2025 WMS Summer Conference In-Person

Lake Geneva WMS Summer Conference
Immerse yourself in the heart of wilderness medicine as we gather by the picturesque shores of Lake Geneva, WI. This event will bring together healthcare professionals, outdoor enthusiasts, and wilderness medicine experts for a unique blend of education, networking, and adventure.  Participate in cutting-edge education by engaging in hands-on workshops, expert-led sessions, and discussions covering the latest advancements in wilderness medicine.  Explore the natural beauty of Lake Geneva while connecting with peers who share your passion for the outdoors.  Celebrate diversity and collaboration within the wilderness medicine field.

By registering for this event you agree to the attachments and statements on the Participation Expectations Page.

Please note, this is the registration page only. For detailed information such as  schedule, faculty and credit, click the button below.

More Information

In order to receive CME/FAWM credits after the conference has concluded, you must select each individual program item that you intend to participate in and ensure that it is added to your itinerary. 

Cancellation and refund policy. 

  • On or before Monday, May 26, 2025 in order to receive full refund.

  • Between Tuesday, May 27, 2025 but on or before Monday, June 23, 2025 in order to receive a full refund minus $50 USD service fee.

  • Between Tuesday, June 24, 2025,  but on or before Thursday, July 3, 2025, in order to receive a full refund minus $100  USD service fee.

  • After July 4, 2025 no refunds will be given.

Registrant can choose to transfer their in-person registration to a virtual option up until July 4, 2025. The difference between the two registration prices will be offered as a refund or you may choose to donate the amount. 

 
When
7/19/2025 - 7/24/2025
Where
269 Fontana Blvd Lake Geneva, WI 53125 UNITED STATES
Registration
Registration is closed.

Program

Saturday, 19 July 2025

Description
Optional Donation to Conference Scholarship Fund
This scholarship exists to help ease the financial burden of attending the bi-annual WMS conferences, for those currently in-training. This scholarship is intended for WMS members who are currently in training (ie: students in healthcare fields, GME fellows, or resident physicians). Conferences provide many valuable educational and networking opportunities and attending a conference can significantly impact the future career of our members in-training. We are grateful for the commitment to advancing the field of wilderness medicine and the careers of our members-in-training through generous scholarship donations.

To donate a different dollar amount to support conference scholarships, visit wms.org/donate.
Wilderness Life Support for the Medical Professional
This is a 2 day pre-conference. (Saturday and Sunday). Main conference registration is required to attend the pre-conference. WLS:MP is a practical hands-on certification course originally developed at the University of Utah School of Medicine in 1997 that teaches medical professionals how to manage medical and trauma emergencies when traditional medical facilities are not readily accessible.  WLS:MP was developed to create a standard in treating injuries and illnesses in a wilderness environment. Topics include: patient assessment, treatment guidelines for life support until definitive care or evacuation is available, and techniques and guidelines for evacuation. All registrants who pass the written exam will receive the WLS:MP certification that is valid for four years.
Track
WLS: MP
When
7/19/2025 7:30 AM - 7/20/2025 6:00 PM
Spots available
22
7:30 AM

Monday, 21 July 2025

Description
Welcome
The conference chair and chair elect will welcome attendees.
Time
7:45 AM - 8:00 AM
7:45 AM
Remote Operations Dive Injury Management
Injury management in remote locations is usually hampered by the very same characteristic that makes these dive sites so unique – difficult access. This lecture will illustrate how DAN manages cases in remote dive operations. Selected real cases will generate discussion for preventive measures and emergency preparedness.
Time
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
8:00 AM
Marine Stings: Educate, Validate & Mitigate
The key marine species with respective spatial and temporal risk factors driving medically significant envenomation's will be reviewed. Extant pre-clinical and clinical options will be presented. Critical evaluation of the current state of care and future developments will be discussed.
Time
9:30 AM - 10:15 AM
9:30 AM
Lifelines in the Flames: An Introduction to Wildland Fire Medical Response
Get a glimpse into the complexities of medical support and response in the wildland fire area of operations.
Time
10:45 AM - 11:30 AM
10:45 AM
Inclusive Wilderness Education: Utilizing the Minority Stress Model to Understand Mental Health for Diverse Communities
This session will explore the historical and systemic factors affecting access to and experiences in outdoor environments. Participants will learn about the minority stress model and its application in wilderness settings, examining the unique stressors that marginalized individuals encounter. The session will also provide practical strategies for integrating this model into mental health practices, promoting equity and inclusivity in supporting the well-being of diverse individuals in outdoor spaces.
Time
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
11:30 AM
Three-Minute Thesis
Selected wilderness medicine research will be presented with electronic posters. Poster presentations will be judged for content and quality.
Time
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
12:30 PM
Small Group: 45 Years of the DAN Emergency Hotline: From Altruism to Accountability
45 Years of the DAN Emergency Hotline: From Altruism to Accountability:   Navigating the Tension Between Usefulness and Liability in a Global Medical Call Center Over the past four and a half decades, the DAN Emergency Hotline has evolved from a humanitarian initiative rooted in altruism into a 24/7 global medical call center operating in an increasingly litigious and regulated world. Born in an era when telemedicine didn’t yet exist as a legal concept, the Hotline has always faced expectations for doctor-patient-type engagement — without the protections or frameworks of a traditional clinical setting. This talk explores how DAN continues to fulfill its mission while navigating the delicate and ever-present tension between being genuinely useful to divers in need and managing medico-legal risk. It’s a story of our adaptation, boundaries, and staying true to our purpose in a world that has changed around us.
Time
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
2:00 PM
Small Group: Discussing Minority Stress in Wilderness
This engaging lecture will feature small group discussions that allow participants to collaborate on strategies for implementing the Minority Stress Model within their organizations or institutions while exploring its implications for mental health in wilderness and environmental settings.
Time
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
2:00 PM
Workshop: Life-Threatening Box Jellyfish Sting Management
Box jellyfish sting management requires rapid administration of evidence-based first aid and clinical care. Participants will learn basic field ecology of life-threatening box jelly species to assess temporal and geographic risk of encountering box jellyfish. Current controversies in care will be discussed. Pre-clinical first aid approaches will be presented and practiced in scenario approaches. Finally, retrospective studies of victim outcomes as a function of clinical management approaches will be reviewed. Hands on microscopy will allow students to gain expertise in sting site  "sticky tape" lifts and taxonomical identification of box jelly species.
Time
2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Spots available
10
2:00 PM
Ubuntu Network: Your Expedition Community
Exploration of the needs of expedition and wilderness healthcare providers in terms of community cohesion, networking and connection in the context of isolated practice and possible moral injury.
Time
4:15 PM - 4:30 PM
4:15 PM
14ers Lectures: Introductions
The 14ers Mini-Lecture Series is specifically designed to give attendees who have not spoken for the WMS before an opportunity to present a brief, 14-minute lecture on the topic of their choice. In order to increase speaking diversity and variety at future conferences, presenters will be evaluated based on their content and delivery, and the highest ranking 14er will be offered an opportunity to speak during next summer's conference.
Time
4:45 PM - 5:00 PM
4:45 PM
14ers Lectures: Drone AED Delivery to Improve Sudden Cardiac Arrest Response Times in a Wilderness Race Setting
The American Birkebeiner ("Birkie"), a challenging 55 kilometer cross-country ski race in northern Wisconsin, attracts 10,000 participants to its hilly, wooded course. In 2023, two sudden cardiac arrests (SCAs) highlighted the difficulty of rapidly delivering automated external defibrillators (AEDs) across this rural terrain. Since swift defibrillation is crucial for SCA survival, the Birkie medical team began exploring drone technology for AED delivery. Working with engineering partners, we’ve developed a functional system using a commercial drone to transport an AED securely. This presentation chronicles the journey of this project, from initial brainstorming to the design, regulatory considerations and on-site field testing during the 2025 Birkie.
Time
5:00 PM - 5:15 PM
5:00 PM
14ers Lectures: Common Foot Issues of the Long Distance Hiker
Educate on common foot ailments that affect people who go on long-distance hikes and how to integrate their unique situation into clinical decision making.
Time
5:15 PM - 5:30 PM
5:15 PM
14ers Lectures: We Can Bike it!

14ers Lectures : We Can Bike it! A How-To-Guide to Incorporate Active Transportation into Your Daily Life.

Active transportation offers a practical and sustainable way to improve both physical and mental health while travel to the necessary places within our daily lives. This talk will define active transportation and explore its benefits, including enhanced cardiovascular fitness, reduced stress, and a lower environmental impact. Strategies for overcoming barriers, such as time constraints, weather challenges, and safety concerns be discussed. By the end of this session, participants will leave with actionable steps to incorporate active transportation into their daily lives.
Time
5:30 PM - 5:45 PM
5:30 PM
14ers Lectures: Understanding Hunting-Related Injuries
Go beyond textbook descriptions of arrow and firearm injuries to explore real-world hunting trauma scenarios. This lecture examines penetrating and blunt-force injuries with a focus on field stabilization, evacuation planning, and resource-limited decision-making.
Time
5:45 PM - 6:00 PM
5:45 PM
14ers Lectures: Missile Silo Mayday: Navigating Medical & Rescue Challenges in the Depths of Defense
Outline the physical, environmental, and technical challenges inherent to abandoned missile silos rescues, including confined spaces, high-angle scenarios, standing water, hazmat risks, and austere medical care.
Time
6:00 PM - 6:15 PM
6:00 PM
14ers Lectures: Wrap Up
Time
6:15 PM - 6:30 PM
6:15 PM

Tuesday, 22 July 2025

Description
Tick-Borne Disease
This talk will review common ticks and the infections they carry plus offer advice on treatment and prevention.  We will also discuss issues related to tick bites such as meat allergies.
Time
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
8:00 AM
Human Reaction to Critical Events & Psychological Resilience
Learn how to combat medical provider burnout and maintain optimal well-being in addition to providing psychological first aid for others.
Time
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
9:00 AM
Heat-Related Illness: Recognition & Management
This lecture will explore the recognition and management of severe heat illness, integrating case studies and firsthand experiences from emergency medicine practice in Phoenix. We will define heat illness, review its epidemiology, and discuss key aspects of initial assessment, stabilization, and essential interventions. A major focus will be on rapid cooling strategies, particularly cold water immersion (CWI), the gold standard for exertional heat stroke, highlighting its physiological benefits, practical implementation, and recent advancements, including the updated WMS guidelines on heat emergencies. The session will also cover necessary equipment, procedural considerations, potential complications, and patient outcomes. By the end, participants will be equipped with evidence-based strategies to optimize treatment in both emergency and wilderness medicine settings.
Time
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
10:30 AM
Advising Cancer Patients & Survivors Engaged in Wilderness & Mountain Recreation
Cancer patients and survivors are increasingly involved in wilderness recreation as modern therapies are allowing patients with cancer to live longer. Therefore, clinicians must increasingly be familiar with the additional factors and considerations necessary to properly advise these patients about activities and travel in the wilderness. Unfortunately, very few resources are available for clinicians advising oncology patients involved in wilderness recreation. In this presentation, we will review the important physiological interactions between malignancy and cancer treatments with mountain sports and wilderness activities. We will discuss the additional risks and benefits patients may accrue and identify relevant resources for clinicians advising such patients.
Time
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
11:30 AM
Trivia
Time
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
12:30 PM
Small Group: Balancing Recreation with Risk: Case-Based Problem Solving in Wilderness Recreation for Oncology Patients
Interactive case discussions exploring real-world scenarios and clinical judgment in advising patients with wilderness adventure goals. We will explore physiologic, oncologic, and environmental factors affecting patient safety in backcountry environments. Cases will highlight risks, considerations, and solutions for adapting plans to the individual needs of oncology patients and survivors.
Time
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
2:00 PM
Small Group: Excelling Through Peer Review: Strategies for Authors & Reviewers (2025 Update)
Learn why peer review is so important to journals, the organizations they represent and their readership. This small group will present to you how to become comfortable and proficient in peer review, a necessary aspect for journal publication success. You will receive a toolkit for performing peer review and learn about opportunities for career growth in academic areas of peer reviewed journals, as well as be invited to a peer reviewer in training program that can enhance your academic career.
Time
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
2:00 PM
Small Group: Ticks & Their Friends!
This small group will be an interactive session to review ticks, some diseases and issues they cause, plus practical advice on removing the critters. We will also briefly go over other blood suckering pests such as fleas and lice.
Time
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
2:00 PM
Workshop: Hyperthermia Management: Cold Water Immersion
Heat illness is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, with heat stroke requiring rapid recognition and management. This session equips physicians with evidence-based strategies for acute heat stroke treatment using a cold water immersion protocol successfully applied in a busy Phoenix, AZ, emergency department. We will explore challenges in implementation, emphasizing multidisciplinary collaboration, staff education, and ED adaptations. Participants will gain practical strategies to improve patient outcomes through case-based discussions and current research.

Participants should wear clothes that are comfortable getting wet.

Time
2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
2:00 PM
Workshop: Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (Including Hemorrhage Control)
Learn how to treat threats to life and stabilize patients in the austere environment.
Time
2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
2:00 PM

Wednesday, 23 July 2025

Description
WEM Year in Review
Review of articles published in WEM in the past year, with a focus on their relevance and implications for the wilderness medicine practitioner.
Time
8:00 AM - 8:45 AM
8:00 AM
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation & Death Determination in the Wilderness
This presentation will review the history of CPR, the application of principles of front country CPR to CPR in the backcountry, the appropriate adaptations of CPR to specific austere conditions encountered in the wilderness, the proper duration of CPR in austere environments, the use of automated chest compression devices in wilderness rescue, and criteria for termination of CPR and for death determination in the wilderness.
Time
8:45 AM - 9:30 AM
8:45 AM
Armed Conflict: Advancing Trauma & Healthcare Systems in Ukraine
Participants will be able to understand the impact that combat operations have on patient populations, medical care, operations and the need for flexibility in multiple, austere environments.
Time
9:30 AM - 10:15 AM
9:30 AM
Event Medicine: Keeping the Races Running & the Festivals Festive
An introduction to event medicine as a bridge between clinical and wilderness care, covering Emergency Action Plans, planning/preparedness, stakeholder coordination, on-site response, and how this practice enhances provider readiness across all environments.
Time
10:45 AM - 11:30 AM
10:45 AM
Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Remote & Austere Environments
Antimicrobial Prophylaxis From Cases to Concepts, Indications of Antimicrobial Prophylaxis.
Time
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
11:30 AM
Trivia
Time
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
12:30 PM
Oral Research Presentations
Selected wilderness medicine research will be presented orally. Oral presentations will be judged for content and quality.
Time
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
1:00 PM
Service-Oriented Small Group: Lake Clean-Up
Join us in giving back to the beautiful setting of our summer conference! Over time, rocks along the lake border have shifted, creating little pockets where trash collects. We're organizing a clean-up to help restore the shoreline — and we’d love your helping hands!  We'll have trash grabbers available, but we recommend bringing waders or water shoes and wearing something you don’t mind getting a little wet. Let’s make a splash in the name of service!
Time
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
2:00 PM
Small Group: Backstage & Beyond: Preparation, Skill Building & Leadership Development for the Event Space
Explore the unique challenges of providing medical care at races, concerts, and festivals through hands-on planning, simulation, and skills practice. This workshop blends wilderness medicine principles with event logistics to prepare providers for real-time response in dynamic, resource-limited environments.
Time
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
2:00 PM
Workshop: 20 Ways to Expand Your Med Kit Capabilities
In a field condition environment, participants will be able to assess patients and provide emergency care under austere conditions with a minimum amount of equipment.
Time
2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
2:00 PM
Workshop: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation & Death Determination in the Wilderness

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation & Death Determination in the Wilderness - Hand-On Application of Concepts Presented in the Lecture.

Lecture This workshop will provide practical experience in the principles discussed during the large group lecture. Attendees will receive instruction and gain experience in using automated chest compression devices and performing CPR in austere conditions, including during litter evacuation. Participants should come prepared with appropriate clothing (including footwear), sun protection, and water to spend 2.5 hours outdoors. BLS CPR certification is a prerequisite for this workshop.
Time
2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
2:00 PM
Additional Banquet Ticket
Time
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
6:00 PM

Thursday, 24 July 2025

Description
Managing Fertility/Infertility in Austere Settings
A practical discussion of managing fertility testing and medications in various austere environments. According to the WHO 1 in 6 people will experience infertility, while 1 in 4 physicians. As wilderness medicine professionals we need to be aware of fertility testing and medications.
Time
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
8:00 AM
Contraception & Menses Management in the Wild
A practical discussion of managing contraception in wild, austere, remote, or travel locations. We will also review menses management, including menstrual cups to pads, and menses suppression. As wilderness medicine professionals we need to be aware of various contraceptive options and timing, as well as menses management.
Time
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
9:00 AM
Collapse at the Finish Line
Discuss real cases of altered mental status and collapse in endurance athletics and dive into the existing literature on this important topic.
Time
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
10:30 AM
Exploring Chronic Ankle Instability
Gain insights into the diagnostic approach to chronic ankle instability, explore the impact of  on the kinetic chain and compensation patterns, and addressing treatment strategies.
Time
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
11:30 AM