Skip to main content
DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE

Wilderness Medicine


The field of Wilderness Medicine encompasses mountain and expedition medicine, international outreach, disaster relief, search and rescue, and other areas of austere and remote medicine.

The University of Utah Wilderness Medicine faculty are dedicated and highly engaged in their pursuits, and are international experts in their specific medical fields. 


 

Scott McIntosh, MD

Wilderness Medicine Section Chief, Fellowship Program Director

Theodore Hartridge, DO

Assistant Fellowship Program Director

Learn more about:

WILDERNESS MEDICINE PROGRAMS

    -Scott McIntosh, MD


     

    -Will Smith MD & AJ Wheeler MD


    • Swiftwater Rescue Training
    • K9 Training
    • Teton County Search and Rescue
    • Technical Rescue- Andy Rich
    • Personal Rescue & Skills- Maura Longdren

    -Theodore Hartridge, DO


    • Utah Avalanche Center & Snow Science
    • Avalanche Rescue & Resuscitation
    • Ski Patrol Operations

    -Scott McIntosh, MD, MPH, FAWM, DiMM, Director

    -Shane Goodman, Equipment and Co-Director

    -Emergency & Trauma Physicians

    -AirMed Flight Nurses & Paramedics


     

    Landing Sites
    Landing Sites
    Starliner
    Boeing Starliner
    Starliner Team
    Starliner Team
    Starliner Team working
    Aerospace Team in action
    WM Aerospace Team
    WM Aerospace Team
    Aerospace Program Collaboration
    Aerospace Program Collaboration: NASA, Boeing, University of Utah Health

    -Graham Brant-Zawadzki, MD


     

    Bhutan

    Wilderness Medicine Section personnel regularly travel to Bhutan to teach air medical education to the Bhutan Emergency Aeromedical Retrieval (BEAR) service and Mountain Medicine courses to key providers. 

    High Mountain Rescue Courses

    Wilderness Medicine fellows have been invited by the Asociaión de Guías de Montaña del Perú (AGMP) and University of Colorado Wilderness Medicine & to join in teaching their high mountain rescue courses each spring. These courses include a wilderness first responder course for established experienced guides and a wilderness first aid course for guides in training, police and fire department rescue times, and the general public.


    • Teton Search & Rescue
    • Jenny Lake Search & Rescue
    • NASA/Boeing
    • Wasatch Backcountry Rescue
    • Snowbird Ski Patrol & Clinic
    • Alta Ski Patrol & Clinic
    • Black Diamond
    • Utah Avalanche Center
    • Wilderness Medical Society
    • Diploma in Mountain Medicine (DiMM) 
    DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE

    Wilderness Medicine Faculty

    Scott McIntosh, M.D.

    Scott McIntosh, MD

    Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine

    Section Chief, Wilderness Medicine Program at University of Utah

    Wilderness Medicine Fellowship Program Director

    Medical Director, Summit County EMS

    Associate Medical Director and Flight Physician, AirMed

    Director, U of U Boeing and NASA Medical Landing Team

    Theodore Hartridge MD

    Theodore Hartridge, DO

    Clinical Attending, Department of Emergency Medicine

    Wilderness Medicine Assistant Fellowship Program Director

    Graham Brant-Zawadzki M.D.

    Graham Brant-Zawadzki, MD

    Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine

    Assistant Section Chief, Wilderness Medicine Program at University of Utah

    Medical Director, Unified Fire Authority

    Medical Director, Golden Spike & Dinosaur National Monuments and Capitol Reef National Park

    Board of Directors, Wilderness Medical Society

    AJ Wheeler, MD

    Wilderness Medicine Specialist, Teton County Search & Rescue

    Will Smith, MD

    Wilderness Medicine Specialist, Teton County Search & Rescue

    Andy Rich

    Wilderness Medicine Specialist, Instructor, Remote Rescue Training

    Maura Longden

    Wilderness Medicine Specialist, Instructor, Remote Rescue Training

    See what's being discussed and shared on social media

    University of Utah Wilderness Medicine Fellowship

    Wilderness Medicine NEWS & INFORMATION:

    Bhutan Mountain Medicine Course for Bhutanese Mountain Guides

    Learn more here!

    Wilderness Medicine Research

    McIntosh SE, McDevitt M, Rodway GW, Dow J, Grissom CK (2010). Demographic, geographic, and expedition determinants of reaching the summit of denaliHigh Alt Med Biol11(3), 223-9.

    Hamonko MT, McIntosh SE, Schimelpfenig T, Leemon D (2011). Injuries related to hiking with a pack during National Outdoor Leadership School courses: a risk factor analysis. Wilderness Environ Med22(1), 2-6.

    McIntosh SE, Hamonko M, Freer L, Grissom CK, Auerbach PS, Rodway GW, Cochran A, Giesbrecht G, McDevitt M, Imray CH, Johnson E, Dow J, Hackett PH (2011). Wilderness Medical Society practice guidelines for the prevention and treatment of frostbite. Wilderness Environ Med22(2), 156-66.

    Russell KW, Weber DC, Scheele BM, Ernst RP, Kanaan NC, Smith WR, McIntosh SE, Wheeler AR 3rd (2013). Search and rescue in the Intermountain West states. Wilderness Environ Med24(4), 429-33.

    Russell KW, Scaife CL, Weber DC, Windsor JS, Wheeler AR, Smith W, Wedmore I, McIntosh SE, Lieberman JR (2014). Wilderness Medical Society practice guidelines for the treatment of acute pain in remote environments. Wilderness Environ Med25(1), 41-9.

    Handford C, Buxton P, Russell K, Imray CE, McIntosh SE, Freer L, Cochran A, Imray CH (04/01/2014). Frostbite: a practical approach to hospital management. Extrem Physiol Med22(3), 3-7.

    McDevitt M, McIntosh SE, Rodway G, Peelay J, Adams DL, Kayser B (2014). Risk determinants of acute mountain sickness in trekkers in the Nepali Himalaya: a 24-year follow-up. Wilderness Environ Med25(2), 152-9.

    Zafren K, Giesbrecht GG, Danzl DF, Brugger H, Sagalyn EB, Walpoth B, Weiss EA, Auerbach PS, McIntosh SE, Nemethy M, McDevitt M, Dow J, Schoene RB, Rodway GW, Hackett PH, Bennett BL, Grissom CK (2014). Wilderness Medical Society practice guidelines for the out-of-hospital evaluation and treatment of accidental hypothermia. Wilderness Environ Med25(4), 425-45.

    Nemethy M, Pressman AB, Freer L, McIntosh SE (2015). Mt Everest Base Camp Medical Clinic "Everest ER": epidemiology of medical events during the first 10 years of operation. Wilderness Environ Med26(1), 4-10.

    Campbell AD, McIntosh SE, Nyberg A, Powell AP, Schoene RB, Hackett P (2015). Risk Stratification for Athletes and Adventurers in High-Altitude Environments: Recommendations for Preparticipation Evaluation. Clin J Sport Med25(5), 404-11.

    Ng P, Smith WR, Wheeler A, McIntosh SE (2015). Advanced Avalanche Safety Equipment of Backcountry Users: Current Trends and Perceptions. Wilderness Environ Med26(3), 417-21.

    Campbell AD, Davis C, Paterson R, Cushing TA, Ng P, Peterson CS, Sedgwick PE, McIntosh SE (2015). Preparticipation Evaluation for Climbing Sports. Clin J Sport Med25(5), 412-7.

    Campbell AD, McIntosh SE, Nyberg A, Powell AP, Schoene RB, Hackett P (2015). Risk Stratification for Athletes and Adventurers in High-Altitude Environments: Recommendations for Preparticipation Evaluation. Wilderness Environ Med26(4 Suppl), S30-9.

    Zafren K, Giesbrecht GG, Danzl DF, Brugger H, Sagalyn EB, Walpoth B, Weiss EA, Auerbach PS, McIntosh SE, Nemethy M, McDevitt M, Dow J, Schoene RB, Rodway GW, Hackett PH, Bennett BL, Grissom CK (2014). Wilderness Medical Society practice guidelines for the out-of-hospital evaluation and treatment of accidental hypothermia. Wilderness Environ Med25(4), 425-45.

    Nemethy M, Pressman AB, Freer L, McIntosh SE (2015). Mt Everest Base Camp Medical Clinic "Everest ER": epidemiology of medical events during the first 10 years of operation. Wilderness Environ Med26(1), 4-10.

    Campbell AD, McIntosh SE, Nyberg A, Powell AP, Schoene RB, Hackett P (2015). Risk Stratification for Athletes and Adventurers in High-Altitude Environments: Recommendations for Preparticipation Evaluation. Clin J Sport Med25(5), 404-11.

    Ng P, Smith WR, Wheeler A, McIntosh SE (2015). Advanced Avalanche Safety Equipment of Backcountry Users: Current Trends and Perceptions. Wilderness Environ Med26(3), 417-21.

    Campbell AD, Davis C, Paterson R, Cushing TA, Ng P, Peterson CS, Sedgwick PE, McIntosh SE (2015). Preparticipation Evaluation for Climbing Sports. Clin J Sport Med25(5), 412-7.

    Campbell AD, McIntosh SE, Nyberg A, Powell AP, Schoene RB, Hackett P (2015). Risk Stratification for Athletes and Adventurers in High-Altitude Environments: Recommendations for Preparticipation Evaluation. Wilderness Environ Med26(4 Suppl), S30-9.

    Genswein M, Macias D, McIntosh S, Reiweger I, Hetland A, Paal P (2022). AvaLife-A New Multi-Disciplinary Approach Supported by Accident and Field Test Data to Optimize Survival Chances in Rescue and First Aid of Avalanche Patients. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 19(9).

    Luks AM, Freer L, Grissom CK, McIntosh SE, Schoene RB, Swenson ER, Hackett PH (2020) COVID-19 Lung Injury is Not High Altitude Pulmonary Edema. High Alt Med Biol, 21(2), 192-193.

    McIntosh SE, Little CE, Seibert TD, Polukoff NE, Grissom CK (2020). Avalanche airbag post-burial active deflation - the ability to create an air pocket to delay asphyxiation and prolong survival. Resuscitation, 155-160.

    McIntosh SE, Freer L, Grissom CK, Auerbach PS, Rodway GW, Cochran A, Giesbrecht GG, McDevitt M, Imray CH, Johnson EL, Pandey P, Dow J, Hackett PH (2019). Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Frostbite: 2019 Update. Wilderness Environ Med, 30(4S), S19-S32.

    Porter A, Difrancesca M, Slack S, Hudecek L, McIntosh SE (2019). Improvised vs Standard Cervical Collar to Restrict Spine Movement in the Backcountry Environment. Wilderness Environ Med, 30(4), 412-416.

    Dow J, Giesbrecht GG, Danzl DF, Brugger H, Sagalyn EB, Walpoth B, Auerbach PS, McIntosh SE, Némethy M, McDevitt M, Schoene RB, Rodway GW, Hackett PH, Zafren K, Bennett BL, Grissom CK (2019). Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Out-of-Hospital Evaluation and Treatment of Accidental Hypothermia: 2019 Update. Wilderness Environ Med, 30 (4S), S47-S69.

    DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE

    WILDERNESS MEDICINE


    Wilderness Emergency Medicine Services (WEMS):


     

    Wilderness and outdoor guiding companies operate in physically demanding and potentially dangerous settings. These include high altitude, desert, glacier, rock terrain, swift water, and subaquatic environments. With trained and experienced leadership, the risks to participants can be substantially reduced. However, medical issues may arise with require treatment, stabilization, evacuation, and ongoing management. Proper education of instructors and guides, customized care protocols and instant access to professional guidance are necessary for safe and successful expeditions. 

    We provide medical oversight for all aspects of your organization, from participant health screenings to post-trip analysis. Insurance companies recognize that organized medical direction is an important way to mitigate risk. Many insurance companies will provide discounts to those organizations that have proper medical oversight. 

    The University of Utah faculty is nationally known for expertise in wilderness medicine. Our highly respected Wilderness Medicine Fellowship has been operating for almost a decade, with faculty including national experts in Wilderness Medicine, Prehospital Emergency Medical Services, and Search & Rescue. We are optimally positioned to provide guidance to your organization. 

      • Participant Medical Record Review & Screening: Detailed analysis of health information and medical history for individuals applying to an expedition. A professional screening can determine suitability for a program and help optimize preexisting medical conditions (e.g., evaluation and optimization of a participant with asthma and a cardiovascular condition for a high altitude trek). Individualized care recommendations can be provided for each participant’s medical needs.
      • Instructor Evaluation & Training Recommendations: Assessment of the training level (OEC, WFR, EMT) and medical care proficiency of instructors and guides employed by your organization. Program recommendations for further training may be provided, where applicable.
      • Offline Medical Direction & Protocols: Creation of customized emergency protocols to be used by instructors and guides in the absence of direct communication with a medical professional. Designed, reviewed and endorsed in partnership with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and Wilderness Medical Institute (WMI), these protocols are tailored to the specific needs of each expedition.
      • Online Medical Direction & Telemedicine: Immediate medical assistance provided 24/7 by an expert in wilderness and emergency medicine. This assistance can be accessed via cell, satellite phone, remote viewing or telemedicine kit.
      • Medical & Survival Kit Customization: Design and review of customized medical and survival kits for every expedition. Medical equipment needs for emergency care vary dramatically depending on the expedition environment, activities planned, and health status of participants, as well as the size of the group, duration of the expedition and the instructor/guide’s level of medical training.
      • Medication Prescriptions & Equipment Ordering: Wilderness medical kits may contain certain prescription medications that must be prescribed by a physician. These include epinephrine for anaphylaxis, antibiotics, pain medications, and high altitude prophylactic/treatment medications. State and federal laws make prescribing and dispensing medications challenging in certain situations, but we will work with your organization to arrive at the best solution for your needs.
      • Expedition Medical Coverage: Our expert physicians are available, upon special arrangement, to accompany your expeditions. They will provide consultation services, medical equipment, and individual care for your group.
      • Post-Expedition Analysis: Review of each medical case, evacuation and near miss. Careful incident analyses promote the safety and success of future expeditions.

      Upon receipt of your application, WEMS will provide a cost estimate and work with you towards achieving your organization’s unique needs. Discounts are available for nonprofit organizations.

      Proper medical direction services require many hours of dedicated time from a specialized physician. The University of Utah and WEMS are nonprofit organizations whose goal is to provide service to the community and enhance safety in wilderness organizations at a reasonable cost.