Natasha Duncan-SutherlandEmergency Specialist, Te Toka Tumai, Auckland
Natasha is an Emergency Specialist at the Adult Emergency Department, Te Toka Tumai Auckland, and a Fellow of both the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) and the Royal New Zealand College of Urgent Care.
She represents New Zealand on the ACEM Public Health and Disaster Committee, facilitates a national Community of Practice in Emergency Department Disaster Preparedness, and is working to bring the HMIMMS course to New Zealand. Over the past three years, she has reviewed and strengthened Major Incident Plans within her department, implementing systems and delivering education across hospital departments to improve disaster preparedness and response. |
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Natasha also has special interests in research, injury prevention, and Indigenous wellbeing. She is the lead investigator of a Starship Foundation-funded national, multi-sectoral public health research and intervention project focused on preventing dog-bite injuries.
Outside medicine, Natasha enjoys cycling, the outdoors, music and theatre, and the busy and rewarding role of raising three children.
Outside medicine, Natasha enjoys cycling, the outdoors, music and theatre, and the busy and rewarding role of raising three children.
"Expect the Unexpected" - Disaster Risk and Hospital Preparedness
The risk of both natural and non-natural disasters in Aotearoa New Zealand is ever-present, highlighted by numerous historical and recent events.
This talk will explore the potential human impact of catastrophic events such as an Alpine Fault or Hikurangi Subduction Zone earthquake, alongside the risk of non-natural mass-casualty incidents. What could happen to our hospitals, our patients, and our staff when the scale of an event overwhelms normal systems?
Is your hospital ready to respond? What might go wrong when disaster strikes? And, importantly, what have we learned from previous experiences?
Drawing on lessons from past disasters and mass-casualty events, this talk will examine the practical steps hospitals need to take to prepare, respond effectively, and build resilience before the next major incident occurs.
This talk will explore the potential human impact of catastrophic events such as an Alpine Fault or Hikurangi Subduction Zone earthquake, alongside the risk of non-natural mass-casualty incidents. What could happen to our hospitals, our patients, and our staff when the scale of an event overwhelms normal systems?
Is your hospital ready to respond? What might go wrong when disaster strikes? And, importantly, what have we learned from previous experiences?
Drawing on lessons from past disasters and mass-casualty events, this talk will examine the practical steps hospitals need to take to prepare, respond effectively, and build resilience before the next major incident occurs.
