Shukraam, Saudi Arabia… Thank you!
In early December 2019, Adam Lund and Sheila Turris from the Department of Emergency Medicine, along with Colin Mathie from Live Nation, travelled as invited speakers to the 4th International Conference on Mass Gatherings Medicine. The conference took place in the coastal city of Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In 2017, the King announced a […]
It’s About Time
Large scale special events (aka “mass gatherings”) are an important part of our culture. Music festivals, triathlons, and a myriad of other mass gatherings take place all around the world, every day. We know that for some types of special events, there can be associated health risks such as communicable diseases, poisonings, intoxications and the […]
Tough Mudder 2019
Obstacle adventure courses (OACs) have their origins in the military and police force training. OACs have become a popular form of recreation for the general public, for reasons that remain unclear to me (insert laughter here). Every OAC shares common elements including some or all of the following: -a set of obstacles that require climbing, […]
WADEM Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2019
What do you get when you mix sunshine, a gorgeous harbour city, and an excellent event medicine conference? You get Brisbane in May. Members of the Mass Gathering Medicine Interest Group travelled to Australia to present at the World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine. This is a biennial conference that attracts researchers and clinicians […]
4-20 Protest
In April, 2019, members of the mass gathering medicine interest group participated as members of the health care team for the 4-20 protest. The attendance for this event was higher than usual because of the changes in legislation, making possession of cannabis products legal and because it was the 25th anniversary of the protest. This […]
Mass Gathering Medicine Summit, Las Vegas, 2019
An interested group of mass gathering medicine folks travelled to Las Vegas in March 2019. We met with colleagues from across North America to discuss and debate issues related to mass gatherings. Adam Lund facilitated a panel on “Who Owns Event Medicine?” Each person on the eight person panel adopted a different, extreme position and argued […]
(Untitled)
Preparing and Planning for Recreational Substances at Music Festivals: Considerations from Public Health to Critical CareDr. Brendan World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine https://wadem.org/resources/webinar/
Want to see what we have been up to lately?
Mass Gathering Medicine Interest Group and the International Stage Drum roll please… As mass gatherings and special events proliferate, national and international interest in mass gatherings is growing! In April of 2017, several members of our MGM Interest Group had the opportunity to travel to Toronto and attend the World Congress on Disaster and Emergency […]
Learner Opportunities at Subaru Ironman Canada
What a great place to boost your medical education! Dr. Tom Green, our Medical Director for the Subaru Ironman Canada event that is being held on July 30th in Whistler, BC, will be leading some TED style talks and running some event scenarios for medical learners. This event is definitely one for your ‘bucket list’ and […]
MGM Tabletop Exercise at the 2016 Athletics Canada Race Directors Summit
I recently had the opportunity to join Dr. Adam Lund and his passionate team in presenting their MGM Tabletop Exercise at the 2016 Athletics Canada Race Directors Summit. As outlined in our previous blog post by Riley and Kelly, the Tabletop Exercise gives the opportunity for players to function as a ‘medical director’ for a […]
FAQs – Nursing Students at Community Events
Source: Life as a nursing student. Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/371898881700778212/ Accessed on: May 4, 2016. Do you love music festivals, triathlons, marathons and parades? Would you like to practice nursing in a pre-hospital setting? Outdoors? In an open field? On the side of a mountain? There is a role for nursing students at special events. If […]
Mass Gathering Medicine Summit – February 9 & 10 2018
The annual Mass Gathering Medicine Summit will be in Miami, Florida in 2018! Date: February 9th & 10th Check out the website for more details See you there. ——————————————- An impressive start to the North American conversation on Mass Gatherings last week in New York City at the Mass Gathering Summit… Co-chaired by MGMIG’s […]
Endurance Race Medicine – MGM Club
On March 22nd 2016, Mass Gathering Medicine (MGM) invited Dr. Tom Green to present on Endurance Race Medicine. This event was broken down into two parts: “Being a Medical Director” and “Endurance Race Medical Conditions”. This two-part event gave students insight into the logistics and planning that are required to host events such as Ironman […]
Networking & Social Opportunities at NYC MGM Summit
We previously wrote about the MGM Summit in New York City on April 21st and 22nd. http://www.massgatheringmedicine.org/ I’m personally excited to meet over a hundred others from around the world who all have a practical, operational interest in how to optimize health and safety at some of the world’s biggest mass gatherings. As co-chair, I’ve had […]
Mass Gathering Medicine Collaborates with Physical Therapy
On November 4th 2015, Mass Gathering Medicine (MGM) invited Masters of Physical Therapy (MPT) students to assist in the organization of the Ankle Injuries and Taping workshop– an evening comprised of a didactic and practical session for interested medical students. This event was a first-time collaboration between medical students and seniors students within the Department of […]
Shambhala at UBC Public Health Symposium
I had the pleasure of presenting work on Shambhala – an annual electronic dance music festival in the Kootenays of British Columbia – this past Saturday at the UBC Public Health Symposium. This festival is perhaps best known for it’s innovative approach to health and safety, particularly the integration of harm reduction services working alongside […]
Issues of Substance Conference in Montreal, 2015
Tyler Pyrie traveled to Montreal in November for the Issues of Substance Use Conference. Tyler hails from the Canadian Center on Substance Use (CCSA) and he presented a poster on the topic of Music Festival safety. The poster was the result of joint work done early in 2015 by the CCSA, the MGMIG, and a […]
Mass Casualty Incident Simulation – Nov 26th
Invitation to Participate in Mass Casualty Incident Simulation! There will be two simulations held on Thursday, November 26th (see below) in Chilliwack at the JIBC Campus; one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. We have room for 2 residents and 2 medical students in clinical roles per session. Note that other participants will […]
Wilderness Medicine Course
Wilderness Medicine Course March 5th – 12th 2016 Join the Canadian Society of Mountain Medicine at the beautiful Kokanee Glacier Hut for some epic backcountry powder skiing while learning about wilderness and sports medicine Course is open to physicians, paramedics and Nurses Depending on skiing and weather conditions, the plan […]
Sports Medicine & MGM Symposium
Friday, October 23rd, 2015 – From 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm Hurlburt Auditorium at St. Paul’s Hospital (1081 Burrard Street) in Vancouver, BC. For MAP CLICK HERE. Link for RSVP form: http://goo.gl/forms/gBpS0olnta Agenda, Topics & Speakers For information on the agenda, please click here or on the thumbnail below. Click to download full PDF version of Agenda: Rock […]
Invite to Discuss Drugs & Harm Reduction on EDM Panel in Vegas
UK’s BBC Radio 1 DJ, B. Traits, recently featured in a ground-breaking TV documentary tackling the sensitive topic of drug usage and distribution in the UK. In parallel, the Association for Electronic Music (AFEM) has created a platform for debate, bringing together information and expertise to help our industry develop a unified response. As society […]
Video Link to Emergency Medicine MGM Grand Rounds
On Wednesday, June 10th, 2015, the UBC Department of Emergency Medicine Grand Rounds were held at St. Paul’s Hospital, and the MGM Interest Group was invited to present. Dr. Sheila Turris led the talk, and I was given the opportunity once again to “ride on her coat-tails” as we reviewed the Emerging Field of Mass […]
Canadian National Medical Student Research Symposium (CNMSRS)
On June 2nd I travelled to Winnipeg to present at the Canadian National Medical Student Research Symposium (CNMSRS). The CNMSRS provides a forum for Canadian medical student researchers to showcase their research. During the 3 day conference I had the opportunity to give a Lightning Oral Presentation on “Mass Gatherings Health: Improving the quality and […]
MGH Family Game Night
It’s Family Games Night with the MGM Interest Group! Sneak-peak… we are going to play a Board Game/Tabletop Exercise. This Wednesday, May 27th, the Mass Gathering Medicine/Mass Gathering Health team will be leading a small group, academic half-day workshop for Emergency Medicine Residents on an Approach to Planning Emergency Services for Mass Gatherings. Two Groups. […]
7th Annual UBC DEM Research Day *UPDATED*
The 7th Annual Emergency Medicine Research Day took place on April 8th, 2015 at the CFRI Chan Centre Auditorium at the BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. There were seven different tracks of research that kept the auditorium nearly full all day. Even the breaks were extended this year which allowed for more time to catch […]
Special Events and Professional Certification: Learner versus First Aider
Students often wonder what opportunities are available at events and what certification requirements are required to volunteer at events. If you are interested in learning more, read on! I had my Occupational First Aid Level 3 (OFA3) and Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) certifications before med school and had the opportunity to attend several multi-day events […]
BDLS with Fire 1
Members of the UBC MGM team and the BC Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) team were invited to Everett, Washington to participate in the Basic Disaster Life Support (BDLS) course hosted by Snohomish Fire One. Thanks so much to the Washington team for welcoming the 6 Canadian guests, including Dr. Omar Ahmad (ringleader and MMU Assoc. Medical Director), […]
Shambhala Music Fest – Student Research Presentation
New To Presenting Your Research To Your Peers? Riley’s Experience As An MSI II On A Topic That Is Not Quite The Norm… As a second-year student in the UBC Vancouver-Fraser Medical Program I find that there are seemingly endless opportunities to engage in meaningful extra-curricular activities. As we progress through our training, new opportunities […]
Why a Painting is Never Done
Would you like to hear a story? This is a story about how a great painter taught me a lesson about writing. A few years ago (9, actually), Shana and I bought our first “real” piece of original art. Whatever my art budget was before we went looking, we multiplied it by 5 and then […]
FAQ’s – Medical Students at Community Events
Is there a role for medical students at concerts, finish lines, festivals and other mass gathering events? In short, the answer is “yes” at many events, but there are some considerations. We get asked about this every year, so thought it might be helpful to have some tips on the web site to refer back […]
Collaborative Workshop on Reducing Alcohol & Drug Harms at Music Festivals
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA), in collaboration with the Department of Emergency Medicine’s Mass Gathering Medicine Interest Group (MGMIG) at the University of British Columbia, are convening a group […]
St. John Ambulance Annual Inspection & Awards
It’s easy to forget the people and organizations that influence who we are, and what we have become. When I was about 10 or 11 years old, I took my first standard first aid course at the St. John Ambulance (SJA) building at 45th and Cambie in Vancouver, BC. While there, I learned about the […]
Amsterdam Dance Event – Safety Panel
Dr. Eric Salk is the Medical Director for SFX Entertainment, Inc, and responsible for supporting safety at music events all over the continent. This is our first post from one of our international collaborators. Just back from Amsterdam where I had the opportunity to participate in a panel at ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event). The panel was […]
Red Cross Emergency Response Unit
In early October 2014, the Canadian Red Cross set up a small field hospital, otherwise known as an Emergency Response Unit (ERU) in Sidney, BC on Vancouver Island. I had the opportunity to visit, representing the British Columbia Mobile Medical Unit team (http://bcmmu.ca). The Red Cross ERU model is an international, standardized, flexible, deployable field hospital […]
TomorrowWorld, Atlanta, Georgia
On September 26-28th, 2014, Sheila Turris and I had the opportunity to visit the largest music festival that I have ever had the pleasure to attend. TomorrowWorld’s lead emergency physician, Dr. Eric Salk (Medical Director, SFX Entertainment, Inc.), invited us down to visit one of SFX’s biggest electronic dance music event (EDME) of the year to […]
Deaths At Outdoor Music Festivals – 2014
Summer 2014 Canadian Music Festivals held in July & August of 2014 have claimed the lives of five young people. Dr. Adam Lund spoke on this topic on CBC’s The Early Edition radio. See below for a link to the radio broadcast. Canadian music festivals: Pemberton Music Festival – July 16 – 20, 2014 (Pemberton, […]