Upcoming Conferences and Courses

Aron Ralston will share his experiences of amputating his own arm with a multitool in Big Sky, MT

The field of wilderness medicine is famous for throwing awesome conferences in amazing locales. The organizers are able to develop a balance between educational activities (lectures and workshops) and outdoor fun. Here's a list of some upcoming events:

Oct 30 - Nov 2 WMS Travel, Dive, and Marine Medicine Lahaina, Maui, HI

Feb 5 - 9 Wilderness and Mountain Medicine Park City, UT

Feb 12 - 16 National Conference on Wilderness Medicine Big Sky, MT

March 2 - 6 National Conference on Wilderness Medicine Snowbird, UT

March 6 - 7 Southeast Student Wilderness Medicine Conference Augusta, GA

Can't make it to a conference out west? Here are some upcoming wilderness medicine courses nearby:

Oct 25 -29 Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals (WUMP NOLS course) Cullowhee, NC

Dec 6 - 14 Wilderness First Responder (NOLS) Cedar Mountain, NC

Dec 10 - 18 Wilderness First Responder (NOLS) Bryson City, NC

Dec 13 - 21 Wilderness First Responder (NOLS) Cullowhee, NC

Dec 14 - 22 Wilderness First Responder (NOLS) Mount Berry, GA

Dr. Davis on Hypothermia

Many of Napoleon's troops died of hypothermia during the retreat from Russia in the winter of 1812.

With many of us making plans for winter break, it is important to know the effects of cold weather on the body. Our faculty co-sponsor, Dr. Greg Davis, will be joining us on September 29th at noon in MN-263 to discuss ways to prevent and treat hypothermia. Join us for an amazing Chinese buffet, good times, and great stories.

We will have elections for officers at this meeting. Please let Matt Lally know if you are interested in running.

If you have free time before the meeting, read Jack London's depiction of hypothermia in To Build a Fire.

Here is an article about a northern Kentucky teen who died of hypothermia back in March.

Expert in Expedition Medicine coming to UK

On May 17th, the WMIG is honored to have Dr. Michael Manyak speak at our special, end of the school year, meeting. Dr. Manyak is a physician specializing in the fields of urology and expedition medicine. He is also a professor at George Washington University in the departments of Urology, Engineering, Microbiology, and Tropical Medicine. He serves as Chief Medical Officer for Triple Canopy, an international security firm that provides protection to diplomats and other government officials and guards embassies. In the medical corporate world, he has served on the scientific advisory board, as a consultant or as director, to more than 25 biomedical technology and pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Manyak has over a decade of experience traveling the globe and providing medical care to scientists on research expeditions. A member of The Explorers Club and The Wilderness Medical Society, Dr. Manyak co-authored the textbook, Expedition & Wilderness Medicine. Come to the Wethington building (room CTW014) at 5:45pm for refreshments and 6:00pm to hear him speak.

Learn more about Dr. Manyak at his web-site:

http://www.michaelmanyak.com/

Expedition experience includes:

- Lake Natron, Tanzania

- Lake Khosvgol, Mongolia

- Colca Canyon, Peru

- Antarctica

- RMS Titanic Wreck Site

- KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

- Ndoki rainforest, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Workshop and a Meeting

March is a busy month for the Wilderness Medicine Interest Group. On March 27th, we are hosting a Wilderness Medicine Educational Workshop at the Red River Gorge. Students will have the opportunity to rotate through different stations where they will learn hands-on skills for the backcountry environment. After learning about patient assessment, splinting and spine immobilization, and water purification techniques, we will conclude with the obligatory Miguel's Pizza.

On March 30th we are honored to have Dr. Todd Cheever from the Department of Psychiatry speak to us about the psychological aspects of a search and rescue. Come out to room MN-463 at noon for an interesting discussion and some amazing food.

Upcoming Events

Here are some upcoming events in Wilderness Medicine. For more information, follow the links or check out the links listed on the right.

Conferences:
Feb 6 - 10 Wilderness Medicine Conference (Big Sky, MT)
Feb 19 - 24 WMS Winter Meeting (Park City, UT)
March 3 - 7 Wilderness Medicine Conference (Snowbird, UT)
March 6 - 7 Southeast Student Wilderness Medicine Conference (Augusta, GA)
May 26 - 30 Wilderness and Travel Medicine (Santa Fe, NM)
July 23 - 28 WMS Annual Meeting (Snowmass, CO)

Courses: All are NOLS courses
Feb 21 - 25 Wilderness Upgrade for Medical Professionals (WUMP) (Pipestem, WV)
Feb 25 - 29 WUMP (Paonia, CO)
March 3 - 7 WUMP (Flagstaff, AZ)
June 14 - 19 WUMP (Cullowhee, NC)
August 2 - 9 WUMP (Cullowhee, NC)

October Meeting

Join us for our October meeting on the 20th at noon! It will feature Dr. Jeremy Stich, a second year ER resident here at UK. He will be talking about resuscitation in a wilderness setting.
We will be providing our usual Chinese food dues paying members, but please bring your own drink. Also more info will be available about our upcoming Red River Gorge Wilderness Workshop on Nov 14!

Are the Mountains Killing Your Brain?

Check out this article Dr. Davis forwarded to me from Outside magazine. What a classic picture of Conrad Anker, too. Why does he always look like he's in the death zone in his pictures?