2022 - 2023 Wilderness Committee Leader Spotlight

Katie Kammert DO, Chair of the EMRA Wilderness Committee, 2022-2023

Program: Spectrum Health Lakeland

Your goal as an EMRA leader: Bring together EM Residents to share wilderness knowledge and skills

Why get involved in a professional society? Network with colleagues, share your passions and travel the country

What is the best advice you've ever received? Stay curious

Did you pick up a new quarantine hobby? Plant Lady 

What's the last non-textbook you read? Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

What's on your playlist? A different genre every 3 minutes 😆

Matt Basinger, MD, Chair-Elect of the EMRA Wilderness Committee, 2022-2023

Program: University of Michigan

Your goal as an EMRA leader: My goal is to advocate for and provide professional advancement opportunities for residents.

What is something people don't know about you? My first job was at Quiznos as a Sandwich Artist and I still love toasted subs

If I weren't an emergency physician, I would be: National Park Service Ranger or Ski Patroller

Did you pick up a new quarantine hobby? Microsoft Flight Simulator

Favorite life hack for night shifts: Pocket hot dogs are the perfect 4am pick me up

Kara Hatlevoll, DO, MS, FAWM, Vice Chair of the EMRA Wilderness Committee, 2022-2023

Program: Norman Regional Emergency Medicine Residency

Your goal as an EMRA leader: To continue to bridge the gap between traditional medical education and wilderness medicine for students, residents, and fellows.

What is something people don't know about you? My favorite food is steamed clams.

If I weren't an emergency physician, I would be: An auto mechanic, preferably on classic Chevy cars

Did you pick up a new quarantine hobby? No but we did just get a puppy named Maya! She basically counts as a hobby.

Favorite life hack for night shifts: Blackout curtains + sleep mask + fans for white noise + ear plugs + cold room = best way to reset sleep

Tyler Rigdon, Vice Chair of the EMRA Wilderness Committee, 2022-2023

Program: UCI Irvine

Your goal as an EMRA leader: To increase opportunities for others in order for people to find their niche in medicine and increase their overall well-being!

Did you pick up a new quarantine hobby? Mixology!

Favorite life hack for night shifts: mid-shift espresso shots

What's the last non-textbook you read? Flourish by Martin Seligman

What's on your playlist? It changes constantly by right now Linkin Park, Conor Maynard and Alan Walker

Why get involved in a professional society? Too many reasons to list- the connections you build and the opportunities that present themselves (often unanticipated) are my two favorite

Kaitlyn Votta, MD, Vice Chair of the EMRA Wilderness Committee, 2022-2023

Program: The Mount Sinai Hosptial

Your goal as an EMRA leader: Make wilderness medicine accessible to all levels of learners and showcase how awesome it can be!

If I weren't an emergency physician, I would be: An English professor

What's the last non-textbook you read? Born To Run; a phenomenal nonfiction book about ultra-running and development of humans as runners

What's on your playlist? Country music and broadway

Joseph Mueller, Asst. Vice Chair of the EMRA Wilderness Committee, 2022-2023

Program: University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

Your goal as an EMRA leader: To involve people around the country in wilderness medicine events! Also, to spread awareness of applications of wilderness medicine in low resource care settings globally.

What is the best advice you've ever received? If you're waiting for a decision to be 90/10, that might never happen. If it's 60/40, you sometimes have to go with the 60.

If I weren't an emergency physician, I would be: Probably a backpacking or climbing guide.

What's the last non-textbook you read? The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

What's on your playlist? Honestly....ABBA

Danusha Sanchez MIS, PMP, NREMT, NASM-CPT, Asst. Vice Chair of the EMRA Wilderness Committee, 2022-2023

Program: Poznan University of Medical Sciences

Your goal as an EMRA leader: My goal is to be a voice for international medical students curious about EM; especially students studying in Europe who are only familiar with the German-Franco model of EM. I hope to achieve this goal by increasing USIMG/IMG involvement in the super exciting EMRA MedWAR Challenge. My goal is to increase the number of competing international teams and help provide any resources that they would need to prepare for the event @ ACEP2022.

Did you pick up a new quarantine hobby? During quarantine, for the first time ever, I picked up lyric writing and combined it to an old hobby of singing. Thanks to the quarantine, I was able to take the lyrics and record a song at a recording studio. It was beyond exciting to get the full professional experience! You will have to be the judge on whether it actually is any good. ;-)

What is the best advice you've ever received? I can't remember who shared this advice with me, but the best advice I've ever gotten is actually in the form of a quote which I have designed into my medal rack. It says, "The only thing between you and your goals is the BS you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it." - Jordan Belfort.

Sasha Selby, MD, Asst. Vice Chair of the EMRA Wilderness Committee, 2022-2023

Program: Mayo Clinic

Your goal as an EMRA leader: To inspire others to pursue their passions, get outside and enjoy everything the world has to offer (Safely of course).

Why get involved in a professional society? To aid big picture decision making in policy development and resident leadership.

What is something people don't know about you? That I have a pet wolf

If I weren't an emergency physician, I would be: A flight paramedic (but sadly I get too motion sick)

Did you pick up a new quarantine hobby? Cross country skiing (Recently placed last place in a race... I never said I was any good)

Sarah Spelsberg PA-C, FAWM, FEWM, Asst. Vice Chair of the EMRA Wilderness Committee, 2022-2023

Program: Saint James School of Medicine - Saint Vincent

Your goal as an EMRA leader: Foster information and experience sharing to create educational opportunities and help create Wilderness elective opportunities by leveraging my remote Alaskan and medevac connections

What is something people don't know about you? I am actually a bit of an introvert - I enjoy being by myself in the wilderness - I have a set amount of what I call "extroverted social currency" that I can use to participate in society daily

If I weren't an emergency physician, I would be: A pilot

Did you pick up a new quarantine hobby? To save money in medical school I started making my own skin care and I ramped that up during quarantine - I researched ingredients in my favorite products and created my own

What's on your playlist? I am really into the Endless Fields acoustic group - lots of alt rock - Sting and the Foo Fighters