New Personal Blog: GHBledsoe.com

I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm developing a new personal blog called GHBledsoe.com .

I already write for Freelance MD, the Medical Fusion Conference blog, and this blog here on the ExpedMed website, so why another blog?

Well, in sum, there are a number of issues that I want to address and stories that I want to tell that don't really fit into the other genres covered by my current blogs.  Instead of "goobering up" my current blogs with posts that really don't fit, I'm starting GHBledsoe.com to have a place to store all these random thoughts and observations.

That's about it.  Thanks for following us on ExpedMed and hopefully I'll see you from time to time on the new site.  We appreciate your support.

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.

Dr. Ken Kamler and the 1996 Everest Disaster

One of the true privileges I have as the director of the ExpedMed and Medical Fusion conferences is the opportunity to meet and associate with so many amazing individuals.  Over the past few years I have been blessed to spend time with some incredibly talented and exceptional colleagues.  These associations have inspired and encouraged me, and I have grown tremendously because of these relationships.

One of these talented and inspiring individuals in Dr. Ken Kamler, Vice President of The Explorers Club.  I first met Ken a number of years ago at an Explorers Club event in New York City.  Since that first meeting, Ken has become a dear friend who has written a chapter in our Expedition & Wilderness Medicine textbook and also spoken numerous times at our conferences.  

The lecture above is a video of Ken giving a presentation at TED about the 1996 disaster on Mount Everest.  This event was chronicled in Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air.  Ken was the only physician on the mountain during this episode, and even though I have heard his talk numerous times, I still find it incredibly gripping.

Take a few minutes to watch Ken's presentation.  You won't be disappointed. 

Thanks once again to Ken for his participation in our events and his inspiring career, and thanks to all the other talented individuals who make our conferences so successful.