Dr Dan Pronk studied medicine on an army scholarship and upon graduating moved quickly into Special Operations following successful completion of the SAS selection course. He served four tours of duty in Afghanistan and was awarded the Commendation for Distinguished Service for his leadership in action on his second tour. Upon discharge from the army, Dan completed an MBA and has since held medical leadership roles. He has a deep interest in resilience and is the co-author of the best-selling book The Resilience Shield, which presents resilience as a dynamic, multifactorial, and modifiable construct. Dan spent just over a year working as a fly-in, fly-out doctor at Olympic Dam as his first job following discharge from the army (2014-2015). His role included the routine medicals for employees, their day-to-day medical care, and response to emergencies. Dan also had a role in training the Emergency Response Team and has continued engagement in that area, most recently being a presenter and guest judge at the 2023 South Australian Mines Emergency Response Competition (SAMERC). This involvement has given Dan great insight into the unique stressors of the mining world, including long working hours, sleep disturbance from shift work, social isolation, high-risk environments, and response to, and recovery from, critical incidents.