Our Team

Managing Director

Kerryn Wratt

FAWM, RP, FACPara, MAWEMS, MATMA, MWMS
Managing Director

President: Australasian Wilderness & Expedition Medicine Society

Lead Instructor: Advanced Wilderness Life Support. Basic Wilderness Life Support, Wilderness Rescue Medicine, Tropical Rescue Medicine

Other Qualifications and Awards: GradCertAeroMedRet, GradDipEmerHlth(MP), BParaStudies, DipAmbParaStudies, BSc(Zool), WMS Warren D Bowman Award 2021

Kerryn is a Critical Care Flight and Wilderness Paramedic based in Nelson, New Zealand. Prior to this he spent 2 years as CSO and then Critical Care Flight Paramedic Intern in Tasmania as well as 20 years in Victoria in a wide range of locations and roles. 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.

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Kerryn 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.


Oversight Committee

Duncan Maughan

CCRN, MACN, MAWEMS
Advisor Nursing / SAR / Communications

Lead Instructor: Advanced Wilderness Life Support, Wilderness Rescue Medicine
B.App.Sci(EALUP), MA, BN, GradCert(CC) Victoria, Australia

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.

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An 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 also holds qualifications in Advanced Wilderness Life Support, Critical Care Nursing and radio communications.


Dr. Nicola Walsham

MB BS (Hons), FACEM, DTMH (London), PGDipMedTox (Cardiff)
Advisor Emergency Medicine and Trauma

Deputy Director Emergency Services, Royal Melbourne Hospital

Senior Lecturer, Department Critical Care, University of Melbourne - Disaster and Terror Medicine

Emergency Trauma Management Course - Education Committee; Course Director, Instructor

The Alfred Procedures Course – Instructor

ACEM Trauma Emergency Medicine Network – Member; former Executive Director

Nicola is a Melbourne based Emergency Physician and Deputy Director of Emergency Services at one of Australasia's busiest major trauma centres.

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She has subspeciality interests in Trauma, Toxicology and Infectious Diseases, with post-graduate qualifications in toxicology and tropical medicine, and teaches on several trauma management and emergency procedures courses, but is really most interested in adventure travel and hiking in exotic locations.


Dr. Christer ’Chris’ Casselsjö

MD
Advisor Snow and Adventure Sport
Dr. Casselsjö is a Swedish based General Practitioner with special interest in sports and outdoor environment work. Wintertime he is working part-time as a medical professional in the Swedish ski-fields.

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Chris is a strong team-player and is interested in the psychological aspects of interacting with others during big accidents, fatigue and sleep-deprivation. He has been, and still is, competing in Adventure Racing and other long-endurance races across the globe, and has first-hand experience of many outdoor injuries.

Chris is also our European Liaison.


Sophie Oootes

Dr. Sophie Ootes

MD, EMCert (ACEM), BA (French/Int Pol), AWLS, WRM
Advisor General Practice and Sports Medicine

RACGP Registrar
Australasian Wilderness & Expedition Medicine Society Vice President
Athletics Victoria Board
AusCycling Medical Advisory Committee

Sophie is a rural generalist registrar based in South Australia with a passion for expedition, retrieval, and sports medicine. She is vice-president and a founding member of the Australasian Wilderness and Expedition Medicine Society, and also sits on various state and national sporting committees.

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Sophie holds an Emergency Medicine Certificate (ACEM), additional qualifications in Advanced Life Support 2, Management of Sports Trauma, Major Incident Medical Management Support, and is working towards her Fellowship of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine.

She teaches Advanced Wilderness Life Support, and Wilderness Rescue Medicine courses.

Sophie comes from a diverse background, also holding a B. Arts (International Politics / French Language) and has studied across Australia, UK, the Netherlands, France, and volunteered in the Philippines. Sophie is an avid sportswoman, having represented Australia for cycling and triathlon, and she continues her passion as a keen runner, and sports event doctor.


Man wearing red clothing and safety gear against a distant background, suspended from a high place by abseiling equipment

Aaron Worcester

BSc, AWLS
Advisor Technical Rescue / Survival / Navigation

BSc Zoology

Advanced Diploma Leadership and Management

Advanced Diploma Public Safety (Emergency Management)

Advanced Diploma Public Safety (Firefighting Management)

AWLS

Aaron is currently a Commander with Fire Rescue Victoria in East Gippsland. With primary roles in fire and emergency management, Aaron has significant experience in technical rescue training and operations – with a focus on bringing technical rescue skills and medical care together for the best patient outcomes.

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With a military background Aaron also brings field training skillsets including tactical and combat first aid, navigation and communications.

Aaron is an outdoor generalist, and always keen to try any remote outdoor pursuit, including hiking, rafting, scuba diving, boating, biking and 4wd camping.


Dr. Seth Hawkins


Medical Advisor
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.

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He 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.


Faculty

Kasia Grela

Dr. Kasia Grela

MBBS, FANZCA, DiMM
Advisor Airway and Anaesthesia
Kasia is a specialist anaesthetist working between Australia and New Zealand. She has also worked in Nepal and Papua New Guinea providing healthcare in remote communities and expedition support. She has sat on medical advisory boards for various remote care and volunteer medical placement companies.

Shaun Whitmore


Advisor Aeromedical Retrieval and Disaster Response
Div 1 RN Full time 1986-1992 ALS Paramedic 1992-1999 MICA Paramedic 1999-2006 MICA Flight Paramedic 2006-Present. Current role and experience includes extensive Search and Rescue experience in both Police/Ambulance Operations including onshore and offshore winching Ops. Skillset includes adult and Paediatric Rapid Sequence Intubation/Blood Administration/Point of care Ultrasound/Lateral Thoracostomy in a Paramedic based system with 1000+ retrievals.

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Level A CBR/Aquatic Response/Urban Search and Rescue

Team Leader NCCTRC since 2012

Deployed to Samoa as Team Leader Victorian Medical Assistance Team 2009 following Tsunami

Deployed to Fiji 2016 as part of first 6 person deployment following Cyclone Winston

Medic on Kokoda 2010 looking after 40 people on a 7-day trek

Educational experience

Sessional Lecturer since 1997 Ambulance Officers Training Centre and Monash University

2500hrs + Experience in this field

Currently Unit Coordinator Paediatric/Obstetric Unit MICA Program

Unit Coordinator Aeromedical retrieval and Coordination for Grad Cert Aeromedical retrieval Monash University

Facilitator on Victorian AusMAT Courses

MICA Paramedic Educator MICA 5 Ambulance Victoria

AWLS Course April 2016 

Medals

Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal (Samoa 2009)

National Emergency Medal (Black Saturday Bushfires 2009)

Interests

Camping/4WD trekking/hiking Alpine and Outback areas

Guitar


Dr. Bethan McDonald


Advisor Tropical and Travel Medicine
Bethan McDonald is a Canberra-based general practitioner and travel medicine doctor. She has spent 4 years living out of a backpack while working with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in Sudan, Chad and Lebanon and various corners of rural Australia.

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Her passion for travel off the beaten path has lead her to work as an expedition medic on the Kokoda Trail and specialise in prepping adventure travellers for trips that they not only survive but actually enjoy!
She has a diploma in tropical and mountain medicine, has done wilderness training from the Arctic to the jungle and has mangled the native tongue of every country that she has visited.

Bethan claims to have no natural talent at any outdoor pursuits, but that is no barrier to her being found hiking, rock climbing, diving and cross-country skiing at every opportunity.


Steve Whitfield


Advisor Expedition Medicine
Steve has been working in the expedition and medical industries for more than 15 years. He began as a recon scout / patrol signaller in the Australian Army where he deployed to Iraq, East Timor, Hawaii and Thailand before working as an expedition leader/ medic and eventually a paramedic.

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He holds a Bachelors in Health Science, a Diploma in Journalism and numerous outdoor adventure qualifications including rock climbing, abseiling, scuba diving, skydiving and kayaking.

An avid adventurer, climber, surfer and diver, his travels have taken him to over 80 countries so far, with many more adventures planned. Steve has specialised in marine, desert and high altitude (<6000m) expeditions and is currently a Wilderness Medical Consultant / Instructor and a fellow candidate for the Wilderness Medical Society.

His favourite adventure so far has been the micro adventures spent with his wife and two children.


Woman wearing white cap and orange medical vest stands in front of a rescue helicopter

Olivia Gregory

GradCert Paramedicine (CritCare), BHlthSC(Paramedic), AWLS, BWLS, TAE40116, ALS, RII30719, BOSIET
RescueMED Shop & Moulage assistant
Olivia works as a remote Paramedic for the Kimberley Ambulance Service and as a first aid and rescue simulation trainer. Olivia is on the committee for the Australasian Wilderness & Expedition Medicine society and has spent time volunteering in Nepal in a pop-up medical clinic as part of the Wild Medic Project.

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Olivia holds a Graduate Certificate in Paramedicine (Critical Care), Bachelor of Emergency Health (Paramedic), AWLS and BWLS, Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, Advanced Life Support, Certificate III in Mine Emergency Response and Rescue, BOSIET with Compressed Air Emergency Breathing System.

When Olivia is not at work you will find her camping, at the beach, or exploring somewhere new.


Man wearing aviators helmet and sunglasses next to window of helicopter flying over an urban area

Andrew Bennett

GradCertTacMed DipParaSc
Austere Medicine Advisor
Paramedic, TacMed Instructor, NSW State Emergency Service Operator, trained and worked with various high risk & remote emergency service teams in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico and Thailand. 🙂

Adam Kershaw


Advisor Wilderness First Aid and Improvisation
Adam has been leading expeditions within Australia, New Zealand, S.E Asia, South America, Asia and Central Asia for over 20 years.

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Previously as the Operations Manager of a large overseas expedition company, he was responsible for the safety and training of all participants and leaders prior to their month long expedition. He is a Wilderness Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (WAEMT) and the owner of Survive First Aid which specialises in Wilderness and Remote Area medical training.

When not running wilderness training he also teaches the Certificate IV and Diploma of outdoor leadership. He loves adventure travel, is an avid skier and mountain biker and would really like to be a better surfer!


Dr. Will Smith

MD, Paramedic, FAWM

Dr. Smith practices Emergency Medicine in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and is Clinical Assistant Professor for the University of Washington School of Medicine, as well as the Medical Director for the US National Park Service. Locally, he serves as the Co-Medical Director for Grand Teton National Park, Teton County Search & Rescue, Bridger Teton National Forest, and Jackson Hole Fire/EMS.

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Dr. Smith also serves as a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps.  LTC Smith has practiced medicine around the world on 6 continents, from the 'Baghdad ER' to Easter Island.  His combat experience combined with his pre-hospital EMS experience as a Paramedic, and his technical Search and Rescue skills have led to numerous speaking engagements at Wilderness and EMS conferences/seminars around the world.

Dr. Smith has also been appointed to several national committees (American Heart Association), authored numerous book chapters and consensus guidelines on Wilderness and Rescue Medicine, and serves as a Subject Matter Expert for DARPA.

He has founded and runs Wilderness and Emergency Medicine Consulting (WEMC), LLC.  More information can be found at www.wildernessdoc.com


David Fifer

M.S., NRP, FAWM

David Fifer is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medical Care at Eastern Kentucky University and a Wilderness Paramedic for Kentucky’s Powell County Ambulance Service. There, he coordinates RedSTAR- the Red River Gorge Special Treatment, Access and Rescue Team- which responds to wilderness emergencies in the Daniel Boone National Forest and Natural Bridge State Park.

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David also works an Emergency Management Specialist for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, serving on their incident management team as an operations officer. In this role, he deploys frequently to disaster zones and national security events to coordinate the delivery of patient care through America’s National Disaster Medical System.

David earned his B.A. in Political Science and M.S. in Safety, Security, and Emergency Management from EKU, and is a Fellow in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine [5]. He’s an AWLS instructor, rope rescue technician, and a contributing author to “Wilderness EMS.”


Dr. Molly Cargill

MAWEMS, BMedSci, MD, AWLS, WLS:MP

Molly is a junior doctor from country Victoria. Originally from a small coastal community she grew up in the outdoors and enjoys camping, hiking and travelling.

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While completing her medical degree she realised she did not want to follow a ‘conventional’ career path, and instead wanted to combine her passion for being in the wilderness with her career. She joined the Australasian Wilderness & Expedition Medicine Society (AWEMS) committee in 2021 and that same year became involved with RescueMED after completing her Advanced Wilderness Life Support (AWLS) certification with the company. Molly is also currently completing her Graduate Certificate in Healthcare in Remote and Extreme Environments through the University of Tasmania. She hopes to undertake ACRRM Rural Generalist training and gain further experience working as an expedition and event medic in the near future.


Dr. Kate Baecher

Clinical Psychologist, MAPS, FCCLP, FEWM DPSYCH (Clin), MPHIL (Psy), BPSYCH (Hons)
Advisor psychology and team performance
Dr Kate Baecher is a registered Clinical Psychologist with a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology, Master of Philosophy and Bachelor of Psychology (Honours). Kate has a love for the outdoors: climbing, hiking, mountaineering and more!

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She combines this love with psychology and specialises in high-performance coaching, research and consulting on mental health risk in wilderness activities and austere settings. Kate also provides mental health trauma care to victims of disaster and conflict, both in Australia and internationally.

Kate is the former Head Psychologist at the NRL, and currently works with Fire and Rescue NSW developing and facilitating Wellness Retreats for first responders with PTSD; and well as continuing to build on her work with Psychological First Aid and Mental Health training in remote, austere and wilderness environments.


Dinny Kube



30 years instructing in the outdoor industry
28 years of volunteering with Maffra SES, (a search and rescue unit)
Volunteer as an Ambulance Community Officer
Wilderness Responder with Ambulance Vic
Member of AlpineSAR

Dinny has an elderly dog and three horses which are all “rejects” (two are failed pacers).  She enjoys telemark skiing, rock climbing, bushwalking, mountain biking and running.  She also loves traveling with her daughter.  Previous trips include Guatemala and Mexico in 2016 and Nepal is in the pipeline for 2017

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