Executive Committee
Mr Kerryn Wratt
AWEMS President
GradDipEmerHlth (MP), B.ParamedicStudies, DipAmbParaStudies, B.Sci(Zool)
Kerryn is an Intensive Care Paramedic based in Tasmania, Australia. He grew up exploring the rugged mountains of New Zealand. His first taste of wilderness medicine occurred when managing a patient who had fallen on Franz Josef Glacier. This spurred Kerryn to pursue a career in paramedicine.
Read MoreKerryn had the opportunity to integrate his passion and his profession when he was granted a scholarship to investigate international models of medical response into wilderness settings in 2012. The resulting recommendations informed the establishment of Victoria’s state-wide paramedic wilderness response system. Kerryn then formed a company specialising in wilderness medicine and worked with others to introduce the AWLS program into Australia.
Kerryn has had the opportunity to facilitate the BWLS course on the Annapurna Base Camp trek in Nepal as well as volunteering with the HRA at Pheriche. Kerryn also lead the establishment of St John Papua New Guinea’s Ambulance Special Operations Team in preparation for the APEC leaders’ summit in Port Moresby. Recently Kerryn completed his FAWM and has led the establishment of the Australasian Wilderness and Expedition Medicine Society (AWEMS) as the peak body for the development of wilderness medicine across Australasia where he is the current president.
Dr Sophie Ootes
AWEMS Vice President
MD, BA
Sophie is a doctor based in Western Victoria with a passion for expedition, retrieval, and sports medicine. She holds a certificate in Advanced Wilderness Life Support, and has attended the World Extreme Medicine Conference in Edinburgh.
Read MoreComing from a diverse background of international politics and French language, Sophie has studied across Australia, UK, the Netherlands, and France, and has volunteered in the Philippines. She is also an avid sportswoman, having represented Australia for cycling and triathlon, and continuing her passion as a keen runner and event doctor.
Dr Brooke Ah Shay
AWEMS Secretary
MBBS, FRACGP
Brooke is a GP who works in a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory. She is also a volunteer team leader and expedition doctor for Inspired Adventures, participating in treks around Australia that help raise money for good causes.
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Brooke is a founding member of AWEMS and has a Graduate Certificate in Healthcare in Remote and Extreme Environments from the University of Tasmania (and is currently working towards a Masters in the same).
She is an avid nature lover and loves bushwalking and hiking around Australia and the world. She is keen to see what the future holds for expedition and wilderness medicine in Australia
Dr Rowena Christiansen
AWEMS Treasurer
MBBS, MEmergHealth, MBA, BA Hons, LLB, DCH, ACCAM, GradCertSpaceStudies, AsFAsMA
Dr. Rowena Christiansen is a medical educator in the Melbourne Medical School, and also works as a pre-hospital emergency doctor and life support instructor.
Read MoreShe has undertaken post-graduate training in emergency medicine and critical care, women and children’s health, aviation medicine and space studies, disaster health, and emergency management. Rowena pursues special interests in aerospace medicine, extreme environments and wilderness medicine.
She is currently the Chair of the Australian Ski Patrol Association Medical Advisory Committee and sits on the Australian Resuscitation Council and the Board of Directors for Mars Society Australia and is Chair of the Associate Fellows Group of the Aerospace Medical Association. Rowena is currently undertaking research related to expeditionary medicine and resuscitation science, and studying towards a Diploma in Aviation Medicine. Her career trajectory prior to entering medicine was as a lawyer and business person.
She is currently the Chair of the Australian Ski Patrol Association Medical Advisory Committee and sits on the Australian Resuscitation Council and the Board of Directors for Mars Society Australia and is Chair of the Associate Fellows Group of the Aerospace Medical Association. Rowena is currently undertaking research related to expeditionary medicine and resuscitation science, and studying towards a Diploma in Aviation Medicine. Her career trajectory prior to entering medicine was as a lawyer and business person.
Committee Members
Mr Duncan Maughan
B.App.Sci, MA, BN, GradCertNur(CardC), CCRN, MACN
Duncan is a Remote Area Nurse and Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician. With a background in fire and emergency management, Duncan came to the healthcare area by way of wilderness first aid courses.
Read MoreAn enthusiastic walker and skier Duncan has explored many areas in Australia and overseas by way of human powered travel.
A member of Alpine Search and Rescue he is also a volunteer ski patroller. In addition, he holds qualifications in Critical Care Nursing and radio communications.
Ms Olivia Gregory
AWEMS Committee Member
Olivia holds a Bachelor of Emergency Health (Paramedic) degree and a certificate in Advanced Wilderness Life Support.
Read MoreOlivia is a founding member of the Australasian Wilderness and Expedition Medicine Society and has a passion for wilderness first aid.
Olivia works as a remote Paramedic / Emergency Service Officer in the Kimberley and Pilbara region of WA and is a first-aid and rescue simulation trainer. Olivia has spent time Volunteering in Nepal in a pop-up medical clinic as part of the Wild Medic Project and is excited for the future of wilderness medicine in Australasia.
When Olivia is not at work you will find her camping, at the beach, or exploring somewhere new.
Dr Molly Cargill
AWEMS Committee Member
BMedSci, MD
Molly is a current intern at a regional Victorian hospital. Originally from a small coastal community in Gippsland, she grew up camping, hiking, surfing and skiing.
Read MoreShe has an interest in global and public health and has volunteered to provide health screening for isolated communities in Vavva’u, Tonga. She has also been heavily involved in Monash University’s Rural & Indigenous health club during her time at university.
Molly is excited to be a part of AWEMS and hopes in the near future to undertake further training and certification in wilderness and expedition medicine. Her dream is to live and work rurally and she would love the opportunity to practice medicine in extreme environments such as Antarctica.
Mr Jeff Monro
AWEMS Committee Member
Jeff Monro is a Queensland based paramedic, providing patient care via bicycle response, acute, sub-acute and land-based retrieval. Jeff also dabbles in ambulance education, communication projects, Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support Instructing, pursuing his FAWM candidacy and Surf Lifesaving in his spare time.
Read MoreComing to pre-hospital care from a background in Logistics Management and Fire Fighting, Jeff paddles, mountain bikes and camps trying hard to self-test patient treatment theories whilst chasing these outdoor pursuits.
Liaisons
Kelsie Herbert
AWEMS Committee Member
Kelsie is an advanced care paramedic and registered nurse, currently based in Far North Queensland and splitting her time between state ambulance, emergency department nursing and the private sector in education, primary health and tactical medicine.
Read MoreHaving lived and volunteered internationally in Mozambique, and in Vanuatu as a clinical educator, she is passionate about all things humanitarian, global development and austere/wilderness medicine. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Health and Tropical medicine, is an advanced wilderness life support instructor and maintains a serious coffee addiction to fuel her adventure travel bug.
Dr Seth Collings Hawkins
North American Liaison
Dr. Seth Collings Hawkins, anthropologist, writer, and physician, holds dual board certification in emergency medicine and EMS. He currently serves as medical advisor for REI and NC Outward Bound School.
Read MoreHe is executive editor of Wilderness Medicine Magazine, co-author of Vertical Aid: Essential Wilderness Medicine for Climbers, Trekkers, and Mountaineers, editor of the textbook Wilderness EMS, and founder of multiple wilderness medicine organizations.
The first physician designated Master Fellow by both the Academy of Wilderness Medicine and the Adventurers & Explorers Guild, he was also named a Top Ten EMS Innovator of 2011 and 2018 by the Journal of EMS.
Past Committee Members
Mr Brad Stewart
AWEMS Committee Member- CPD Coordinator
Brad looks after arranging CPD events for AWEMS members by connecting people from the wilderness medicine community who have interesting stories, incidents, research, or other valuable knowledge.
Read MoreBrad is an Australian registered paramedic and a founding AWEMS member. His background spans a variety of remote and austere settings such as military operations, disaster response, remote industrial healthcare, and expedition medical/safety support. Brad's main work has focused on the developing world across Asia, Africa, and the Middle-east. Brad is driven to help teams achieve mission success in remote and complex environments, such as in his role as Operations Manager for Australian medical/disaster response NGO Backpacker Medics.
Dr Josh Lightfoot
AWEMS Committee Member
BSc, MBBS, MPH(AMR), FACEM
Josh is an emergency medicine and retrieval physician, split between working in metropolitan emergency departments in Adelaide and with the RFDS in Broken Hill.
Read MoreWhile he is interested in all kinds of wilderness medicine and outdoor adventures these days more of his time is spent in Adelaide with his wife and young family. Josh is particularly interested in aeromedical retrieval and taking critical care medicine to the patient in remote locations.
Dr Brenton Systermans
Dr Brenton Systermans is an emergency medicine registrar with an interest in working in austere and remote environments.
Read MoreHe has had a varied career that has led him to work in almost every state of Australia as well as New Zealand, Ireland, Nepal and China. He has current positions with University Hospital Geelong, the Royal Australian Army, the University of Tasmania, World Extreme Medicine and the Himalayan Rescue Association.
Brent has led expeditions in Europe, Africa and the Himalaya. Brent is a keen mountaineer, skier, runner and cyclist. His career highlight (so far) has been volunteering as the Everest ER physician for the 2018 Everest climbing season. He is a keen teacher and an advocate for indigenous and developing world healthcare.
Dr Sophie Wallace
AWEMS Committee Member
Sophie is an emergency physician based at the Royal Perth Hospital (a tertiary trauma centre) in Western Australia.
Read MoreShe also provides a regular outreach service to the remote Pilbara region, and has spent time working for the toxicology service, covering poisons, snakes and spiders across Western Australia, the Northern Territory and South Australia.
Sophie has a special interest in high altitude and expedition medicine, and has been the high altitude doctor on multiple expeditions since 2009. The majority of her trips have been in the Himalaya including 3 seasons working on Mt Everest, as well as 2 trips to Kilimanjaro and time in South America. She is a keen climber herself and climbed her first mountain with her family at the age of 7. Her last big summit was Mt Elbrus (Russia) with her Dad who was aged 71.
She is working towards the Fellowship of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine and has been a member of the society for a number of years. She has an interest in disaster medicine and major incidents, and was integral in the medical response to the 2014 Everest avalanche. Sophie is a MIMMS instructor and a member of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine.
Mr Thomas Orchard
AWEMS Committee Member
Thomas is passionate about prehospital care with a particular focus on wilderness, remote area, austere environment and military medicine.
Read MoreHe is a Paramedic with Ambulance Victoria and very keen to see the field of paramedicine become a modern, progressive and professional workplace in Victoria and nationally.
Jacob Montafia
AWEMS Committee Member
Paramedic
Jacob Montafia is a Paramedic located in Northern NSW with an interest in medicine in adverse and unique environments. He is passionate about rural and remote medicine and enjoys challenging and engaging work environments.
Read MoreAlongside state ambulance work he is a combat paramedic in the Australian Army Reserves. He has undertaken post-graduate training in expedition and wilderness medicine and is currently completing a masters in critical care paramedicine. If he is not working, you'll find him hiking and climbing or at your local crag.
Dr Dan Lack
AWEMS Committee Member
Dr Dan Lack is a GP registrar based in Launceston Tasmania with a number of diverse careers before finding medicine.
Read MoreFor ten years he responded to over 500 mountain rescue calls with the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, one of the busiest SAR teams in north America. He served terms as a mission leader, the training director and the assistant group leader. He also served as the secretary and chair of the Mountain Rescue Association - Rocky Mountain Region.
He is currently the medical officer for the Ben Lomond Ski Patrol, a member of the Australian Ski Patrol Association Medical Advisory Committee and Volunteer Faculty for the University of Colorado School of Medicine Wilderness and Environmental Section. He is also an AWLS instructor having taught in Peru and Australia. He has had stints as a US Forest Service Volunteer Ranger, Surf Life Saver, and is currently a member of the Northern Tasmanian SES SAR team.
A 20 year career in climate change research, which took him in research ships and planes too far flung parts of the world, continues sporadically and Dan is developing research projects into climate change and human health.
Dan has kayaked, climbed, mountaineered and traveled his way to Peru, China, India, Alaska, Colorado, California, Canada, Europe and Africa.
Dan is passionate about combining all of his skill sets into the wilderness and expedition settings.
Dr Kasia Grela
AWEMS Founding Committee Member
MBBS, FANZCA
Kasia is a specialist anaesthetist practicing in rural Victoria. She also works as an expedition doctor, teaches Basic and Advanced Wilderness Life Support and is a trainer on various wilderness and expedition medicine courses both in Australia and internationally.
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Kasia is a founding member of the Australasian Wilderness and Expedition Medicine Society and Medical Director and Medical Advisor to several volunteer medic placement and trekking companies.
She is a Wilderness Medicine Society member and is currently completing a Diploma of Mountain Medicine and Fellowship of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine.