Dr Lisa Charles.
“Developing emergency medicine isn’t just about teaching medicine. It’s about building relationships that last long after the conference ends.”
When delegates arrive in Saint Lucia for DevelopingEM 2026, they will be welcomed by someone whose story has become inseparable from the evolution of emergency medicine on the island.
Dr Lisa Charles has spent her career caring for patients, building services, mentoring clinicians and helping connect Saint Lucia with the global emergency medicine community.
As Co-Director of DevelopingEM 2026, she brings together local knowledge, international experience and more than a decade of collaboration with DevelopingEM.
A Partnership More Than Ten Years in the Making.
Lisa first became involved with DevelopingEM more than a decade ago, presenting at DevelopingEM Cuba 2013 on the development of emergency medicine in Saint Lucia.
What began as a conference presentation quickly became something much more.
Following that meeting, friendships developed between clinicians from Saint Lucia, Australia, North America and around the Caribbean. Those relationships translated into practical projects that directly benefited patient care.
One of the earliest successes was the donation of portable ultrasound machines to Victoria Hospital in Castries, allowing clinicians to expand point-of-care ultrasound in daily emergency practice. It became one of DevelopingEM’s earliest examples of how international collaboration could continue long after delegates returned home.
Building Emergency Medicine in Saint Lucia.
Working in a small Caribbean island nation presents unique opportunities and challenges. Lisa has consistently been one of the country’s strongest advocates for developing emergency medicine as a specialty, improving emergency care systems and strengthening education for future clinicians.
Her work has included developing emergency and critical care services, promoting point-of-care ultrasound, supporting multidisciplinary education, fostering international educational partnerships and mentoring the next generation of Caribbean emergency clinicians.
A Voice for Small Island Emergency Medicine.
In 2020 the International Federation for Emergency Medicine profiled Lisa as part of its Emergency Physician Stories series. She described the realities of practising emergency medicine in a small island developing state, highlighting innovation, teamwork and collaboration as the keys to delivering outstanding emergency care.
Why DevelopingEM 2026 Matters.
For Lisa, bringing DevelopingEM to Saint Lucia represents the continuation of a journey that began more than ten years ago. Together with the Saint Lucia Ministry of Health, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and emergency clinicians from across the Caribbean, DevelopingEM 2026 aims to strengthen regional education while supporting more than 60 Saint Lucian and Caribbean delegates.
Looking Forward.
The return of DevelopingEM to the Caribbean represents much more than just another conference. It is the next chapter in a partnership that began in Cuba over a decade ago and has continued through workshops, ultrasound programmes, faculty exchanges, mentorship and enduring friendships.
In November 2026, delegates will not simply be visiting Saint Lucia—they will be joining a community that Dr Lisa Charles has spent many years helping to build.
Become part of the DevelopingEM family with Lisa, Mark and Sanj this November.