Friday Night, Opening Lecture: THE HEAT IS ON: An Introduction to Wilderness Medicine’s Response to Rising Temperatures
Jordan Rode, MD
I have the honor of opening the conference this year and introducing our amazing speakers and staff. My lecture discusses heat and its relation to our everyday existence on this beautiful planet. I plan to introduce many amazing things we are doing to approach this evolving issue and open the conference by bringing many questions to mind about how to become involved in this changing environment.
KEYNOTE LECTURE: Teamwork in Search and Rescue/Air Medical Transport
Scott E. McIntosh, MD, MPH, FAWM, DiMM
The presentation starts with describing an accident in Utah during a SAR operation. The discussion then moves to aviation and sentinel accidents in flight history to frame how we can use crew resource management to become active members of a team, especially in helicopter SAR and other flight services. This lecture is useful to SAR team members, air medical transport crew, and anyone that operates in/around aircraft as well as anyone in the medical field - hospital and/or prehospital.
Mastering the Art of Cooling Down
Mary Bing, MD
This lecture will cover medical management of various stages of hyperthermia in the pre-hospital and hospital setting.
Panel Lecture: Climate Journal Club
We will have a few high-yield research papers related to heat illness and its impact on our healthcare world followed by a panel of experts to help discuss these topics. There will be plenty of time for questions and open discussions around tactics we can take to approach these issues in our respective fields.
We are hosting our first ever Medwars! More details to follow.
"Keep Calm and Carry On — or Just Carry Them Out?" Master the clinical decision rules for when to stay, play or hike away in head and neck trauma.
Mary Bing, MD, MPH
We will be covering identification and management of the different severities of head and neck injuries, and how we effectively manage them in a low-resource wilderness setting.
Pediatric Injury and Assessment in the Wilderness
Daniel Gragert, DO, MPH
This will be a workshop focused on real-life issues with regards to helping children enjoy the most remote of settings safely. It will cover multiple practical situations with a conversations on salient points for both parents and medical professionals.
Designing and Using a First Response Bag for Trauma Care in the Wilderness
Daniel Gragert, DO, MPH
Master critical hemorrhage control techniques for remote environments where help is hours away. Whether you're a weekend hiker, professional guide, EMT, ski patroller, or search and rescue team member, these critical skills could mean the difference between life and death when help is hours away. We'll guide you through building an effective Compact First Aid Kit tailored to your specific activities and weight constraints. Uniquely, we'll examine how these skills integrate into Flathead County's SAR medical response system. Understanding this system improves coordination when every minute counts.
Suturing and Wound Care in the Wilderness
Ben Hunt, MD, FACS
We will go over various techniques for managing wounds in resource-poor environments, where you may be the most qualified person available to care for the patient.
We'll cover hemorrhage control, wound debridement, suturing, delayed primary closure, managing contaminated and infected wounds, and management of chronic wound complications such as fistulas, keloids, and contractures.
Up or Down, There’s Danger to Be Found: Altitude Illness and Diving Medicine Can Be Deadly!
Jordan Rode, MD
In this interactive workshop we’re going to cover what happens when altitude and high pressure disagree with the human body. So grab your SCUBA gear and trekking poles while we explore these unique diseases and their antidotes.
Bites, Stings, and Dangerous Things
Jordan Rode, MD
Join us for a dive into the world of snakes, ticks, spiders and other creatures! We'll look at the various patterns of identification, disease processes and current treatment options for many of the planet's dangerous inhabitants. You won't want to miss it!
Knot Tying for Every Situation
Dr. Cooper Aakhus, MD, FAWM
We’re going to master several different knots and ties to improve your wilderness and camping skills. Don’t miss this workshop, one of these knots may save your life one day!
Fever in the Returning Traveler
Zina Semenovskaya, MD, FAWM, ISTM
Small group case discussion reviewing the principles and approaches to evaluating, diagnosing and treating patients presenting with a fever secondary to travel-related illness.
Don't Leave Home Without It! Preparing Your Patients (And Yourself) For International Travel
Zina Semenovskaya, MD, FAWM, ISTM
This workshop will provide an overview of key medical considerations for international travel. Participants will learn how to conduct a pre-travel consultation, assess destination-specific health risks, and recommend preventive strategies including vaccinations, medications, and supplements. The workshop will cover common travel-related illnesses such as traveler’s diarrhea, vector-borne diseases (e.g., malaria, dengue), and altitude sickness, along with strategies for minimizing risks related to food, water, insect bites, and environmental exposures. We will also discuss relevant packing advice, how to prepare a medical travel kit, and review real life cases.
Taking Nature’s Temperature, how to recognize and treat hyperthermic emergencies in the wilderness.
James Marvel MD, FAWM
This talk will cover different levels of hyperthermia and develop skills in early recognition and management in a low resource environment.
Ski/snowboard Injuries and Field Management
Dr. Shay Strauss, MD, MS
We will be covering presentations, mechanisms, field evaluation, and management of shoulder/elbow dislocations, knee injuries (ACL/MCL/LCL/PCL, dislocations, tibial plateau). Which injuries you can manage on your own and things to bring with you to get help when needed.
Backcountry Adventure in the Winter
Dr. Shay Strauss, MD, MS
We will be covering how to build your pack for single day and multi-day trips skiing/splitboarding/sledding (snowmobile), apps/maps, intro into avalanches and where to get the training you need before you go into the backcountry, and how to prevent/treat freezing and frostbite.
Tending to our mental health and repairing the human-earth relationship with Nature and Forest Therapy
Mira Parekh, MD & Blake Ellis, APW
Join us for an immersive Forest Therapy experience inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, or Forest Bathing—a research-based method of promoting healing and wellness through guided sensory immersion in nature. An Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) certified guide will lead participants through a series of carefully crafted invitations designed to awaken the senses, quiet the mind, and deepen connection with the more-than-human world. The session begins with a grounding sensory meditation, incorporates regular circle sharing, and concludes with a share wild-crafted and herbal tea. Following the guided experience, attendees will participate in an open Q & A and facilitated discussion to explore key takeaways and practical applications within their personal lives, professional fields, and community wellness efforts. This session offers a powerful opportunity to directly experience and reflect on how slowing down in nature can shift perspective and support holistic well-being.
Where City Planning, Conservation & Heat Injuries Intersect
Candice Coursey, BA, MS, NP
This session investigates the complex relationship between environmental design, land use, and the incidence of heat-related illness in both rural and urban settings. This session will examine the types of heat injuries common in each landscape, highlight vulnerable populations, and assess how city planning and conservation efforts can shape community resilience.
Approach to the Injured Patient in the Wilderness: Musculoskeletal Injury Management
Tony (Arthur) Islas, MD & Mike Chaves, MD
We will go over the on site evaluation of lower and upper extremity injuries including fracture and dislocations / relocations. We will also discuss appropriate treatment for neck injuries in the wilderness setting.
Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS)
Tatiana Havryliuk, MD, FAWM
Why I replaced my stethoscope with POCUS, and you should too!
In this two hour lecture and hands on workshop, I will provide scenarios from my own experience working in remote areas and hypothetical cases where point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) was essential. We will discuss different applications of POCUS, what questions it can help answer, and what one should consider when traveling with a POCUS device in austere environments.