Higher education which is likely to be engaged with disaster situations and human conflicts has a responsibility to develop the capacity to prepare, mitigate, and respond to catastrophic events to minimise the economic and social damage that may result in society.

Medical education aims to supply society with a knowledgeable, skilled and up-to-date cadre of professionals who put patient care above self- interest and develop their expertise over the course of lifelong career.

Medical education in emergency is a vital means of providing undergraduate, postgraduate academic staff and health professionals with insights into the purpose of educational programme undertaken in medical schools located in vulnerable areas and the way that should be organized to meet population demands. It addresses the social responsibility and accountability, the role of knowledge base and professional values in which health services are disturbed.

Taking into account the increased number of human conflicts, disasters worldwide and the evidence from past events that demonstrate the poor preparation of health professionals to cope in these catastrophic circumstances, a special issue about medical education in emergency would be of great importance to all stakeholders to effectively respond to emergencies reducing the threat posed by hazards, and the impact of disasters.

This issue will provide insights into medical curriculum to be planned, teaching, learning and assessment methods to be adopted in fragile contexts, training courses to be developed to equip health professionals to prepare adequate policies and provide sufficient emergency supplies.

Aims and Scope:

1. Aims, objectives of educational programmes, competencies and technologies required for conflicts and disaster preparedness.
2. Community-oriented curricula and curriculum design in fragile context.
3. Teaching, Learning and assessment methods to be adopted in emergency.
4. Integrating social and psychological issues in medical education in emergency.
5. Integrating information and communication technology in emergency.
6. Mentoring and student support in emergency.
7. Clinical teaching in emergency.
8. Ambulatory care teaching in conflicts and disasters.
9. Staff development and capacity building for health professions education in emergency.
10. Professionalism in emergency
11. Short and fast production of medical workforce for emergency.
12. Communication skills training
13. Social responsibility of medical schools in conflicts and crisis.
14. Cases studies and lesson learned from previous catastrophic events.