A rare opportunity to hear a conversation on MERT, Afghanistan and the pioneering medical team that transformed emergency trauma care.

MERT: Afghanistan

During the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), the Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) transformed battlefield medicine. Flying aboard specially adapted RAF Chinook helicopters, consultant-led trauma teams brought advanced medical care directly to the point of injury, achieving survival rates once thought impossible and pioneering approaches that continue to influence civilian emergency medicine today.

Former British Army commander Robin Matthews will host a conversation with Tom Martienssen, a former MERT team member and documentary maker developing a major new film about the unit, and Marco Di Lauro, an internationally acclaimed Getty Images photojournalist who was one of the very few civilians to fly operationally with MERT.

Drawing on their first-hand experiences, they will explore how MERT came into being, the realities of the conflict in Helmand Province, and the remarkable legacy of a pioneering team whose innovations have had a lasting impact on trauma care, both on the battlefield and in civilian healthcare worldwide.

This promises to be a compelling and thought-provoking evening, offering a rare insight into one of the most significant medical innovations to emerge from the Afghanistan conflict.

Description supplied by the event organiser.