World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine
An international professional association that advances research, education, and collaboration in disaster medicine, emergency care, and prehospital response.
Last updated October 14, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) is an international professional association devoted to improving the scientific basis and practical delivery of disaster medicine, emergency medical care, resuscitation, and prehospital response. Its work covers both sudden mass-casualty incidents and smaller events in which available local medical resources are overwhelmed. This broad understanding of medical disasters places equal emphasis on preparedness, systems design, public health, clinical response, and the prevention or mitigation of harm. The association grew out of discussions among emergency-care specialists who wanted to address the gap between the capabilities of modern resuscitation and the limited availability of effective emergency care in many communities. The concept was associated with Rudolf Frey, who proposed bringing together influential emergency and acute-care leaders from different continents. In September 1976, ten specialists from seven countries met in Geneva and subsequently traveled to Mainz, where they developed the objectives and bylaws of a new international organization. On October 2, 1976, the organization was established as the Club of Mainz. Peter Safar and Rudolf Frey were among its cofounders, and Frey became its first president. It later adopted the name World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine. WADEM's principal recurring forum is the World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine. The congress brings together researchers, clinicians, public-health specialists, emergency planners, responders, nurses, veterinarians, and other professionals to present research and discuss changes in prehospital and emergency-care systems. Congresses have been organized on a biennial basis since the late 1970s, with an emphasis on rotating among regions of the world. The event has served as a platform for work on resuscitation, mass-casualty management, disaster response, emergency systems, and the health consequences of major incidents. The 17th congress in Beijing reportedly attracted approximately 1,600 delegates and included presentations by veterinary professionals, expanding the scope of disaster-health discussion. WADEM also publishes Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, its official peer-reviewed journal. The journal addresses out-of-hospital and in-hospital emergency care, disaster medicine, public health, safety, and the organization of medical responses to mass-casualty events. It has been distributed internationally and made available online, supporting the association's objective of encouraging research-based practice. The publication's stated purposes include improving the quality of care delivered to patients with perceived emergencies and to victims of accidents or disasters, while also helping prevent or reduce the effects of such events on people and the environment. Additional association activities have included a biannual newsletter, expert task forces, and federated memberships for organizations working in specialized areas of prehospital and disaster response. Task-force subjects have included chemical and hazardous-material incidents, fire incidents, aeromedicine, international disaster medical responses, and pediatric disaster medical care. Federated membership is intended to promote scientific exchange and international cooperation among related societies; the Mediterranean Burns Club became an example of such a member in 1993. A nursing subspecialty group was formed at the 2005 World Congress, reflecting the association's wider multidisciplinary orientation. WADEM is not a commercial consumer brand. It functions as a professional and scientific network whose influence is expressed through standards-oriented discussion, research publication, education, congresses, and collaboration among disaster and emergency-health experts. Its current operating details, leadership roster, legal headquarters, and financial information are not established by the supplied reference material.
History
The origins of WADEM lie in international debates about emergency medical care and the uneven availability of modern resuscitation. Rudolf Frey is credited with proposing the idea of an organization that would bring together leaders in emergency and disaster medicine from different regions. The concept was influenced by the Club of Rome model, in which respected experts use research and analysis to persuade decision-makers to address major societal problems. A formative discussion took place in Mainz, West Germany, in 1973, although accounts differ on whether the central concern was disaster medicine specifically or the broader disparity between the potential of modern resuscitation and its availability in everyday emergencies. Frey later invited ten specialists from seven countries to Geneva in September 1976. The group met with international agencies involved in disaster medicine before traveling to Mainz to define the proposed organization's objectives and bylaws. On October 2, 1976, the group formally founded the Club of Mainz. Peter Safar and Rudolf Frey were among the founding figures, with Frey serving as the first president. The organization's founding purpose was to improve the worldwide delivery of prehospital and emergency care during ordinary acute events as well as mass emergencies and disasters. It subsequently became known as the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine. WADEM developed the World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine as its principal international meeting. The congress has been held every two years since 1979 and is intended to rotate among different world regions when practical. Its program has covered emergency and resuscitation research, the medical response to major disasters, and changes in systems for delivering prehospital care. Attendance at the 17th congress in Beijing was reported at roughly 1,600 delegates, and the meeting included veterinary presentations as disaster planning increasingly recognized the relevance of animal health and wider community resilience. The association's publishing activity centers on Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, its official peer-reviewed journal. The journal covers prehospital and hospital emergency care, disaster medicine, public health, safety, and the prevention or mitigation of harm from mass-casualty events. Its role is both clinical and systems-oriented: it supports better treatment for people experiencing medical emergencies and disaster-related injuries while also examining how emergency systems can be organized and how adverse events can be reduced. By 2006, the journal was available online and had an international readership. WADEM has supplemented its congress and journal with a biannual newsletter, specialist task forces, and federated memberships. Its task-force subjects have included hazardous-material and chemical incidents, fire and aeromedical operations, international disaster medical response, and pediatric disaster care. Federated membership was designed to help organizations working in narrower fields cooperate across national and professional boundaries. The Mediterranean Burns Club became a federated member in June 1993. In 2005, a nursing subspecialty group was formed at the World Congress, reflecting the association's multidisciplinary approach. The organization defines a medical disaster in functional terms: a local event becomes a disaster when casualties exceed locally available medical resources. This definition encompasses a wider range of incidents than the popular image of a catastrophe involving very large numbers of deaths or injuries. Accordingly, WADEM's field includes preparedness, response capacity, public health, emergency communications, clinical care, professional education, research, and recovery-related learning. International descriptions of the association characterize it as a network of disaster and emergency-health experts committed to advancing research into emergency response. The supplied materials do not establish a current president, detailed membership figures, legal headquarters, or current program schedule.
- 2006
Official journal reported online
[1]Prehospital and Disaster Medicine was reported as available online, extending access to WADEM's peer-reviewed research publication.
- 2005
Nursing subspecialty group created
[1]A nursing-focused subspecialty group was formed at the World Congress.
- 1993
Mediterranean Burns Club joins as a federated member
[1]The Mediterranean Burns Club became a federated member, providing an example of WADEM's effort to connect specialist societies.
- 1979
Biennial World Congress begins
[1]WADEM began its recurring World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine, intended to support international presentation and discussion of emergency and disaster-health research.
- 1976
Club of Mainz founded
[1]After preparatory meetings in Geneva and Mainz, the organization was established on October 2, 1976, with Rudolf Frey as its first president.
- 1973
Early proposal for an international emergency-care organization
[1]Rudolf Frey advanced the concept of bringing together emergency and acute-care leaders from around the world to improve the delivery of resuscitative and disaster medical care.
Products and positioning
A global, multidisciplinary scientific association focused on improving emergency and disaster-health systems through research, professional collaboration, education, and evidence-informed response.
Scientific congress · 1979
World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine
WADEM's principal international meeting, held every two years since 1979. The congress brings together medical, nursing, public-health, veterinary, research, planning, and emergency-response professionals to present findings and discuss emergency systems, resuscitation, disaster response, and prehospital care.
Peer-reviewed journal
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine
WADEM's official scientific journal covering prehospital and hospital emergency care, disaster medicine, public health, safety, and the prevention or mitigation of harm from mass-casualty events. It is intended to improve both clinical care and the systems used to prepare for and respond to emergencies.
Expert working groups
WADEM Task Forces
Specialist groups identify problems in defined areas of disaster and emergency medicine and develop potential solutions. Reported subjects include chemical and hazardous-material accidents, fire incidents, aeromedicine, international disaster medical response, and pediatric disaster medical care.
Professional network
Federated Society Memberships
A collaboration mechanism for organizations involved in particular aspects of prehospital, emergency, and disaster response. The program is intended to encourage international cooperation, scientific openness, and links among specialist societies.
Brand decisions
1979
Institutionalize a biennial World CongressOtherBackground
WADEM needed a recurring international forum through which researchers and practitioners could exchange evidence and discuss emergency-care systems.
Action taken
The association began holding the World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine every two years, preferably in different world regions.
Aftermath
The congress became WADEM's principal recurring event and expanded participation across medical and related disciplines.
1976
Create an international association for emergency and disaster careStrategyBackground
Founding specialists wanted to address the uneven availability of emergency and resuscitation care and to improve medical responses to both everyday emergencies and mass-casualty disasters.
Action taken
They established the Club of Mainz, the organization that later became WADEM, with an international and research-oriented mandate.
Aftermath
The association developed a recurring world congress, a scientific journal, task forces, and federated relationships with specialist organizations.
Recent events
- 2006
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine becomes available online[1]
Product launch
WADEM's official journal was reported as being available online, improving access to its international research and professional material.
- 2005
Nursing subspecialty group formed[1]
Other
A nursing subspecialty group was created at the World Congress, broadening formal participation by nursing professionals in disaster-medicine work.
- 1993
Federated membership expands international collaboration[1]
Other
The Mediterranean Burns Club became a federated member, illustrating WADEM's effort to connect specialist organizations working in disaster and emergency response.
- 1979
World Congress becomes a recurring international forum[1]
Other
WADEM began holding the World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine on a biennial basis, creating a continuing forum for research and systems discussion.
- 1976
WADEM establishes the Club of Mainz[1]
Other
International emergency-care specialists formally created the organization that later became WADEM, with the aim of improving prehospital and emergency care in routine emergencies and disasters.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/world-association-for-disaster-and-emergency-medicine · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled