Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center recently hosted Israel’s first specialized course in pediatric disaster medicine, bringing together doctors and nurses from pediatric emergency departments across the country. Participants came from Hadassah, Rambam, Soroka, HaEmek and other medical centers, with the goal of giving teams practical tools for complex emergencies involving children.
The field combines pediatrics, emergency medicine, trauma care and crisis management, and Hadassah said it is increasingly important because children respond differently from adults in disasters, both medically and behaviorally. They may struggle to describe their condition, need different dosages, require monitoring of different indicators and need a more tailored treatment approach.
The program at Hadassah was led by Dr. Leah Serna Kahan, a senior physician in the pediatric emergency department at Hadassah Ein Kerem who trained in disaster medicine at Harvard Medical School and has taken part in medical aid missions to crisis areas abroad. She organized the course together with Prof. Miklos Bala, head of Hadassah’s trauma unit, and Prof. Saar Hasbia, head of the pediatric emergency department.
Dr. Serna Kahan said, “Children are not small adults. Their physiological response to a disaster is different, their medical needs are different, and the treatment methods and the system’s preparedness must also be adapted.” She added that in real emergencies there is not always enough staff, equipment or time, so advance preparation, knowledge and practice are central to saving lives. The course included disaster scenarios such as mass-casualty incidents, damage to medical infrastructure, natural disasters and humanitarian crises, along with lectures, simulations, table-top exercises and triage drills. Hadassah said the initiative is nationally significant and aims to strengthen Israel’s readiness for emergencies, especially when children need rapid, specialized care.
