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. Michael VanRooyen and Starting a Company

Dr. Michael VanRooyen is the Director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.  He's also the founder or co-founder of four start-up companies including Ibex, a patient tracking system for Emergency Departments that was eventually bought by Picis.

From 2002 to 2004, I worked as one of Mike's International Emergency Medicine fellows within the Johns Hopkins Department of Emergency Medicine.

This is a video clip of Mike's talk at our 2009 Medical Fusion Conference.  While Mike is most well-known for his humanitarian work, he's also a very astute businessman and entrepreneur.  If you're a Wilderness Medicine aficionado, you are probably familiar with Mike's work in international health, but in this video you get to see another side of him through his entrepreneurial experiences.

One of the purposes of this blog is to introduce you guys to the personalities behind the research and field work.  Mike is one of those dynamic individuals who is a leader in his field, and a great prototye for those interested in making Wilderness Medicine a career focus.

Emergent Field Medicine

In a prior post I mentioned the Health Emergencies in Large Populations (HELP) course for those who are interested in working in disaster areas providing humanitarian assistance.

Reviewing information about the HELP course reminded me of a great manual for those interested in humanitarian assistance.

The book Emergent Field Medicine was published a few years ago to help those who are providing care in under-developed regions and disaster areas.  My view of this textbook is biased– mainly because I am friends with a number of the editors and contributors of this text– but I still believe it is a great tool for anyone going to a remote area to provide care.

The text was written by a stellar group of experts and provides an overview of a variety of topics including public health, tropical infectious disease, refugee health, nutrition, and dental emergencies to name a few.  The format provides a reader with information that is easily accessible and of appropriate depth for a field manual.

For those who are considering working in a remote area, Emergent Field Medicine is a good way to prepare before you go, and a good resource to use while you’re away.

HELP: Health Emergencies in Large Populations

Health Emergencies in Large Populations course. (H.E.L.P.)

From time to time I hear from people who are interested in a possible career change into humanitarian assistance. Some just want to get their foot in the door in order to volunteer from time to time, while others are looking to make a career jump into humanitarian medicine full time.

When asked what a good "next step" might be to learn more about humanitarian and disaster assistance, I recommend the Health Emergencies in Large Populations course (or H.E.L.P. course for short). 

The HELP course is taught at a variety of locations each year. One is taught at my alma mater, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

The HELP course is designed to introduce participants to a wide variety of topics related to humanitarian disasters including food and nutrition, environmental health, infectious diseases, ethics and human rights, and international law. I can vouch for the excellence of the Hopkins course and the quality of the Hopkins HELP instructors-- they are world experts and excellent teachers.

The HELP course is not for everyone, but for those who are considering a change into humanitarian medicine, it's a great way to gain skills and exposure to a variety of issues. Furthermore, the networking opportunites at a course like this are priceless and can sometimes lead to future job opportunties.