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Profs and Pints DC presents: “The Basics of Big-Event Safety,” an introduction to the field of event medicine plus tips on safely staging or attending mass gatherings, with Dr. Korin Hudson, professor of clinical emergency medicine at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, veteran event physician, and team physician for the Washington Mystics and Washington Wizards.
Event medicine is a little-known subspecialty of the medical field that just might save your life at a big game or a music festival. Learn about it with Dr. Korin Hudson, an emergency physician who has provided care at dozens of events and who has more than 25 years of experience in emergency medicine, sports medicine, and Emergency Medical Services. She’ll have great insights and advice for those who produce big events, work at them, or just want to look out for their own well-being while attending them.
Dr. Hudson will discuss the roots of event medicine, focusing heavily on the lessons learned from the original Woodstock music festival and how they have shaped the provision of medical services at big events ever since. As it became clear just how huge a crowd Woodstock would draw, its event physician frantically scrambled to have enough doctors, nurses, and ambulances on hand to avoid a potential medical and humanitarian catastrophe. The multi-day event resulted in more than 3,000 visits to first-aid providers, multiple drug overdoses, and two fatalities, but things could have been much, much worse.
You’ll also learn about the current state of the field and about the planning, logistics, and delivery of medical care at mass gatherings, The talk will cover the distinct logistical challenges posed by single-venue, single-day events like an NFL football game, at sprawling single-day events like marathons, and at multi-day events like Burning Man or the Olympics.
Dr. Hudson will offer event organizers will get tips on ensuring they have the correct staffing and supplies and are prepared for any emergencies that might arise. She’ll give the rest of us guidance on how to come up with a safety checklist for various types of events, as well as advice on how to deal with crowd surges and other potential dangers. (Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)
Image: Concertgoers at the BayFest 2011 music festival on Marine Corps Base Hawaii. (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service photo.)
