The Conference Executives feel privileged to be given the opportunity to host this international conference in Vancouver. The conference will showcase world experts and opinion leaders who will share their perspectives and experiences.
Disasters invariably cause large numbers of casualties and result in massive socio-economic damage.
Professionals involved in disaster management need to learn from all disasters and to incorporate these precious lessons into their future approaches. We have been overwhelmed with the enthusiastic response to this conference and the call for abstracts, as attested by the quality submissions that are included in this special issue. The diversity of the nationality of the authors and the assortment of subject matters aptly represent the depth and breadth of the specialty of Disaster Medicine. We consider each abstract a gem that comes from its author's research and respective geographic region. This issue is a collection of these international jewels to be shared and appreciated widely.