South Korean Disaster Medicine Expert to Speak on Nuclear Preparedness

February 3, 2018

Soon-Joo Wang, MD, a professor of emergency medicine and South Korean expert advisor on disaster management and emergency medical systems, is coming to the University of Arizona College of Medicine − Tucson Monday, Feb. 5, to share insights on medical preparedness training for nuclear, chemical, and biological disasters.

He will present “A Comprehensive Medical System for the Threat of Nuclear Emergencies and Disasters in Korea,” 11 a.m.-noon at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, 1295 N. Martin Ave., Room A112, Tucson.  This presentation is open to the public.

Dr. Wang is Chief of Emergency Medicine at Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital in Hwaseong City and Immediate Past President of Korean Society of Disaster Medicine and the Korean Society of Burn. During his visit, Dr. Wang will tour Banner – University Medical Center Tucson and South Emergency Departments. He also will observe emergency medicine residents training in the Arizona Simulation Technology and Education Center (ASTEC).

Dr. Wang is here exploring the possibility of partnering with the Advanced Hazmat Life Support (AHLS) program (ahls.org) at the UA Department of Emergency Medicine. Developed at the Arizona Emergency Medicine Research Center, in collaboration with the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology, AHLS provides training to emergency healthcare professionals to effectively treat people exposed to chemical spills, toxic terrorism, and other threats. Worldwide, AHLS has trained more than 18,700 healthcare professionals from 70 countries.

“We are pleased and honored to host Dr. Wang, an international expert in emergency medicine, as we learn from him, and as he and his colleagues consider bringing AHLS to the Republic of Korea,” says Frank Walter, MD, UA Professor of Emergency Medicine.