Wilderness Committee
Wilderness Division Leaders
Chair
Joe Mueller, MD
Chair Elect
Jackson Anderson, MD
Vice Chair
Mariko Ching, MD
Vice Chair
Jacques (Jack) Lowe
Vice Chair
Carlos Enciso Lopez, MD
Assistant Vice Chair
Ian Brodka, MD
Assistant Vice Chair
Megan Barthels, MD
Assistant Vice Chair
Brian Legvold, MSPH
Assistant Vice Chair
Erin Kinney, MS4
Assistant Vice Chair
Danusha (Dee) Sanchez MD, PMP, MIS, NREMT
Speaker of the Council
Jacob Altholz, MD
Looking for more information about opportunities in Wilderness Emergency Medicine?
EMRA Wilderness Olympics
This year, we, the EMRA Wilderness Committee, are happy to present a brand-new event, the Wilderness Olympics, that will take place at Unconventional ACEP 2020.
In lieu of a traditional MedWAR, this year the EMRA Wilderness Committee is presenting something different at Unconventional ACEP 2020. We are hoping to provide an outlet for all wilderness medicine lovers and those interested in some healthy competition.
Being virtual, we are no longer constrained by limitations on participants, this year’s event will be open to all interested teams. But don’t worry, but because we are virtual, we will still make you sweat (in a socially distant and responsible way).
Deadline to register your five-person team is September 15. A chance drawing will reveal the competing teams!
Register your teamSocially Responsible Wilderness Exploration in the Time of COVID
Interested in learning skills and strategies for wilderness exploration during these days of social distancing? With many shelters no longer accessible, how can you pack to better prepare yourself. What are the best ways to be socially responsible while still getting out to explore? Learn all this and more on our wildnerness medicine call.
Guest Speakers:
Paul Auerbach, MD, MS, FACEP, MFAWM
Taylor Haston, MD
Ian Wedmore, MD
"As humans extend into remote reaches of the globe and large populations encounter environmental changes at an ever-increasing rate, this medicine of exploration, adventure, travel, and disaster response has become indispensable. While much of the medicine practiced in remote areas or under environmental extremes is “emergency” in nature, the field of wilderness medicine has advanced beyond the exciting rescues of extreme alpinists and survivalists. It has expanded in scope beyond the physiology and pathophysiology of medical conditions relevant to wilderness environments to include the practice of medicine in situations of constrained resources, during times of catastrophe, and often in impoverished countries during global humanitarian relief. Practitioners skilled in wilderness medicine have become rescuers and leaders noted for their resourcefulness and rugged practicality." - Dr. Paul Auerbach
Joining EMRA Committees is easy and FREE.
Just log into your EMRA account and select which one(s) you wish to join.
Once you join, you will receive an invitation to be part of the EMRA Committee Basecamp, which helps facilitate communication and collaboration.
Marine Envenomations with Mark Silverberg, MD, FACEP
EMRA's Wilderness Committee hosted a discussion led by Mark Silverberg, MD, FACEP.
Watch Now2019 EMRA MedWAR Congratulations
Congratulations to team Stanford EM (SKEMbags) from Stanford Emergeny Medicine. Interested in participating or volunteering for EMRA's MedWAR, learn more here.
ACEP Wilderness Section
As a resident, you get joint memberships in both EMRA and ACEP - so make sure you're aware and informed of what the ACEP Wilderness Section is doing!
When you set up your EMRA/ACEP membership, you get (2) section memberships for free - one to the ACEP Young Physician Section, and one of your choice. Why not make that choice Wilderness Medicine?
Additional ACEP section fees are half off - only $20!
Learn MoreWilderness Virtual Mentorship
If you are new to the committee or have an interest in Wilderness Medicine, but do not have adequate mentorship at your home institution, please fill in the information below and allow us to pair you with a mentor in your region or who shares your academic interests!
If you're a fellow or an attending interested in serving as either a short-term or long-term mentor to those interested in wilderness medicine, please fill in the information below.
Virtual Mentorship RegistrationEMRA MedWAR
EMRA’s MedWAR (Medical Wilderness Adventure Race) combines wilderness medicine with adventure racing to create a unique event designed to teach and test wilderness survival and medical skills. This event provides residents and medical students an opportunity for hands-on wilderness medicine experience. The best way to learn wilderness medicine is to get outside and practice. Participants are challenged to use their broad knowledge of wilderness medicine to handle a series of potential medical emergencies. Do you have what it takes to compete?
Learn MoreWilderness Resources
How to develop a WM lecture seriesSimulation Materials
True wilderness emergencies are not an everyday event for most of us but as we strive to be prepared for medical complications in the wilderness, simulation can play a vital role in transferring our knowledge into skills and practical action. Four high-fidelity cases were developed by the Stanford Wilderness Medicine Fellowship and presented by the ACEP Wilderness Medicine Section at ACEP13 in Seattle. The case files have been made available by the Stanford Wilderness Medicine Fellowship and we encourage you to download them and use them in your respective programs or training organizations:
Case IEMRA Fellowship Guide
Chapter 30 Wilderness Medicine Fellowship
Wilderness medicine (WM) is the practice of medicine with limited resources in austere environments, or health care provided anywhere in which environmental conditions have inflicted a patient’s physiologic insult. This simple definition belies the complexity of this specialty, as well as the extensive and varied opportunities it provides. Training in wilderness medicine can prepare physicians to treat mountaineers and sherpas on Everest, serve as directors of national parks, oversee search and rescue missions, work in hyperbarics or dive medicine, and provide medical care on expeditions or at remote scientific base camps. A wilderness medicine physician must not only have a knowledge of medical problems that arise in the elements (i.e. acute mountain sickness, hypothermia, lightning strikes, dysbarism, and envenomations, to name a few), but also how to acutely manage these problems outside of the hospital and often with minimal support.
Go to Chapter 30Wilderness Medicine Organizations
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ACEP Wilderness Medicine Section
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Expedition and Wilderness Medicine
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Explorer’s Club
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Himalayan Rescue Association
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International Society of Mtn Medicine
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Nat'l Assoc of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP)
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Wilderness Medical Society
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Wilderness Medicine Associates
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Wilderness Medicine Institute
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U.S. Army Research Institute
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U.S. Park Service
Additional External Wilderness Articles
Related Content
Mar 16, 2023
Lessons from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue Team
The Wilderness Committee will be hosting Dr. Allison McNickle, MD, and Officer John Thayer, leaders in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue Team, at CORD on March 20 at 2:45 pm. They will be discussing prolonged extrication and medical delivery in search and rescue through a case-based presentation from the Las Vegas Metropolitan and Red Rocks Nature area.