Health emergencies in large populations: a disaster medicine learning experience.

The Health Emergencies in Large Populations course, organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, is delivered in a decentralized manner by a number of academic centers around the world. It was one of the first formal educational opportunities developed for those in humanitarian assistance organizations, and its initial aim was to upgrade professionalism in humanitarian assistance programs conducted in emergency situations. This article summarizes the history and describes the current content, structure, and costs of the course.