As disasters become more frequent and severe worldwide, disaster planning as a human endeavor is more important than ever, with the potential to save millions of lives globally. In this important new book, the author offers a practical, step-by-step guide for writing, implementing, and measuring the quality of your own disaster plan to address any threat with an approach that has been tested in public health and medical settings worldwide. Filling a significant gap in the existing literature, this book offers a comprehensive reference for both the principles and the practice of disaster planning. Access to a 25-lecture training course provides ancillary teaching materials for college level courses, offering added value for academic readers. An essential resource for public health graduates and anyone responsible for the management of disasters, primarily public health professionals, emergency physicians, first responders, and emergency managers.

'Mark Kiem has been the undisputed Ambassador for excellence in the science of disaster planning, research, and management for over three decades. Recognizing a major void in society’s knowledge base, that of managing health emergencies from their outset, he has dedicated countless hours responding to potential disaster managers worldwide, patiently teaching, guiding, and mitigating the chaos of disasters in communities both large and small, nationally, and in foreign countries. This contribution speaks volumes to an ever-growing multidisciplinary readership who are better planners and responders today because of his scholarly work and guidance. In an increasing crisis-ridden world, Disaster Planning is a 'must-read'.'

Frederick M. Burkle, Jr. - MD, MPH, DTM, PhD (Hon.), FAAP. FACEP, Senior Fellow & Scientist, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Cambridge MA, USA, Global Health Scholar, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, DC, USA, and Elected Member, National Academy of Medicine

'Disaster Planning: A Practical Guide for Effective Health Outcomes is a well-thought-out roadmap to achieving that often elusive goal of disaster preparedness: proactive planning. Dr. Keim is an internationally renowned expert in health-related disaster preparedness, and here he presents a succinct, easy to understand process that planning and response stakeholders can follow to give healthcare a seat around the disaster preparedness table. I teach my Disaster Medicine students 'better the planning than the plan', and now Dr. Keim has given us this brilliant guide to aid in that process. This book is a valuable resource and a must-read for all who are involved in this very important field.'

Gregory Ciottone - MD, FACEP, FFSEM President, World Association for Disaster and Emergency Management Director, Division of Disaster Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School

'A plan begins with conversations, relationship building and an appreciation of shared visions, pressures and fear of the unknown. Dr. Keim has listened and learned through his course at the CDC, various disaster medicine deployments and countless meetings with those who believe in the planning process and those who require more time to join the effort. A scholar with a voracious appetite to learn the science of sudden onset mass casualty incident response, this work represents a coherent framework for any and all involved in incident management or incident command to share their expertise, to collectively share ideas and to connect the individuals within their agencies with those from other agencies to forge a mutually understood plan. This text simplifies the practice options establishing paths for those sitting around the table (or videoconference) to venture secure in the validity.'

Eric S. Weinstein - MD MScDM, Research Associate CRIMEDIM, Novara, Italy