2025 WMS Summer Conference Virtual

Computer with Lake Geneva in background.
Immerse yourself in cutting-edge research, learn from expert speakers, engage in thought-provoking discussions, and connect with a global community of medical professionals who are passionate about the outdoors, from wherever you're located. The hybrid format allows you to experience the fun and education of the in-person summer conference on your own schedule and at a lower cost, so whether you join in live, catch the recordings later, or some combination of the two, there's an option to accommodate any schedule. Don't miss out on this collaborative experience designed to elevate your knowledge in preventing and treating injuries and illnesses in the wild.

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.
When
7/20/2025 - 7/24/2025
Where
Online UNITED STATES
Spots available
204 spots left
Registration
Registration is closed.

Program

Sunday, 20 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.

Monday, 21 July 2025

Description
Welcome
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
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: Introduction
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!

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 and 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

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

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