Ambulance and Emergency Physicians Association (AAHD)
Ambulance and Emergency Physicians Association (AAHD, www.aahd.org.tr) was established in 2004 in Izmir, Turkey.
AAHD has established physicians who work in ambulances and deal with disaster medicine. All of the physicians working in this association have experience in these matters. They took part in many national and international events and developed themselves in this field. Many of them have attended international emergency and disaster medicine trainings and obtained certificates.
After its establishment, AAHD participated in international ambulance rallies and organized them in Turkey. Organized 5 international symposiums on Next Generation Technologies in Emergency Services. AAHD physicians prepared the emergency and disaster scenarios prepared in these competitions, and served as referees and consultants in international competitions. In addition, AAHD trainers organized medical simulation and training activities (developing training materials), High Quality CPR and Advanced Life Support training (Pediatric and Adult), CRM for EMS training, “Hospital Emergency Planning Course” and “Medical Response to Disasters Course” for Hospital.
Main missions of AAHD, to support RTD and innovation activities in the fields of; Disaster Response and Preparedness and Emergency Medical Services. AAHD is highly experienced in responding to medical emergencies to different kinds of disasters. Actively involved medical efforts and responded earthquakes, mine accident, CBRN incidents, terrorist attacks, major fires and mass causality incidents in Turkey.
Disaster response and preparedness; AAHD highly experienced in responding to medical emergencies to different kinds of disasters.
Most of the members actively directed medical efforts and responded to the most devastating earthquake. 1999 Marmara Earthquake, 1995 Izmir Flood, 2005 Seferihisar Earthquake, 2011 Van Earthquake, , 2011 Lybian Evacuation, 2014 Soma Mine Accident, 2020 Izmir Earthquake, CBRN incidents, terrorist attacks, major fires and mass causality incidents in mainly in Izmir and Turkey. AAHD members made major contributions to the Turkish EMS and Disaster Medical Response regulations. AAHD provides the scientific evaluation of the call centre, call numbers and organisational structure, the personnel function descriptions, standards and international procedures to be applied, so as to improve the work and organisation of emergency health care and disaster medicine services.
EU Projects
AAHD mainly contributed to research part; creating end user requirements, key performance indicators, reference scenarios, training material; demonstration and pilot testing activities of 7th FP / H2020 collaborative and RIA projects.
BESECU, HUMAN BEHAVIOUR IN CRISIS SITUATIONS, A cross-cultural investigation in order to tailor security-related communication, Security / Collaborative Project, FP7
BECAN, BALKAN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY ON CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT, Health/Collaborative Project, FP7 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/192050/factsheet/en
SOTERIA, ONLINE AND MOBİLE COMMUNICATIONS FOR EMERGENCIES, The impact of social media in emergencies, Security, RIA, FP7
NEXES, NEXT GENERATION EMERGENCY SERVICES, Communication technologies and interoperability RIA, Horizon 2020, http://nexes.eu/
CRM4EMS, CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, Erasmus + KA2 Strategic Partnership. https://www.crm4ems.com/
IprocureSecurity, Strategic Partnership of Emergency Medical Service Practitioners for Coordination of Innovation Procurement, CSA, Horizon 2020. https://project.iprocuresecurity.eu/
ASSISTANCE, Adapted Situation Awareness Tools and Tailored Training Scenarios for Increasing Capabilities and Enhancing the Protection of First Responders, RIA, Horizon 2020 https://assistance-project.eu/
IprocureSecurity-PCP, Pre-Commercial Procurement of Innovative Triage Management Systems Strengthening Resilience and Interoperability of EMS, PCP, Horizon 2020 https://pcp.iprocuresecurity.eu/
SMS4EMS, The Safety Management Systems training for Emergency Medical Services (SMS4EMS) is an Erasmus+ KA2 Strategic Partnership https://www.tcd.ie/cihs/projects/sms4ems.php
EU Role within TeamAware
AAHD will be involved in this project as a medical first responder team. AAHD will also take part as a medical first responder team in the TeamAware project, with its experience in EU projects it has participated in before. It will be included in the scenario and scenario definitions to be used by the medical first responders in the operations. It will also take an active role in the presentation where real operational requirements, needs, usage scenario and user experiences are presented.
AAHD has role in publication and dissemination activities of the TeamAware Project as well.
Dr. Turhan SOFUOGLU
Dr. Turhan Sofuoglu is a graduate of Uludag University Faculty of Medicine. He worked as the Provincial Health Director responsible for emergency and disaster medicine in Izmir, Turkiye's 3rd largest city, for 20 years. He worked as a member of the Ministry of Health's emergency and disaster medicine scientific advisory board and as the Aegean Region Coordinator of Emergency Medicine Services. He was the trainer and manager of the Ministry of Health National Medical Rescue Teams (UMKE). One of the founders of the 112 Emergency Medical Services in Turkey. He worked as an educator and manager in the establishment of air ambulance services in Turkey. He took part in many international ambulance competitions, training, congresses and symposiums as an organizer, trainer and speaker.
He received Emergency and Disaster Medicine training and certification in Germany (Bundesakademie für Bevölkerungsschutz und Zivile Verteidigung, BBK) and Japan (Kobe University, JICA). He worked as a crime scene manager in the 1999 Marmara Earthquake, the evacuation of the wounded from Libya and the Soma mine accident. He has management experience in social events and terrorist attacks. He received training on the preparation and implementation of Hospital Disaster Plans and served as a manager during the Covid-19 pandemic. He has a lot of experience in management of emergency and disaster medicine. He has worked as a coordinator in many national and international projects in the fields of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, and has many scientific publications and researches published in Turkiye and international level.
He was elected as the founding president of the Ambulance and Emergency Physicians Association (AAHD) in 2004 and he still continues this duty.
- E-mail: turhans112@gmail.com
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/turhan-sofuoglu-078921168/
- https://www.facebook.com/turhan.sofuoglu.3/
Ass. Prof. Dr. Zeynep SOFUOGLU
Dr. Sofuoglu is a graduate of Uludag University Faculty of Medicine. She completed Dokuz Eylul University Health Sciences Institute Public Health Department Public Occupational Health Doctorate Program in 2003 and Karolinska Institute Safety Improvement Master Program in 2006. She is a Psychodrama Group Leader (thesis topic: Preparing a Paramedic to the Scene).
In Izmir Ambulance Service; respectively, worked as an ambulance physician, responsible physician, training coordinator and assistant chief physician. She is the instructor of the Emergency Health Services training modules and the WHO Public Health Emergencies Course.
She has been the national scientific coordinator of multinational EU projects since 2008. She is a Knowledge Multiplier on behalf of TÜBİTAK for H2020 and Horizon Europe.
She is a member of the AAHD's board directors responsible for projects.
Dr. Ismail Umit BAL
Dr. BAL is a graduate of Ege University Faculty of Medicine. He worked as an ambulance doctor and responsible of 112 Command and Control Center in Izmir Ambulance Service for more than 30 years. He served as the scene manager in the 1999 Marmara Earthquake. He worked as the 112 Command and Control Center Responsible physician in many emergencies and disasters that occurred in Izmir and the Aegean Region. He participated trainings on emergency and disaster medicine in Germany and the Netherlands. He especially increased his experience by taking part in EU projects.
He is as a member of the AAHD’s board directors. He is the Izmir delegate of the Turkish Medical Association.
