Chris Gibson BSC(Hons) MSc FAWM WP-C TP-C MCPara
Chris has worked as an expedition and TV and film production medic in remote and challenging environments from the mountains of Patagonia and the Himalayas to the jungles of Guatemala and the Arctic Sea ice.
Chris Gibson is a flight paramedic, a Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine and the Founder of SOS Medical Services. A former British Soldier and Army Commando with operational experience in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Chris is a USA board certified Wilderness & Tactical Paramedic (IBSC) and Affiliate Faculty for the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) training centres.
Chris is a mountain leader, arctic survival trained and has summited Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina (6,962 m/22,840 ft), Lobuche Peak (6,119m) in Nepal, and worked as an expedition medic in the Sahara Desert, Morocco, Atacama Desert and on Mount Ojos del Salado (6,893 m/22,615 ft) in Chile.
Chris is a Media High-Risk Safety Advisor, supporting film productions and news crews in challenging locations from the Arctic Sea ice, Thailand and South Africa to conflict zones across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
As a passionate wilderness instructor, he has taught Advanced Wilderness Life Support (AWLS), Wilderness First Aid and WEMT courses in the Rainforests and mountains of Guatemala, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Nicaragua and Honduras.
A certified Oil and Gas Offshore medic, Chris has provided primary care, emergency care and prolonged field care for rig staff, soldiers and refugees alike across Iraq and Kurdistan.
He has supported humanitarian operations in the Balkans and Kurdistan, a Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) in West Africa, close protection operations in Iraq, and USAR disaster response teams following natural disasters in Guatemala.
Co-founder of Guatemala's first helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS), Chris continues to work in HEMS, provides wilderness and disaster medical education across the region and regularly coordinates medical missions for underserved tropical communities.
Dr. Benjamin Woodard, DNP, ENP-C, FNP-C, FAWM
Hailing from New Mexico, Benjamin is a board-certified nurse practitioner in both emergency and family practice, with a passion for clinical teaching, mentorship and care in austere settings. He has worked in rural practice, with 5 years in full scope family practice, and now exclusively working emergency medicine.
Benjamin earned his doctorate from Yale University, and focused his work on creating emergency procedural skills trainings for new nurse practitioners in remote settings. He is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Family NP track at UMASS Medical School, Graduate School of Nursing.
As a Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine, he has taught wilderness medicine to healthcare providers in the US and internationally, courses for non-medical folks, and is an active member of the Wilderness Medicine Society, and the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners.
Dr. Woodard has a passion for teaching family practice and emergency care to new clinicians, using team strategies to teach wilderness medicine. He is an avid climber, enjoying sport, big wall trad, and alpine climbing, and spends most of his days off climbing, fly-fishing, or bush-crafting. He looks forward to scaling higher more diverse peaks internationally, teaching, and hopes to keep time for his local crags and rivers in New England.
Burjor Langdana MSc
Burjor is an experienced wilderness and expedition dentist providing onsite emergency care, surgery and remote telemedicine support.
He has coordinated mobile dental clinics across Africa, Asia and Latin America and provided support to the British Antarctic Survey team over 4 years.
Burjor provides clinical education for medical practitioners of all levels, including NATO Special Forces Units. He is a presentar at international wilderness medicine conferences and contributes to the wilderness and expedition literature.
Donnie Martin NRP
Donnie has worked as a paramedic with EMS, Fire and Rescue in the USA since 1980.
He’s supported operational, tactical and training teams across the US and supported disaster response and training teams in Guatemala.
Donnie has worked as a faculty for OEMS and their cadaver lab and as an associate instructor with Special Operations and Rescue.
Donnie has a wealth of knowledge of tactical medicine and prolonged field care (PFC), and a talent for brining his teaching to life.
He is an EMS instructor with NC Community College and high angle rescue instructor with the Association of EMS/Rescue.
Gabriel Cade, MD, FACEP, FAWM
Gabriel is first and foremost a lover of wilderness, and experiencing wilderness with his wife and two tough-as boys.
Cade dropped out of college to pursue the nonexistent career of living in his car and rock-climbing, which, in 2002, led to his participation as a contestant on Survivor: Marquesas, where the show physician introduced him to the idea of wilderness medicine.
After years of wilderness travel - hiking the entire 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail in one push, adventure racing, climbing some of the highest mountains in the world - he returned to academia. He completed his emergency medicine training as chief resident at a Level 1 trauma center, and followed this by helping to develop and complete one of the early wilderness medicine fellowships in the United States. His focus is on implementation of ultrasound technology in austere and disaster medicine, and his research and AWLS instructor jobs have taken him across the United States, Central America, and sub-Saharan Africa.
He continues to work with local search and rescue teams, teach domestically and internationally, and does peer review for the Wilderness and Environmental Medicine Journal.
COLONEL David Bates, ARRC BN MMedEd MPH FIHM FRSPH MioD
After a career spanning over 35 years, Colonel Bates is the British Army's most senior nurse with a wealth of operational experience.
An expert creator and leader of integrated health and care systems with a wealth of experience in clinically austere, hostile, remote and rural settings, Col. Bates was described by the Nursing Times publication as one of “the most influential, intelligent and impactful nurses in the profession”.
Passionate about education, training and practice development which are vital in building health capacity and capability. Seeking opportunities to continue helping communities to develop their health and care systems at home and abroad.
An expert in mitigating, planning for disaster response and delivering humanitarian action with participatory monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning built in.
Colonel Bates is the lead educator and associate professor for Cumbria University's Disaster Response and Humanitarian Action modules.
Paul Pinder McPara FEWM
Paul is the UK Director: A former British Solider, Firefighter and Paramedic, Paul is an experienced project manager, risk consultant and trainer.
Paul is a Fellow of Extreme and Wilderness Medicine (FEWM), and has a wealth of experience working in remote medicine, supporting media organisations, embassies, security companies and the oil and gas industry: developing policies and procedures and leading clinical teams.
He has supported a US TV shows in Fiji for 6 months, providing emergency and primary health care, along with air and sea evacuations to mainland hospitals. He managed a specialist team supporting TV and Film Productions during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Europe and New Zealand, ensuring risk management and business continuity.
Paul’s work in austere environments continues as a Media Safety Advisor, and consultant to NGO’s: developing clinical governance systems, emergency response plans, risk assessments and coordination of community outreach projects.
Paul is a qualified and experienced educator, and has delivered a range of internationally accredited programmes and bespoke courses around the globe to medical and non-medical students alike.
Passionate about supporting his clients, evidence-based medicine, and best practice for patients, Paul strives to work closely with our clients to find the balance between ‘Protection and Production’.
Gustavo Flores MD FP-C TP-C WP-C
Doctor Flores is an active emergency medical physician, flight physician and instructor and supports a Puerto Rico based EMS & rescue unit.
Faculty for the NAEMT and AHA, Dr Flores provided on the ground medical care and operational coordination throughout the recent tropical storms and hurricane Irma.
He has recent experience of oil and gas operations in the Middle East and is a regular contributor to EMS World magazine and the international conference.
Max Baldetti, MSc WEMT
Max is an expedition leader, Wilderness EMT and outdoor pursuits instructor.
He has a masters degree in Marine Biology, specializing in aquaculture, marine contamination and Coral Reef Identification, and is passionate about Guatemala’s waterways. He’s an IRF class 5 river rafting guide with first descents across Central America, the National Riverboard Champion, and founder of Rios Guatemala, a non-profit organization focused on supporting rural communities to develop sustainable tourism and clean rivers.
He is a white water and swift water rescue technician, and a helicopter search and rescue technician (HSAR).
Max has taught outdoor education across Guatemala, Europe and the USA and led expeditions in the mountains, rainforests and rivers of Guatemala and Central America.
With extensive experience in the TV/Film industry, Max has served as a Local Production Manager, Locations Manager, Production Medic, Fixer, Logistics Manager, Dengue Mitigation Officer, Stunt Coordinator and Safety Officer for National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, HBO, the BBC, Channel 4 and Paramount.
Max’s humanitarian aid experience includes disaster response operations with GSD and World Central Kitchen: responsible for aerial reconnaissance, mission planning, triage, medical support and food distribution following floods and earthquakes in Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Turkey, Mexico, Bangladesh, Jamaica and Spain.
Specialising in team building, coaching and leadership, Max is rarely found in urban areas and brings a wealth of experience and morale to the RED MED base camp.
Damian Rawcliffe
Damian is the UK-based training manager and frontline healthcare professional, blending current clinical practice with delivering learning.
He has 20 years of operational experience in remote and austere environments, providing risk consultancy, contingency planning, security services and medical care.
Damian has taught close protection, personal safety, conflict management and first aid to civilian, corporate, government and military teams around the world