This is from the Stanford EM website -- don't know too much about it, but a fellow grad from my residency program went off and became the first fellow in this program.
http://emed.stanford.edu/education/wilderness.html
Wilderness Medicine at Stanford
The Division of Emergency Medicine has a very robust and world-renowned Wilderness and Travel Medicine Program and Faculty. Many of our resident applicants are drawn to Stanford for this reason.
Wilderness Medicine is a growing field that encompasses everything from snakebites and heat exhaustion to altitude sickness and diving-related disorders. Wilderness Medicine has been defined as the body of information and its application which relate to the physiology and pathophysiology of humans as they encounter environments which are considered to be "wildernesses". Within this spectrum of environments, health professionals may encounter unique medical problems, such as high altitude pulmonary edema, frostbite, a wild animal attack, or a sea snake envenomation. Knowledge gained in extreme environments may also help us to better manage similar emergencies seen in urban settings. A compendium of related topics is listed in
Table 1.
Fellowship in Wilderness and Environmental Medicine
The world?s first fellowship in Wilderness Medicine was established at Stanford Medical Center in 2003. The yearlong fellowship, created by Eric A. Weiss, MD, provides comprehensive, in-depth training and hands-on experience in all aspects of wilderness medicine.
Those who complete the fellowship will go on to advance the field by doing original research, educating other physicians, and serving as a resource for other organizations. Applicants must have completed residency training in Emergency Medicine.
Fellowship Objectives
The fellowship is designed to provide physicians with cognitive knowledge, formal training, and skills in Wilderness Medicine. A primary goal is to promote research investigations that will lead to better understanding of the pathology and prevention of wilderness associated diseases and to improvements in clinical care, rescue techniques and injury prevention programs.
Research
Fellows will formulate and complete original investigations leading to presentation and publication of results. Research projects related to Wilderness and Environmental Medicine are already in progress within the Division by nationally recognized faculty.
Education
While creating new ideas and contributing to the knowledge base of Wilderness Medicine is crucial; so too is the transmission of that knowledge to other healthcare providers. By the end of the Fellowship year, the participant will have acquired the expertise needed to train students, physicians and lay persons in the field of Wilderness Medicine.
Fellows will be encouraged to assist as educational liaisons for national and international wilderness organizations such as the Wilderness Medical Society, National Outdoor Leadership School, Outward Bound, National Ski Patrol, National Association for Search and Rescue, American Mountain Guide Association, Himalayan Rescue Association, South Pacific Undersea Medical Society, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Union International des Association des Alpinisme, Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, American Alpine Club, Denali Medical Research Foundation and International Society for Mountain Medicine; as well as regional and local agencies such as the Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit. Graduates will become educational role models for others who want to pursue similar academic interest.
Clinical Experience
Fellows may choose to pursue an advanced clinical experience that will support the research effort. The Fellowship Director will work with the Fellow to facilitate a wilderness experience such as the Himalayan Rescue Association in Nepal, or the National Geographic Society in Belize.
Surgery 223 (Wilderness Medicine)
The Division of Emergency Medicine is one of only a few programs in the country to offer an elective in Wilderness Medicine for medical students. The elective is offered during the spring semester and includes didactic sessions, outdoor hands-on skill building workshops and field trips. In addition to Stanford faculty, national experts in Wilderness Medicine are brought in to teach many aspects of the course. An all-day sea kayaking trip is offered at the end of the course and includes real-time moulaged scenarios that offer the students an opportunity to practice their new skills and knowledge in a dramatic, simulated fashion
TABLE 1
Altitude Illness
Parasitism
Arthropod Envenomation
Plant Toxicology
Clothing and Shelters
Reptile Envenomation
Diving Accident
Search and Rescue
Field Improvisation and
First Aid Equipment
Solar (ultraviolet) Exposure
Submersion/Near Drowning
Field Water Disinfection
Tick-Borne Diseases
Frostbite
Travel Medicine
Hazardous Aquatic Life
White Water Medicine
Heat Emergencies
Wild Animal Attacks
Hypothermia
Wilderness Injury Prevention
Improvisation
Wilderness Survival
Infectious Diarrhea
Wilderness Trauma
Lightning Injuries
Wildland Fires
Natural Disaster Management
Wound Management
Wilderness Medicine Faculty at Stanford
Many of the Emergency Medicine faculty members at Stanford are experts and leaders in the field of Wilderness Medicine.
Paul S. Auerbach, MD, FACEP: Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine, Founder and past President, Wilderness Medical Society; Editor and Author, Wilderness Medicine; Author, Medicine for the Outdoors and A Medical Guide to Hazardous Marine Life. Founding Editor, Journal of Wilderness Medicine.
Alan Gianotti, MD, FACEP: Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine; Co-Founder and Director, International Medical Options; Staff Physician, Himalayan Rescue Association.
Kelly P. Murphy, MD: Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine; Director, Stanford - Papua New Guinea Medical Project; Founder and Director, Stanford - Vietnam Medical Project.
Robert L. Norris, MD, FACEP: Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Chief, Division of Emergency Medicine; Editor-in-Chief, Wilderness and Environmental Medicine; Member National Geographic Belize Team; World-renowned Expert on Snake and Arthropod Envenomation.
Rebecca Smith-Coggins, MD, FACEP : Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine; Expert in Sleep Deprivation, Performance and Jet Lag.
N. Ewen Wang, MD, FACEP: Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine; Co-Founder and Director, International Medical Options; Staff Physician, Chiapas Mexico Medical Project & Member of Bolivian Medical Relief Mission.
Eric A. Weiss, MD, FACEP: Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine; Wilderness Medicine Fellowship Director, Former Board of Directors, Wilderness Medical Society, Author of A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness and Travel Medicine, and Field Guide to Wilderness Medicine.
Eric L. Weiss, MD, FACEP: Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine; Medical Director, Life Flight and Travel Medical Services; Co-Founder WorldMD.
Ken Zafren, MD, FACEP: Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine; Associate Medical Director, Himalayan Rescue Association, Expert on Altitude Illness.
