Year One

Photo by George Tataru

Dear colleagues and friends,

The end of 2024 has brought another series of deadly terrorist events around the world. The events from Magdeburg and New Orleans are a sad reminder to all of us that, regardless of the technological advancement in emergency response and medicine, we will always have challenges ahead and have to expect the unexpected.

As David Di Gregorio noted in one of his presentations, while we constantly monitor these horrible acts of terror and advancing capabilities, we must never forget the two critically important features: availability and deployability. 

At the UN regional consultations in January 2024, one State noted that when it came to drone attacks, none of the parts were manufactured to be part of a UAS, not even a 3D-printed part. They were all wood, and the engine came from a lawnmower.

At CTM-E, we did not reinvent the wheel. Still, we were inspired by the work of WADEM, Dr Gregory R. Ciottone, Dr Ryan Hata and Dr Derrick Tin, as their research and articles have travelled thousands of miles across the oceans and have triggered conversations and debates.

In Europe, we are committed to investing in developing the most extensive resource library for clinicians and incident responders, which contains valuable information and research dealing with terror-related MCIs.

Part of the 2025-2026 strategy is to support the development of regional knowledge networks so that students and professionals interested in CTM can access an extensive library, training, events and funding for their regional projects.

CTM-E is not just a research project but a testament to friendship and international cooperation in the face of adversity.