On 22 July 2025, 15 medical students from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin took part in a unique, full-day practical training hosted by CADUS, a Berlin-based humanitarian NGO currently active in Ukraine and Gaza.

Held at the CADUS´s “Makerspace” serving as training and simulation Center in Berlin, the event gave students rare insight into the complex realities of delivering medical care in conflict zones and other hostile environments. The students were immersed in realistic scenarios inspired by real-world humanitarian crises.

Learning Under Pressure: From Radios to Rapid Triage

Similar to so called HEAT-Trainings (Hostile Environment Awareness Training) the exercises made students rotated through multiple training modules covering:

• Clinical activities in conflict settings
• Effective communication via radio
• Team-based response structures
• Behavior in uncertain or dangerous environments
• Psychosocial resilience after traumatic experiences

The highlight of the session was a large-scale simulation of a mass casualty incident. Students were tasked with organizing themselves into trauma stabilization teams to triage and treat a sudden influx of injured individuals — portrayed by volunteers with mock wounds and varying degrees of distress. The simulation escalated as students encountered panicked crowds, aggressive bystanders, and armed threats, pushing them to stay calm, communicate effectively, and work together under pressure.

Each scenario concluded with structured debriefings led by seasoned CADUS emergency personnel including Sebastian Jünemann (CEO and Co-Founder of CADUS) and course lead Dr. Maximilian Gertler - specialist in tropical and emergency medicine at the Charité Centre for Global Health - helping participants process the experience and reflect on their reactions, decisions, and teamwork.

Bringing Practice into Perspective

The hands-on training at CADUS is part of the compulsory elective course for medical students at Charité “Daten fuer Taten – Humanitäre Hilfe in Krisen, Kriegen und Epidemien”  developed and coordinated Dr. Gertler at the Institute of International Health and the Charité Centre for Global Health. The Module bridges theory and practice by equipping students with essential skills in global health crisis response. These experiences aim to prepare the next generation of physicians not only for clinical excellence but also for understanding better and positioning themselves vis-à-vis avis complex emergencies in a changing world.

We thank CADUS for their ongoing partnership and for sharing their expertise.