Available IN-PERSON or
via LIVE Video from our Studio
Public Speaking
An inspirational speaker with a unique perspective on world health
Dr. Mark Keim knows exactly how disasters can impact a community. He uses this knowledge – 20+ years of professional and personal experience – to deliver engaging talks to audiences of all backgrounds. He’s served as a guest lecturer for over 100 engagements in over 40 countries.
As a speaker, Mark is uniquely skilled in bringing warmth and humor to difficult subjects. Not only does he share disaster preparation tips, he delves into true stories of his survival from a deadly tornado and his work with the CDC amid some of the most devastating crises, including Hurricane Katrina and the September 11 attacks.
Dr. Keim can customize professional lectures and keynote addresses specific to the needs of the occasion. Scroll down for a list of DisasterDoc lecture topics currently offered.
What They’re Saying
Lecture Topics

Disaster Risk Management
- Overview of disaster risk management
- Disasters and health
- Disaster risk reduction and health
- Reducing the risk of disaster-related injuries
- Disasters and prevention
- Business continuity during public health emergencies
- Emergency preparedness
- Emergency response
- Crisis leadership
- Incident management systems
- Social media in disasters

Climate Change
- Health impacts of climate change
- Extreme weather events
- Small island developing states
- Disasters and adaptation
- Impact on Pacific island health
- Sea level rise and starvation in the Pacific
- Disaster reduction and climate change

Disasters and Health
- Introduction to Disasters and Health
- Natural disasters
- Biological disasters
- Earthquakes
- Tsunamis
- Volcanoes
- Landslides
- Floods
- Hurricanes (Cyclones)
- Heat waves
- Cold weather
- Fires
- Tornadoes

Industrial Disasters
- Power failure
- Bombings
- Fire and explosions
- Chemical release
- Radiological/nuclear
- Biological weapons
- Chemical weapons

Disaster Medicine
- Health impacts of climate change
- Extreme weather events
- Small island developing states
- Disasters and adaptation
- Impact on Pacific island health
- Sea level rise and starvation in the Pacific
- Disaster reduction and climate change

Emergency Preparedness
- Overview of emergency preparedness for health
- Disaster risk assessment
- Disaster planning
- Disaster exercises
- Disaster deployment

Disaster Case Studies
- 1996 Olympic Games
- Montserrat volcano eruption
- Anthrax letters
- World Trade Center attacks
- Hurricane Katrina
- Indian Ocean tsunami
- BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill
- Fukushima radiation release

“To this day, I remember several of his stories, including how he took lessons as a kid from his weekly reader and then applied them in life and death situations in his adult life. That’s powerful stuff!”
Past Speaking Engagements
Keynote speaker
🇵🇼 Pacific Basin Medical Association Annual Meeting
Title: The Impact of Climate Change on Pacific Health
Koror, Palau | September 11, 2015
Guest Lecturer
🇺🇸 Chicago American Red Cross Chapter
6th Annual American Red Cross Red Cross Preparedness Summit
Title: Understanding Infectious Disease Risk
Chicago, IL | August 20, 2015
Guest Lecturer
🇺🇸 Howard County Emerging Infectious Disease Symposium
Title: Understanding Infectious Disease Risk
Laurel, MD | October 30, 2015
Guest Lecturer & Moderator for Plenary Session
🇺🇸 2016 Public Health and Medical Preparedness Summit
Title: Making Smart Choices: Disaster Risk Reduction at Home and Abroad
Dallas, TX | April 20, 2016
Guest Lecturer
🇺🇸 2016 Public Health and Medical Preparedness Summit
Title: Applying the Disaster Risk Reduction Model for Health Systematically in the United States
Dallas, TX | April 21, 2016
Keynote speaker
🇺🇸 2016 Integrated Public Health and Healthcare System Preparedness Summit
Title: Reducing Disaster Risk: A New Paradigm for Public Health
Chicago, IL | June 23, 2016
Guest Lecturer
🇺🇸 Georgia Environmental Health Association
Title: Prevention: The future of disaster management
Savannah, GA | July 1, 2016
Keynote speaker
🇺🇸 Conference on Building Human Resilience for Climate Change
Title: From Reaction to Prevention: A Call to Action
Washington, DC | November 4, 2016
Guest Lecturer
🇺🇸 Climate and Health Meeting (hosted by former US Vice President Al Gore)
Title: Extreme Weather Events
Atlanta, GA | February 16, 2017
Guest Lecturer
🇺🇸 Ventura County, California Emergency Medical Services
Master the Disaster Conference
Title: From Reaction to Prevention: A Call to Action
Camarillo, CA | February 22, 2017
Keynote speaker
🇺🇸 Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO) Mid-year Meeting
Title: Disaster Risk Management: The World Is Moving from Reaction to Prevention
New Brunswick, NJ | May 1, 2019
Keynote speaker
🇺🇸 Maryland Emergency Management Association (MDEMA)
Title: Disaster Risk Management for Leaders
Ocean City, MD | May 29, 2019
Keynote speaker
🇺🇸 Annual Meeting Environmental Council of States (ECOS)
Title: Climate change science and “resilience”: Current state and future trends
Seattle, WA | September 24, 2019