Fellows' Corner

Nicholas Black, MD
Wilderness Medicine Fellow
UCSD

I’m Nick Black, current wilderness medicine fellow at UC San Diego. I’m originally from Ohio where I completed my undergrad (go Bucks) and medical school at Case Western Reserve. I made my way west to the mountains for emergency medicine residency at UCSF Fresno. I’ve been fortunate to have had some incredible experiences throughout fellowship year thus far, including completing technical rescue training with the National Park Service (NPS) in Moab and numerous training weekends with the San Diego Mountain Rescue Team (SDMRT) focusing on search and rescue and personal technical skills. This fellowship focuses quite a bit on education and along that vein I have been able to lead continuing education sessions with SDMRT, develop/update protocols for SDMRT, instruct at local US Sailing safety seminars, lecture to ski patrol at Jackson Hole, and teach several wilderness medicine courses offered to UCSD medical students. I’m hoping to continue skills training with SDMRT through the end of fellowship and possibly begin working toward my (residually COVID-delayed) DiMM. Next year, I’ll be returning as faculty to UCSF Fresno and co-directing the Parkmedic program that trains NPS Rangers to a backcountry-oriented expanded scope of AEMT practice and acts as medical advisor to Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park, Sequoia National Forest, and Sierra National Forest.

Ashlee Davis, MD
Wilderness Medicine Fellow
UMass-Baystate Health

Hey y’all! My name is Ashlee Davis and I’m a wilderness medicine fellow at UMass-Baystate Health. I grew up in the humid wilds of South Georgia but fell in love with being in the backcountry after spending a weekend with friends in the Blue Ridge Mountains one weekend in college. Throughout medical school and residency, I was constantly trying to find ways to get outdoors whenever I had the chance.

Wilderness medicine fellowship has been an adventure to say the least! Through fellowship I have had the opportunity to explore many aspects of austere medicine and a variety of wilderness skill sets. I became certified as a Swiftwater rescue technician and NAUI open water diver. I took courses in Advanced Wilderness Life Support and AIARE I avalanche education. I will round out the year by taking a mountaineering trip to Mt Baker as well as traveling to Belize to teach at a marine and tropical medicine conference. Following fellowship, I will return to my home state to work at a community ED in Athens, GA (Go Dawgs!). I plan to continue my wild med vagabonding there through wilderness education and local search and rescue. My interests include SAR, wilderness toxicology, and backcountry decision-making. In my spare time I enjoy snowboarding, hiking, fly fishing, and a little climbing.

Liz Hamilton, MD
Wilderness Medicine Fellow
Dartmouth Hitchcock

This is Liz Hamilton, doing fellowship at Dartmouth Hitchcock. I kicked off fellowship with two weeks on Mt Rainier doing research on factors contributing to summit success in mountaineers. Back at Dartmouth,

I taught an ALWS course, directed our New England Consortium of Wilderness and Austere Medicine conference, and ran education days for the residents. I was lucky enough to be asked to be a guest instructor for a wilderness medicine course at the Army Mountain Warfare School in Bridgeport, California. I’ve been able to spend time with avalanche forecasters on Mt Washington and in the Tetons. Right now, I am teaching a two-week elective course for medical students and will be wrapping up the year with a ski mountaineering course in Switzerland and a hiking expedition in Morocco. After fellowship I’ll be starting a job in Palmer, Alaska, and plan to continue my wilderness medicine education there.

Cal Staben, MD
Wilderness Medicine Fellow
Wake Forest

Cal Staben, Wake Forest Wilderness Medicine Fellow ‘21-22. I’m originally from Lexington, Kentucky and did residency at the University of Louisville before my fellowship. This year I’ve spent a lot of my time involved with high angle rescue, risk management consultation, and wilderness education. Next year, I’ll be working in Albuquerque, NM with Presbyterian Health Services and climbing in the Sandias and fishing the Rio Grande and San Juan.