Greetings all:

I've been asked time and time again by various agencies to respond to certain
disasters on short notice.   Due to the fact that it is very difficult to get
people ready quickly, I would like to develop a roster of people who are
willing and able to go within a 24 hour period notice.  I will repost every 6
months or so, to keep the roster up-to-date.  I am aware of the difficulty of
the 24 hour readiness, but I think that the reality is that unless you're on
the ground by 48 hours, there are no emergencies.  As well, the reality in
most acute humanitarian emergencies is that the bulk of the stuff isn't
emergent, it's respiratory illness, diarrheal disease, and prevention of
further morbidity and mortality.

Coupled with this and probably more useful, a group of us are trying to get
some teaching materials ready for teaching acute/complex humanitarian
emergencies in different parts of the Americas ... if you're interested,
please contact me.

The expectation of the agencies are to fund airfare, food, and basic lodging.
 They will not provide salary support for time away.  Most events are for 1-2
weeks, but I suspect the longest that people are kept on the ground is about
1 month.

If you are interested, I'd like the following, if possible:

Name
Address
Phone
Fax
E-mail
Languages Spoken
Areas/Countries where you will work
Skills (e.g. Surgeon, Pediatric Nurses, Logistician)
What months you are available
Prior training in this area

I am, by no means, an expert (nor do I desire to be an expert) in this field.
 However, due to the number of requests I get for immediate help, I think I
can help as a conduit to getting the right people on the ground.  This year
alone, I've cobblestoned teams of individuals for 3 different acute
humanitarian emergencies, and the personal time spent due to the lack of any
semblance of organization has been enormous

Thank you kindly,

Kevin Chan, MD
Centre for International Health
University of British Columbia
e-mail:  [log in to unmask]