Forrest Wells, MD

I’ve been travelling abroad and playing in the wilderness since before my earliest memories; my parents’ inspired approach to adventuring with kids lit a passion that I have carried ever since. By midway through college I had decided to pursue medicine, but I took a few years after graduating to work for Outward Bound leading backcountry courses in the summer and traveling during the off-season. My most important trip was to Chile, where I finally convinced my high school crush that we should start dating—she stuck with me through the tribulations of medical school, alpine misadventures, and planning a wedding, so we are in it together for good now. During school, wilderness medicine helped bridge my outdoor lifestyle to academic medicine, and I went on publish about expedition epidemiology, start a wilderness medicine conference, and create a wilderness medicine nonprofit during my time in Portland. Now for Salt Lake City!