Charles Ickes

I just posted a new article over on the ghbledsoe.com website about a guy named Charles Ickes who is listed as a coauthor on some malaria research papers.

Ickes is interesting because he was an incarcerated prisoner at Stateville Penitentiary serving time for armed robbery at the time of the research publication.

If you are interested in Travel Medicine or Topical Medicine, the Ickes story is a fascinating historical tidbit from years gone by.

2012 Expedition Medicine National Conference Agenda

Hey guys.

Here at ExpedMed we've been working hard to put together yet another great conference agenda for our annual Expedition Medicine National Conference this September 28-30, 2012.

Since 2007 we've had this event in Washington, DC and we're pleased to announce the 2012 agenda. There are a few new names on the speaker list, and over the next few weeks we'll be introducing you to some of our new lecturers.

For those who want to make sure not to miss this exceptional eduational opportunity, we're already taking registrations.  The event will once again be at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in downtown DC, and will cover many important topics related to medical care on expeditions and in remote locations.

So, without further ado, here's the agenda for our 2012 ExpedMed event in Washington, DC.  Remember, all participants will receive 20 hours of Category I CME credits and our 700 page hardback textbook Expedition & Wilderness Medicine, free of charge.

September 28^th, Friday

8:00-10:00am The Expedition Medical Kit, Michael Callahan

9:00-10:00am Travel Immunizations, David Townes

10:00-10:30am Break

10:30-11:30am Living and Working Abroad, Gregory Bledsoe

11:30-12:30 High Altitude Medicine I, Peter Hackett

12:30-2pm Lunch

2:00pm-3:00pm Wilderness Medicine EMS, Will Smith

3:00pm-4:00pm High Altitude Medicine II, Peter Hackett

4:00-4:30pm Break

4:30-5:30pm Wilderness Mass Casualty Incident, Will Smith

5:30pm-6:30pm Disaster Medicine, Christina Catlett

September 29^th, Saturday

8:00-9:00am Medical Direction in the Wilderness, Will Smith

9:00-10:00am Patients at Altitude, Peter Hackett

10:00-10:30am Break

10:30-11:30am Bringing Combat Medicine to the Wilderness, Will Smith

11:30-12:30 Malaria Prevention and Chemoprophylaxis, Alan Magill

12:30-2pm  Lunch

2pm-3pm Telemedicine, David Townes

3pm-4pm Getting High for Science, Peter Hackett

4:00-4:30pm Break

4:30-5:30pm Rabies, Alan Magill

5:30pm-6:30pm Reptile Envenomations, Michael Callahan

September 30^th, Sunday

8:00-9:00am Dive Medicine, Matthew Partrick

9:00-10:00am Self-Treatment for Expeditions, Alan Magill

10:00-10:30am Break

10:30-11:30am When Animals Attack, Christina Catlett

11:30-12:30 Arthropod Envenomations, Michael Callahan

Dr. Jerri Mendelson: A Career in Wilderness Medicine

Dr. Jerri Mendelson is a Dermatologist practicing in the northwest United States.  She also is a former wildlife biologist and a recognized expert in Wilderness Medicine.  In this video, Dr. Mendelson talks about her career and how she made the transition from wildlife biologist to Dermatologist.  Dr. Mendelson's bio is below.

Dr. Jeri Kersten Mendelson is a board-certified dermatologist. She began her professional career as a wildlife biologist with a degree from the University of Wyoming. Her wildlife jobs took her to Wyoming, northern Thailand and eastern Oregon where she worked as a big game biologist for the Ochoco National Forest.

After leaving the Forest Service she attended the University of Oregon where she received a Masters degree studying bat echolocation. It was at the U of O where she met her husband and for the next several years followed him to Northwestern University, University of Pittsburgh and finally to the University of Arkansas for his post doctoral training in neurophysiology and physical therapy. Along this journey she taught anatomy and physiology and general biology. She attended the University of Arkansas medical school and dermatology residency program while her husband ran a medical research lab and practiced physical therapy. Together, they raised two active Razorback-loving boys.

Dr. Mendelson is a certified Dermatologist, MD FAAD and currently practices in Medford. As a clinical associate professor at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), Dr. Mendelson also teaches dermatology to family practice residents during their rotations in the clinic. She has continued her educational interests by working with school groups and community organizations in sun/skin awareness programs. Jeri is a part time speaker and faculty member for the Wilderness Medicine Society.

How to Get Into Wilderness Medicine: An Interview with Dr. Howard Donner

I've been organizing and directing medical conferences since 2006.  One of the benefits of these events is that I have the opportunity to meet many fascinating and inspiring individuals.  Of all these individuals, one of my favorites is Dr. Howard Donner.

Howard is a hilarious person who I first heard speak at a Wilderness Medicine conference when I was still a resident.  Years later, Howard authored the first chapter of our Expedition & Wilderness Medicine textbook, and has spoken numerous times at our ExpedMed events.

In this interview, I sit down with Howard to hear not only about his career, but also about the history of how Wilderness Medicine began as an organized discipline. As always, Howard's interview-- complete with outtakes and side discussions-- is lively and fun and provides a number of insights into how someone can build a career in Wilderness Medicine.  I've posted his bio below the video.

Howard Donner is a Family Practice physician and a well-known expert in Wilderness Medicine. Dr. Donner served as an Expedition Physician on the 1988 Kangchenjunga Expedition, the 1997 NOVA Everest Expedition, and as a medical officer on the Denali Medical Research Project. As co-author of Field Guide to Wilderness Medicine, Dr. Donner is a frequent national lecturer and has provided medical support as a volunteer for the National Park Service. In addition to his medical expertise, Dr. Donner works as a commercial pilot and independent filmmaker.

Building a Wilderness Medicine Career: An Interview with Dr. Michael Callahan

In this video clip, Dr. Michael Callahan discusses his career in Wilderness Medicine and gives advice to other physicians about how they might develop a similar career.  Dr. Callahan is a well-known expert in Wilderness Medicine.  We've posted his bio below the video.

Dr. Michael Callahan is a Program Manager for Biodefense and Mass-Casualty Care at the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) and an Associate Physician at the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Current wilderness medicine activities include oversight of clinical research programs to protect U.S. military personnel during sustained, extreme operations, including projects in Rapid Altitude Acclimatization and Immune Hardening. Before joining DARPA, Dr Callahan was principal investigator for the S.E. Asian Polyvalent Antivenin Trial in Na Trang, Vietnam. He maintains disaster medicine billets with two international disaster response organizations.

Build a Career in Tropical Medicine: An Interview with Professor David Warrell

In 2008, I had the opportunity to sit down with one of my medical heroes, Professor David Warrell of Oxford.  Professor Warrell has had an incredible career in Tropical Medicine, having published over 400 research papers and lived in multiple countries over the courser of the past 40 years.  I pulled this interview from the ExpedMed archives because it is simply so good.  

In this interview, I ask Professor Warrell about his career and ask how someone could build a career in Tropical Medicine today.  Below the video is a brief summary of Professor Warrell's bio.

Professor David Warrell is now Emeritus Professor of Tropical Medicine and Honorary Fellow of St. Cross College at the University of Oxford, UK. After training at Oxford, St Thomas’s Hospital and the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London, UK, he has lived and worked as a physician, teacher, researcher and expedition doctor in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Tanzania, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru. He is senior editor of the Oxford Textbook of Medicine and Essential Malariology and the Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine and has published more than 400 research papers and textbook chapters on malaria, rabies, relapsing fevers and other infectious and tropical diseases, comparative respiratory physiology, respiratory diseases, herpetology, venomous animals, envenoming and plant and chemical poisoning. He is a consultant to the World Health Organization (on malaria, rabies, snake bites, antivenom production), British Army, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Medical Research Council, Royal Geographical Society, Zoological Society of London and Earth Watch International. He is a past President of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and International Federation for Tropical Medicine and Honorary Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ceylon College of Physicians.

Money for Expeditions & Travel

One of the big problems with expeditions and travel is the cost.  With the recession, it has become increasingly difficult to find funding, even for extremely promising projects.

For those budding explorers and tropical/travel medicine scholars out there, I've put together this list of potential funding sources for your overseas projects.  All have different criteria, so make sure you qualify before you apply, and please note that this list is not exhaustive.  I welcome any additions to this list that you guys might have.

• Young Explorers Grant
• The Explorers Club Student Grants
• The Explorers Club Eddie Bauer Grants
• Yale/Stanford Johnson & Johnson Global Health Scholars Program 
• Benjamin H. Kean Traveling Fellowship in Tropical Medicine
• Gorgas Memorial Institute Research Award
• Robert E. Shope International Fellowship in Infectious Disease
• International Society of Travel Medicine Research Award
• Wilderness Medical Society Humanitarian Aid Award