News > The 2nd National Student Conference on Risk Management in Emergencies and Disasters Health

Disasters are a major global problem, threatening the health and well-being of people and posing a serious threat to sustainable development in most countries around the world. In 2022, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded 387 disasters and emergencies worldwide, resulting in the death of 30,704 people and affecting 185 million people. The economic cost of these events was approximately $223.8 billion.

Today, the occurrence of accidents and disasters is on the rise worldwide and can have a significant and irreparable impact on the way of life and health of people. This destructive and devastating impact can disrupt a society's ability to meet basic needs and lead to injuries, disabilities, and deaths of many people. It also imposes significant economic costs on governments and nations due to damage to homes and properties. The occurrence of accidents and disasters has various effects, and in addition to injuries and illnesses, deaths and property damage, it can cause social and economic disruptions, loss of infrastructure and essential human services, and harm to the environment. One of the most significant effects of accidents and disasters, after physical injuries, is damage to healthcare infrastructure such as hospitals and healthcare facilities, which restrict access to these services. this is while health is always one of the most important demands of the people of the world after the occurrence of accidents and disasters. On the other hand, the need for health services in affected areas or regions increases significantly.

The healthcare system is one of the most vital units in providing life-saving services, reducing injuries, and reducing mortality rates, so it is essential that the readiness of the healthcare system be such that it can adequately meet the wide and important needs for health services during disasters.

First National Student Conference on Disaster and Emergency Management in the Healthcare System:

On World Disaster Reduction Day (October 13) in 2022, coinciding with October 20, 2022, the Health in Emergency and Disaster Research Center of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences held the first National Student Conference with the theme of "Disaster and Emergency Risk Management in the Healthcare System." The conference chair formulated the key themes of the conference as follows:

  -New technologies in risk management

  -Risk management and enhancing resilience in the healthcare system

  -Experiences and lessons learned in healthcare risk management

  -Sustainable development based on risk management

  -Risk communication, media management, and community participation in risk governance

  -Traffic accidents

The conference poster was prepared and sent virtually to all medical universities in the country, and information about the conference was registered on the United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) website. The deadline for receiving abstracts was until September 31, 2022, which was extended to October 10 due to the widespread interest. In total, 68 abstracts related to the conference themes were received, many of which were of good quality and covered a wide geographical range of universities in the country. Some were accepted as posters, and others were accepted for oral presentations. The top papers were published in a special issue of the scientific journal "Health in Disasters and Emergencies."

Second National Student Conference on Disaster and Emergency Management in the Healthcare System:

Given the importance of the topic, it was decided to hold the second National Student Conference on Disaster and Emergency Management in the Healthcare System to share scientific evidence, experiences, and lessons learned in order to identify effective and efficient solutions and promote effective communication among students, faculty, staff, and managers in the health sector focusing on students. This conference was held under the slogan "Integrated Risk Management of Disasters and Emergencies in the Healthcare System."

At the beginning of Wednesday, December 27, 2023, the Policy Council held a meeting to determine the date, appoint scientific and executive secretaries for the conference. On October 18 and October 22, the heads of healthcare teaching groups in disasters and emergencies at medical universities across the country were introduced to select one member as a member of the scientific committee (active student or graduate) and contacted officials from relevant organizations and research centers to solicit participation and cooperation. More than 10 scientific committees and executive committees were formed. The initial poster was designed with the following objectives and widespread information dissemination (official correspondence, virtual space, etc.):

  - Call for recruitment of scientific committee members and reviewers

  - Call for articles and scientific works

    - Articles in the conference themes

    - Call for selecting outstanding graduates

    - Call for selecting outstanding research/technological ideas

    - Knowledge or policy summary translator

Side events for the conference

  - Infographic and cartoon design competition in the field of disaster and emergency risk management

  - Photography competition depicting scenes of disasters and emergencies

  - Side educational workshops with approval from the Continuing Education System of the country's medical universities

The deadline for receiving abstracts was until November 30 and was extended twice due to high demand for the conference. In total, 133 abstracts and 24 related works on the conference themes were received. All works were electronically reviewed by at least two reviewers. After the initial centralized review, a face-to-face review on December 19, 2023 led to the acceptance of 18 papers for oral presentations in three specialized panels and 45 papers as posters. Top papers have the opportunity for fast-track review at half the cost in the indexed scientific journal "HDQ" in the Scopus database.

Additionally, the top graduate, top paper, top artistic work, and top idolators were introduced and commended by the scientific committee and the jury, and they were nominated for grant receipt to collaborating centers and the Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology. At the end, a friendly meeting was held with the members of the Health in Disasters and Emergencies Board (Examiner and Evaluation Board), the head of the Tehran Crisis Prevention and Management Organization, and the head of the National Emergency Service, with the participants acknowledging and commending the pioneers of the field.

For more details, visit the conference website at

 https://scdrm.uswr.ac.ir/fa/.