Dictionary of Disaster Medicine and Humanitarian Relief

The 2nd edition of the Dictionary of Disaster Medicine and Humanitarian Relief is an essential and practical reference for all those who work in humanitarian relief. This new, expanded edition presents more than 3000 definitions and acronyms covering the entire multidisciplinary scope of disaster medicine and humanitarian relief, as well as new fields such as climate change and bioterrorism. As natural disasters, humanitarian emergencies, and infectious disease epidemics increase in frequency and seriousness, this book is an important reference to assist international relief workers communicate with each other and with the media. The author has served as both the director of Emergency Humanitarian Operations of the World Health Organization, as well as the WHO’s chief of scientific terminology. As the Director-General Emeritus of the World Health Organization says in the Foreword, “This new expanded edition comes as a timely essential aid against the growing threats of inhuman violence and destructive disasters.”

S. Wlliam A. Gunn, MD, MS, FRCSC, FRCSI (Hon), DSc (Hon), Dr.h.c., is a Canadian surgeon and senior international health official involved in emergency disaster management and humanitarian medicine. For many years he was director of the Emergency Humanitarian Operations of the World Health Organization, where he conducted numerous field missions, advised governments and the United Nations, organized high level national programmes, lectured at universities and conducted training courses for disaster managers, services that have been recognized by Honorary Doctorates and other high distinctions. Member of many surgical, emergency and humanitarian organizations, Dr. Gunn was a founder, now President Emeritus, of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine, is the founding President of the International Association for Humanitarian Medicine, and member of the Academic Council on the United Nations System. Editor of several disaster and humanitarian journals, and author of eighteen books, he has also been head of WHO’s scientific terminology, which explains the multilingual lexicography, standard setting acknowledgement and recognized authority of the initial edition of this Dictionary.