Welcome to MEMC22
The Academy has some good news for you: We want to welcome you to the XIth Mediterranean Emergency Medicine Congress, MEMC22, sponsored in collaboration with the Mediterranean Academy of Emergency Medicine (MAEM). This venue is a magnificent and historic gem positioned strategically in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, the three-island nation of MALTA. Malta’s history began in 5900 BC as an agrarian culture, the ruins of whose Megalithic temples still stand. In 700 BC, the Phoenicians sailed to the island and it was their home until the Roman conquest in the first century. Beginning in AD 870, the island was inhabited by Arabs from North Africa, and that influence is seen in the Maltese language, the only Semitic language that is written in the Roman alphabet. Malta’s modern day culture predominantly reflects its long history as part of the Kingdom of Sicily and its recent history as a Protectorate of the British Empire and currently a Commonwealth Nation. English is the official language, along with Maltese, but since the population is extremely diverse, English is most often spoken. Malta is one of the safest countries in the world for tourists and offers good economic value for the US dollar.
Our home base will be the splendid InterContinental Hotel Malta, which boasts several pools (one on the rooftop), eight restaurants, a couple of bars, an executive lounge, one of the best fitness centers in Europe, multiple hidden courtyard gardens, and conference rooms perfectly scaled to our needs. Located right in the middle of the city, surrounded by lots of eateries, bars, clubs and retail stores, it also features its own private beach and is walking distance to the historic district. Don’t hesitate to book your room early when hotel reservations open in March 2022. Please only book through the hotel booking link in order to secure the group rate. The hotel has given us a COVID-protection, so if there is another pandemic or travel ban issued, they are ensuring our attendees experience flexibility during these challenging times and will extend to us flexible reservation policies.
Our social event venues are true to the MEMC tradition. Many of the knights were hospitallers. The Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem- Knights Hospitaller was founded in AD 603by Pope Gregory. The third of their hospitals, Sacra Infermeria, stands today in Old Valletta as a museum and the site of your Gala Dinner. Like us, the Knights treated any patient who presented for care with any complaint. Their inpatient wards, however, followed a class structure, with the charity patients housed in the basement and the wealthy on the floors above. The bed numbers carved into the walls of the wards are still visible today.
Malta is strategically positioned between Italy and North Africa, explaining why other nations sought often to conquer it. Nevertheless, the island nation has retained a distinct character that is a blend of European and Arabic, and while being a playground for the rich and their yachts, still has lovely neighborhoods of both generational inhabitants and newcomers from diverse countries of origin, all happy to host tourists and new friends. Emergency medicine is well-developed on Malta, the two inhabited islands each having a hospital. The main island, Malta, is home to the oldest medical school in Europe; still considered one of Europe’s finest. As always, our congress will feature the finest speakers discussing the hottest topics in emergency medicine, international health and critical care. We will again feature an international updates session, a women’s career development and networking session, and for the first time, a session on managing emergency care in a pandemic. Our congress, and Malta, will have something for everyone. MEMC19 Croatia clearly established us as the premier international emergency medicine conference. This congress is not to be missed! Your AAEM/MAEM team is getting ready to greet you in Malta in September 2022! Welcome!
Sincerely,
Lisa A. Moreno, MD MS MSCR FAAEM FIFEM
President, AAEM