Mass Gatherings: International Emergency Medicine Perspectives
See you there
WhenApril 21, 2026 at 10:30 - 12pm
Mass Gatherings: International Emergency Medicine Perspectives
Published by IFEMAdmin
March 24, 2026
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Target Audience
- Clinicians and professionals involved in planning or managing mass gatherings
- Emergency care providers working in areas where mass gatherings take place
- Healthcare teams likely to receive patients from mass gathering events
Why Attend?
This session supports effective planning and preparedness for mass gathering events and helps emergency departments anticipate, manage, and respond to related patient presentations.
Learning Objectives
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Define mass gatherings and explain their significance in the context of public health, safety, and emergency preparedness.
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Identify key risks and hazards associated with mass gathering events, including health, environmental, and security risks.
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Describe the principles of risk assessment and planning for mass gatherings.
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Recognize the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders involved in mass gathering management (e.g., public health authorities, emergency services, event organizers).
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Explain strategies for disease prevention and health promotion during large events.
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Outline emergency preparedness and response measures for incidents that may occur during mass gatherings.
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Discuss communication and coordination mechanisms among agencies before, during, and after a mass gathering event
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Program
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Mass Gatherings: Through a Health Lens - Caren Friend - Australia
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Mass Gatherings: Music Festivals - Satish Mitter - Australia
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Mass Gatheriings: Religious Festivals - Sushant Chhabra - India
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Mass Gatherings: Sporting Festivals - Michael Molloy - Ireland
- Mass Gatherings:Politicial Events - Daniel Kollek - Canada
Date and Time
Timezone - United Coordinated Time
Tuesday, 21 April, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm UTC
Check local time: https://savvytime.com/converter
All delegates will receive:
- Session access
- Attendance certificate (after exit form)
- Recording link
Course fees
| Resource Setting | Full Price | Students and Residents |
| High Income | $50 AUD | $25 AUD |
| Middle Income | $25 AUD | $12.50 AUD |
| Low Income | $10 AUD | $5 AUD |
Note – the prices above are expressed in Australian dollars, with AU$1 approximately equivalent to 0.65 US dollars. Click here to check the cost in your currency.
Click here to apply for a sponsored seat
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Moderator
Kavita Varshney - Australia
Dr. Kavita Varshney, FACEM, is an Emergency Physician and Disaster Medicine Specialist at Westmead Hospital in Sydney, Australia. She is trained in major incident management, incident command, CBR response, and AUSMAT, and is an alumna of the European Masters in Disaster Medicine.
Kavita is deeply involved in medical education and simulation, having completed advanced training at Harvard and Stanford, and contributes to the NSW Biocontainment Centre and her hospital’s Code Black safety program.
Speakers
Caren Friend - Australia
Caren Friend is a Sydney‑based Disaster Manager and Registered Nurse who helps health facilities turn emergency‑management policy into real‑world readiness.. She has deployed across multiple levels of disaster response, bringing lived clinical and operational experience to every system she supports and every team she trains. Caren’s work centres on building preparedness that actually works in practice — from high‑fidelity simulation exercises to large‑scale organisational readiness programs.
Satish Mitter - Australia
Dr Satish Mitter is an emergency physician and clinical toxicologist, working in Western Sydney Local Health District, with specialist interests in disaster medicine. He is involved in the clinical management of acute toxicological emergencies and contributes to mass gathering medicine, major incident preparedness, and disaster response planning at a health service level. Dr Mitter is actively engaged in education and training, with a focus on translating toxicology and disaster principles into real‑world emergency and mass gathering settings.
Sushant Chhabra - India
Dr. Sushant Chhabra is a senior emergency physician and Cluster Head of Emergency Medicine at Manipal Hospitals, North-West Region, India, and a faculty member with the American Heart Association. With extensive experience in disaster medicine, resuscitation science, and mass gathering medical care, he has led large-scale emergency preparedness initiatives across India, focusing on strengthening systems in resource-constrained settings. His work includes planning and delivering care at high-risk events, and he will be sharing insights from the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, the world’s largest religious gathering held in India. He is actively involved in global emergency medicine education, simulation training, and leadership development.
Daniel Kollek - Canada
Dr. Kollek is an award-winning Emergency Physician, an Associate Clinical Professor at McMaster University, Honorary Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary’s University of London, Past Chair of the CAEP Disaster Committee and Director of the Centre for Excellence in Emergency Preparedness. He also has served as Emergency Department Chief and Program Director in both Hamilton & Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario.
His research papers and presentations have spanned many disaster related topics.
He has deployed to disaster sites overseas and, prior to his career in Medicine was a combat officer in the Israeli Defence Forces. He also trained with Second City and dabbles in improv – the theatrical equivalent of Emergency Medicine.