Paul Auerbach Lectureship Fund

Known by many as the father of wilderness medicine, Paul Auerbach, MD, held countless leadership positions within the organization and authored hundreds of publications. Most notably, he was the editor of the textbook Wilderness Medicine, which is now in its 7th edition, he established and was the first editor in chief of Wilderness & Environmental Medicine journal, and he co-authored both Enviromedics and Field Guide to Wilderness Medicine. He was a first responder during the earthquakes in Haiti (2010) and Nepal (2015) and helped establish the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital Tapting Project.


Photos of Dr. Auerbach on his travels and with colleagues

Paul was a dear friend, colleague and mentor to so many and he never hesitated to go out of his way to help anyone in need. He lived a rich life full of service and adventure, truly the epitome of the WMS tagline "combining your profession with your passion."

To commemorate Paul's profound impact on the WMS and the field of wilderness medicine, the WMS Board of Directors recently established an annual summer lectureship in his honor. The Paul Auerbach Lectureship will seek to invite expert speakers on topics whose work complements the vision of the WMS, to be thought provoking, innovative, and to nurture the breadth of the WMS. Friends and colleagues Peter Hackett and Brownie Schoene will work with the conference planning committee to identify appropriate speakers with the first inaugural Auerbach Lecture to be held tentatively in the summer of 2022.

We invite you to come alongside us in honoring Paul by making a donation to this fund as a sign of gratitude for all his contributions to the field of wilderness medicine.