There are many avenues for participation by healthcare professionals in disaster preparedness and larger-scale emergency response, but in a sense, many of us are unsure exactly where our areas of expertise would allow us to make a contribution in preparation for, and in response to, a disaster. Should we just accept that disaster will happen, and begin our preparations from there? If not, how and why should we facilitate broader preparations? Dr. Ralph Shealy, co-director of the Disaster Preparedness and Response Training Network for the South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium, and an internationally recognized expert in disaster medicine, presents a series of interesting considerations about our individual roles in disaster scenarios during this conversation with host Dr. John Armstrong.