Call for Papers
Special Issue on Women's Health
Join us in highlighting new and innovative perspectives and research on the impact, contributions, and unique challenges and opportunities for women in wilderness medicine.  

Submission deadline: June 1, 2024

SUBMIT HERE

Issue Editors:

Christanne Coffey, MD, FACEP, DiDMM, FAWM
University of California, San Diego
[email protected]

Valerie Dobiesz, MD, MPH
Harvard Medical School
[email protected]

Linda Keyes, MD
University of Colorado
[email protected]

Sarah Schlein, MD, FAWM
University of Vermont
[email protected]

We are pleased to announce a special issue focused on women’s health and gender equity in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine that seeks to highlight new and innovative perspectives and research on the impact, contributions, and unique challenges and opportunities for women in wilderness medicine.  

Women represent half of the US population and over 50% of medical school matriculants, however despite the increase in women in the physician workforce there remain significant gender gaps in all sectors of academia including wilderness medicine where women are significantly underrepresented. A growing body of literature demonstrates diversity and inclusion in academic leadership leads to higher levels of innovation and improves organizational performance. Studies have identified gender gaps and inequities at all organizational levels of Wilderness Medical Society and Wilderness & Environmental Medicine including leadership positions, editorial board positions, authorship, recognition, and speaking opportunities which can significantly impact career growth and advancement for women in wilderness medicine. 

This special issue is an important step in addressing these gaps seeking to highlight the significant contributions of women in the field of wilderness medicine, address gender inequities in the field of Wilderness Medicine, and focus on topics specific to women’s physiology in wilderness settings. 

Potential topics for this special issue may include:

  • Papers examining the unique challenges to women in wilderness medicine such as anatomic and physiologic considerations, pregnancy, safety in remote settings
  • Historical perspectives of unrecognized or underrecognized women who advanced the science of wilderness medicine
  • Research on gender inequities in various aspects of wilderness medicine (training, career advancement, leadership, career challenges/barriers, work climate/environment, harassment)
  • Case reports related to women’s health in wilderness medicine
  • Editorials or original concepts
  • Best practice guidelines for women’s health in wilderness settings or career advancement of women in wilderness medicine

As with all work published in WEM, papers are expected to relate to aspects of the wilderness environment, which may include the impacts of women’s health in remote settings, wilderness-related activities, or other austere environments, including those that may occur temporarily as a result of the influence of natural hazards in otherwise highly resourced settings. . Please see the WEM Guide for Authors for more information about the journal and submission guidelines.  

Submission deadline: June 1, 2024.

Please contact WEM managing editor Alicia Byrne ([email protected]) with questions. 

All submissions will undergo the same rigorous, single-blind peer review process as any other submitted manuscript to WEM. Final decisions regarding ultimate acceptance rest solely with the Editors. Authors should submit manuscripts through the journal’s online submission system with a statement in the cover letter that the submission is intended for the special issue on Women's Health.