Partnering with AUSMAT to train deployment teams
In October 2024, the first cohort of Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) students commenced the Specialist Certificate in Disaster Health Management. This program is part of an exciting new collaboration between the Department of Critical Care (DoCC) and the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC), Northern Territory Department of Health, which manages the federally funded AUSMAT program.
AUSMAT deploys multidisciplinary healthcare teams in response to national or international disasters where assistance is requested by the impacted government. The NCCTRC has trained more than 700 doctors, nurses, allied health and logisticians to an international standard as medical disaster responders and the University's disaster medicine courses are designed to enhance the training program.
This inaugural group of 20 students includes seasoned professionals in health and disaster management from across Australia, representing Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, and the Northern Territory. Among them are emergency physicians, logisticians, epidemiologists, surgeons, physiotherapists, radiographers, paramedics, and doctors—a testament to the depth and diversity of AUSMAT’s deployable expertise and the broad appeal of this specialised course.
This partnership marks a significant step forward for DoCC’s Disaster and Terror Medicine Program, as we collaborate with Australia’s internationally recognised medical assistance team to enhance disaster medicine capabilities nationwide. We are thrilled to work alongside AUSMAT and look forward to the valuable contributions these skilled professionals will make in this crucial field.
Prof George Braitberg in case discussion with AUSMAT students.