First Annual Student Wilderness Medical Conference

The first annual student wilderness medical conference has just wrapped up, and what an event it proved to be. While folks in Boone were captivated by a host of adrenaline fueled outdoor movies offered up at the Banf Film Festival, participants in

Winston were diligently comparing notes on adrenaline fueled accidents

.

Student organizers Stephanie Lareau and DJ Williams organized the event with the help of the Appalachian Center for Wilderness Medicine and a group of other dedicated sponsors. The conference which was held at Wake Forests School of Medicine was designed to allow participants to network, learn, and exchange ideas about wilderness, pre-hospital emergency care. Student organizer Stepanie Lareau admitted that at first she was sceptical about what sort of draw the conference would have. The fact that she made this confession in the auditorium filled with over 125 participants is testament to the hard work put in by organizers over the last year.

The conference drew students from 14 states throughout the country with participants coming in from as far away as Texas and Florida. Topics covered in the conference included international travel, military medicine, medicine in developing countries, bites and stings, endurance induced illness, traumatic injuries, and more. Most of the topics were held as afternoon electives following a morning of lectures broken up by an excellent lunch in the courtyard.

For those of you interested, you don't have to be a med student to join in on the action, but you do have to wait until the next event. Next years conference is already slated to be held at UNC Chapel Hill and more information can be obtained by contacting the Appalachian Center for Wilderness Medicine at http://www.appwildmed.org/. Also, check out the Wilderness Medical Society for updates on other upcoming events.