as the Deputy Staff Director to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Dr. Kadlec previously served as staff director for Senator Richard Burr’s subcommittee on bioterrorism and public health in the 109th Congress. In that capacity, he was instrumental in drafting the Pandemic and All-Hazard Preparedness Bill which was signed into law to improve the nation’s public health and medical preparedness and response capabilities for emergencies, whether deliberate, accidental, or natural. Dr. Kadlec also served at the White House from 2002 to 2005 as director for biodefense on the Homeland Security Council, where he was responsible for conducting the biodefense end-to-end assessment, which culminated in drafting the National Biodefense Policy for the 21st Century. He served as Special Assistant to President George W. Bush for Biodefense Policy from 2007 to 2009. Earlier in his career, he served as the Special Advisor for Counter proliferation Policy at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he assisted DOD efforts to counter chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats in the wake of 9/11 and contributed to the FBI investigation of the anthrax letter attacks. He began his career as a flight surgeon for the 16th Special Operations Wing and subsequently served as a surgeon for the 24th Special Tactics Squadron and as Special Assistant to J-2 for Chemical and Biological Warfare at the Joint Special Operations Command. He was named U.S. Air Force Flight Surgeon of the Year in 1986. Dr. Kadlec holds a bachelor’s degree from the United States Air Force Academy, a doctorate of medicine and a master’s degree in tropical medicine and hygiene from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, as well as a master’s degree in national security studies from Georgetown University.

Mr. Robert   Obernier

Faculty , B.I.D.M.C. Disaster Medicine Fellowship | USA

"Robert (Bob) Obernier is a former US Navy FMF Hospital Corpsman and a retired Fire Battalion Chief/Paramedic with the City of Tallahassee Fire Department, after 25 years in the fire service, where he spent 21 years on Special Operations Teams (Hazardous Materials, Urban Search & Rescue and Tactical Medic Teams). He started as a volunteer with Team Rubicon in May 2013 deploying to Moore, Oklahoma post tornado, has been an Incident Commander on the Field Leadership Team and is currently a member of Team Rubicon’s Exercise Team, which assists in the planning & execution of tabletop & full-scale exercises in disaster response. Bob has deployed on over 40 domestic & international disaster operations as an Incident Commander or Team Leader. He is also on the faculty for the International Fellowship of Disaster Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Humanitarian Institute teaching hospital. He is the lead instructor for pre-deployment training. He currently resides in Titusville, Florida."

Dr. Ryan Hata

Disaster Medicine Fellow | Clinical Fellow, Harvard Medical School , BIDMC Fellowship in Disaster Medicine | USA

Dr. Ryan Hata is an emergency physician with Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians and is currently a Fellow in Disaster Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a Clinical Fellow at Harvard Medical School. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Hata has served on several advisory committees and in leadership positions for several businesses and non-profit organizations. His educational and research interests include community education and preparedness, disaster medicine, counter-terrorism medicine, and cybersecurity in healthcare

Dr. Saleh Fares-Al-Ali

Executive Director , Emergency Preparedness & Response Center at Department of Health Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates

Dr. Saleh Fares Al-Ali is the Executive Director, Emergency Preparedness & Response Center at Department of Health, Abu Dhabi where he has also served as an advisor at the Undersecretary office and a deputy commander of Zayed Military Hospital. He has more than 21 years of experience in the healthcare sector including Zayed Military Hospital, McGill University teaching hospitals, University of Toronto and Harvard teaching hospitals. He is a Canadian and American Board certified in Emergency Medicine since 2007 and holds a prehospital care fellowship from the University of Toronto and Disaster Medicine fellowship. He holds a master and doctorate degree in public health / Healthcare management and policy from Johns Hopkins University / School of Public Health. In addition, Dr. Saleh Al-Ali has organized several local and international conferences in Emergency Medicine, prehospital care and Disaster Medicine. He is an active member of several committees in WHO,IFEM and many others.

Mr. Salio Flavio

Network Leader , World Health Organization | Switzerland

Flavio is currently working at the World Health Organization leading the Emergency Medical Team Secretariat and its efforts to provide strategic, technical and operational guidance and oversight to this Global Initiative. Since the last 20 years, Flavio has been active in providing strategic leadership to health programs and emergency responses worldwide. He comes with a wealth of knowledge and extensive experience in training, operational research, designing and implementing strategies and operating procedures in relation to health emergency preparedness and response in complex emergencies and natural/man-made disasters.

Dr. Samah Saeed Obaid Mebjar

Senior Specialist in Emergency Preparedness , Emergency Preparedness & Response Center at Department of Health Abu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates

Dr Samah Saeed Mebjarhas completed her MBBS, B.Ch from Royal College of Surgeons (Ireland). Further she did her MBA International Hospital Management (Frakfurt). Dr. Samah has 8 years of experience in hospital and 6 years experience in DOH. Currently she is working as Senior Specialist in Emergency Preparedness in Emergency preparedness and response centre DOH

Dr. Schyler Zane Grodman

Fellow of Disaster Medicine , BIDMC/HMS Disaster Medicine Fellowship | USA

Zane Grodman is currently a Fellow of Disaster Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School. Previously, Dr. Grodman trained in Pediatrics at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center. Dr. Grodman graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, and subsequently earned his medical doctorate and a masters of biomedical sciences (with a global health focus) from Columbia University. Dr. Grodman’s career interest is the care of children during and after disasters."

Dr. Sophia Dyer

Medical Director , Boston EMS | USA

"Dr. Sophia Dyer is the Medical Director of Boston EMS and previously the associate director as well. She was also working as the associate professor at Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Sophia is the Hours Committee at the Department of Emergency Medicine. "

Mr. Souheil Reaiche

Deputy Head of Region , Geneva Call | France

Souheil Reaiche is the Deputy Head of Region for Geneva Call, based in Geneva-Switzerland. He brings over 20 years’ experience in the aid sector, more than half of it dedicated to medical emergencies. Souheil’s experience encompasses a wide variety of roles, from field work to executive roles, with Medecins Sans Frontieres. In the course of his career, Souheil has lived and worked Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, CAR, Iraq, Syria, Indonesia, Niger, Guinea and coordinated West Africa operations at MSF headquarters. Since 2019, Souheil has been working as Deputy Head of Region for Geneva Call a Swiss based organization which works to strengthen the respect of humanitarian norms and principles by armed groups and de facto authorities, to improve the protection of civilians. In addition to his work at Geneva call headquarter,

Dr. Srihari Cattamanchi

Regional Er Physician Specialist – Asia Pacific Region , International Committee Of The Red Cross (Icrc) | Thailand

Srihari Cattamanchi is an emergency physician from India with more than 16 years of working experience with an academic and professional background focusing on emergency, disaster and humanitarian medicine, prehospital emergency care, clinical research, and public health working in complex humanitarian crises. As an emergency first responder, Srihari have responded to various disasters (Haiti, the Philippines, and Nepal), Infectious disease outbreaks (Covid pandemic response in Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea) and conflicts (Gaza, Ukraine). For his work towards Emergency, Disaster and Humanitarian Medicine, the International Federation of Emergency Medicine (IFEM) awarded Dr Cattamanchi the IFEM Humanitarian Award for 2020 during the ICEM 2021 conference in Dubai in June 2021.

Dr. Stephen Simon

Fellow , BIDMC Fellowship in Disaster Medicine | USA

I am an Emergency Medicine Physician from New York, currently pursuing a fellowship in Disaster Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. I am also appointed as a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School, where I am currently examining the subconscious biases that affect prehospital triage decisions. I have a background in firefighting and EMS, as well as EMS education and international disaster response. I completed my emergency medicine training at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, where I served as Chief Resident from 2021-2022. I currently reside in Boston, MA with my wife.

Dr. Terri Davis

Emergency Medicine Physician , BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship | USA

"Terri Davis is an Emergency Medicine Physician specializing in Disaster Medicine who focuses her research on military-civilian coordination during natural and complex humanitarian disasters. She works part-time for the US Army National Guard in a Chemical, Biologic, Radiation, and Nuclear Unit and works full-time in a community hospital. "

Dr. Todd Benham

Director of Psychosocial Preparedness and Response , Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center | USA

Dr. Todd Benham is a board-certified clinical psychologist. A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, he received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University. Dr. Benham is the Installation Director of Psychological Health at Fort Drum, New York. He is also the Director of Psychosocial Preparedness and Response for the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Fellowship in Disaster Medicine. Dr. Benham has extensive experience assessing and managing the mental health impacts of traumatic events.

Dr. Vincent Bounes

Emergency Medicine Physician , Toulouse University Hospital | France

"Vincent Bounes (Male), MD, PhD in emergency medicine is a physician (anesthesiologist, intensivist and emergency physician) and an experienced manager, chief of the prehospital emergency department of an area of 1 300 000 inhabitants (SAMU 31, Département Haute Garonne, France). He is also a scientist and university professor (University of Toulouse) and has leaded various projects in his field of expertise, including disaster management. He has obtained in 2014 the accreditation to direct research (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches). "

Dr. Yasser Sharif

Section Head Hospital Preparedness , Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DOH) | United Arab Emirates

" Dr. Yasser Sharif is a qualified physician and the head of Department of Health Abu Dhabi hospital preparedness section, his responsibility includes strategic planning, developing, implementing and evaluating solutions to improve emergency response outcomes in medical related emergencies and disasters for the health care sector in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. He helped to develop and establish the CBRNE capabilities for the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi particularly for Barakah Nuclear Power plants, assist in building and sustaining Abu Dhabi strategic medical stockpile which was fundamental in the successful response efforts to COVID19 and improved Abu Dhabi blood bank capabilities to include new services and developed a strategic stockpile of frozen blood units, he also developed the business requirements for DOH WebEoc (Estijabah System) and helped evolve the system to become a key component in tracking critical healthcare resources and responding to emergencies and disasters especially during COVID 19 Pandemic. "

Dr. Zuhair Al Sharafi

Director of Emergency Department , Burjeel Medical City | United Arab Emirates

"Dr. Alsharafi Completed the Emergency Medicine Residency Program at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Then he completed a 2-year Fellowship in Emergency Medical Services (EMS/Medical Director) at the University of Toronto/Sunnybrook Osler Centre for Prehospital Care, Toronto, Canada. From 2010 to 2021, Dr. Alsharafi worked as an Emergency Consultant at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre-Emergency Department, Toronto, Ontario. During this period, he completed many health administrations courses at the Institute of Health, Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto. He was appointed the Medical Director of Operations in the Emergency Department and then promoted to Chief of the Emergency Department. He also carries an academic university appointment at the University of Toronto, Canada. Dr. Alsharafi led numerous initiatives, projects, and publications in the fields of quality improvement, disaster medicine, sport medical directorship, patient flow, and patient experience. He received many awards in appreciation of his accomplishments. "