Department of Disaster Medicine

The Department of Disaster Medicine was founded in 1991. Until 1996 the department was headed by Juozas Vytautas Šveikauskas, from 1996 to 2002. Assoc. Prof. Algimantas Vaitkaitis.

Two professors, two lecturers, five assistants work in the Department of Disaster Medicine. Most of the academic staff have clinical practice in the fields of disaster medicine, anaesthesiology-reanimatology, and traumatology.

The lecturers are certified instructors of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC), the American Heart Association (AHA), the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and other world-recognised emergency medicine specialised training courses, actively working in Lithuania and abroad, members of international emergency medicine societies.

ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT

The study process is equipped with modern emergency medicine teaching tools: computerised resuscitation mannequins, models for teaching emergency procedures, simulators of simulated situations.

Disaster Medicine is taught to students of the faculties of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health. Students of the faculties of nursing and pharmacy are taught first aid. Students who have completed the basic course can choose electives: Emergency Medical Aid in Critical Environmental Conditions, Medical and Aeromedical evacuation, Organisation of Medical Aid in Cases of Mass Disasters and Acts of Terrorism, etc.

The department coordinates the University‘s Emergency Medicine research programme, cooperates with researchers from Karolinska (Sweden), Maryland (USA) universities, and organises annual scientific practical conferences together with the Lithuanian Emergency Medicine Society.

The Department of Disaster Medicine actively participates in the development of personal healthcare specialists who provide emergency medical assistance. Publications for improvement programmes: Emergency Medical Care (2005, 2007, 2011), CPR guide (2005), Pre-Hospital Medical Care in Case of Trauma (2008, 2011). Methodical Recommendations for First Aid published in 2006 were officially valid in Lithuania for ten years. A general textbook of the same name was published in 2008 for all higher education institutions and universities.

The staff of the department are permanent experts of the Ministry of Health in the fields of pre-hospital emergency, emergency medical care, injury prevention, trauma system implementation, and emergency care management.

The staff of the department actively cooperate with student organisations, presents the University on academic days and holidays, participates in wellness events together with Lithuanian Emergency Medicine, Lithuanian Cardiologists and other societies.

Department of Disaster Medicine
Prof. Dr. Dinas Vaitkaitis
Head of the Department of Disaster Medicine
Contacts