ABOUT US

Like you, we exist to help.

Young male paramedic talking by portable radio

WE BELIEVE:

You deserve to help confidently.

The only thing that’s predictable about disasters is that they do happen—usually when and where you least expect. There’s a lot we can’t control…but now you can control your readiness to respond in the most effective way possible.

At the International Board of Disaster Medicine (IBODM), we train and certify physicians, nurses, paramedics, and EMTs to uphold the highest standards of care wherever they’re needed, whenever they’re needed.

How IBODM started

IBODM was created by disaster medicine experts who recognized the immense challenges responders face when dealing with complex disasters. In order to improve readiness, responders need adequate training and shared language and protocols for emergency management. To achieve this they established IBODM, a board certification program designed to improve and standardize the skills of all responders worldwide, including physicians, nurses, and pre-hospital providers.

Get Certified

IBODM Leadership

Our team includes world-renowned experts in disaster medicine with more than 100 years of combined experience.

Greg Ciottone

MD, FIBODM, FACEP

Dr. Ciottone, one of the world’s foremost experts in disaster medicine, is the director of the Disaster Medicine Fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Selected credentials and awards:

  • Fellow, American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP)
  • President Emeritus, World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM)
  • Editor-in-Chief of the leading disaster medicine textbook, Ciottone’s Disaster Medicine
  • EMS Physician of the Year (2007)
  • Emergency Management Consultant, White House Medical Unit (under three administrations: 2014-present)
  • American College of Emergency Physicians Disaster Medical Sciences Award (2018)
  • American Academy of Disaster Medicine Distinguished Service Award (2020)

Amalia Voskanyan

RN
Amalia Voskanyan has over 20 years of experience in leadership, global healthcare, and international relations and is the Co-Director of Disaster Medicine Fellowship at BIDMC and the Director of International Relations at the Department of Emergency Medicine, BIDMC.

Selected credentials and awards:

  • Consultant, White House Medical Unit (2017-present)
  • American International Health Alliance (AIHA) Excellence in Nursing Administration Award
  • Chair, Organizing Committee for the International Conference on Humanitarian Crises (2018)
  • Mentor, World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs)

Brad Newbury

MPA, NRP

Brad Newbury, recognized as a top educator of prehospital emergency medicine, is also faculty and the assistant director of EMS education at Disaster Medicine Fellowship, BIDMC, and a Captain/Paramedic with the Stoughton Fire Department.

Selected credentials and awards:

  • President and CEO, National Medical Education & Training Center
  • Graduate, Harvard University National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, Executive Education Program
  • Nationally Registered Paramedic
  • Certified EMS I/C, Firefighter Level I/II, Fire Officer I, and Fire Inspector I & II
  • Bachelor of Science, Fire Science
  • Master Public Administration, Fire and Emergency Management
  • Instructor: Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support, CPR, ACLS, PALS

Fadi Issa

MD
Dr. Issa, an expert in international disaster medicine, is the Director of Education at the Disaster Medicine Fellowship, BIDMC and a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School.

Selected credentials and awards:

  • Fellow, Disaster Medicine, BIDMC (2017-2020)
  • European Master of Disaster Medicine (2015)
  • Emergency Medicine Specialist, Armed Forces Hospitals Southern Region, AFHSR
  • Jordanian Board of Emergency Medicine since 2008
  • Instructor of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Don Donahue profile image

Dr. Donald Donahue

DHEd, MBA, MSJ

Dr. Donahue is a professor of global health, a Lieutenant Colonel, Medical Service Corps, U.S. Army (Retired), and affiliate faculty with the Disaster Medicine Fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).

Selected credentials and awards:

  • President, World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM)
  • Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE)
  • Fellow, Royal Society for Public Health
  • Board of Governors, American Academy of Disaster Medicine (AADM)
  • Co-Chair, Medical and Health Programming Board, World Humanitarian Forum
  • Board of Directors, Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health
  • Fast Company magazine “Fast 50” (2004)

Join us.

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1

Get trained.

IBODM does not provide clinical education. Rather, we train you to apply your expertise as a doctor, nurse, paramedic, or EMT to disasters.

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2

Become credentialed.

IBODM certification is about more than wearing a patch. It means you’re part of the movement that’s professionalizing disaster medicine.
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3

Respond confidently.

Whether disaster strikes in your own backyard or across the globe, you’ll be prepared to confidently step in and save more lives.

Be ready—always.

Get Certified