Shilpi Ganguly, MS - Founder & chair

MS3 University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Shilpi has a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering with a second major in Spanish and minor in Aerospace Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and an M.S. in Modern Human Anatomy from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Currently she sits on the executive boards for the University of Miami Emergency Medicine Student Association and Wilderness Medicine Student Interest Group. Her personal interests in wilderness medicine lay within the fields of polar, mountain, tactical, and space medicine. Shilpi is extremely passionate about wilderness medicine and is the master-mind behind this multi-week multi-speaker wilderness extravaganza!  Full Bio

Alex Lupi - Lead Coordinator 

MS3 Vanderbilt University 

Alex grew up in Stafford, VA spending most weekends playing soccer and living for yearly trips to Boulder, CO to visit his Grandma and go skiing. He did his undergraduate at the University of Virginia where he became a die-hard UVA basketball fan and volunteered as an EMT. Alex also competed on the ski and snowboard team, and specialized in riding through mud, rocks, and ice in the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina. At Vanderbilt he is involved in premed mentorship, health policy advocacy, and has interests in emergency medicine and oncology.  Full Bio

Seth Lisle - Vice Coordinator

OMS2 Harlem Branch of Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine

Seth has always had many academic interests– In 2017 he earned a B.A in Biology and a B.M in Music Performance, with minors in Microbiology & Cellular Biology, Human Development & Family Studies, and Evolutionary Biology & Ecology. But, from setting up camera traps in his home state of CT to climbing AB mountain in Skagway, AK, Seth has always held a particular passion for nature and adventure. He is an avid hiker and backpacker, national park enthusiast and verifiable bird nerd. Wilderness medicine is a broad and varied topic, and Seth is very excited to be part of the team making this lecture series happen!

Claire Grosgogeat - Vice Coordinator

MS2 University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Claire has a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Medical Humanities from Boston College. Her interest in wilderness medicine is centered around tactical, wilderness endurance, and space medicine. Claire has been an EMT for the past 6 years, where she has obtained additional certifications in tactical emergency medicine and organized tactical emergency medicine training. As far as endurance medicine, one of her most rewarding experiences to date was working at the Boston Marathon, treating runners who have pushed themselves to their limits while accomplishing impressive personal goals. 

Nathan Mercado - Communications Coordinator 

MS2 UC Riverside School of Medicine

Like many here, Nathan loves the outdoors where he spends his free time either climbing, surfing, or snowboarding. Prior to starting medical school he worked as a beach lifeguard at the busiest beach in California and was part of a ski team where he visited the various mountains on the West Coast. Nathan would love to incorporate these hobbies with his passion for wilderness/emergency medicine. He is excited to dive deeper into the abyss of wilderness medicine and hopefully meet some of the many fellow healthcare adventurers on the way. 

Valerie Nunez - PR Coordinator

OMS2 Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine

Val lives in the southwest region so many of her wilderness experiences have been mountainous and VERY dry. During her free time she enjoys volleyball, bouldering, and wrestling. Val has a strong interest in wilderness medicine and throughout her time in medical school and beyond she hopes to explore more about mountain, tactical, and rescue/disaster medicine. Val is excited to be working with like minded individuals and maybe even get to go on a few wilderness trips with some of you (when Covid is a long lost memory).

Sarah Jacobson - Resource Coordinator

OMS2 Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine 

Sarah began her career in healthcare when she enlisted in the US Army Reserve to train as a combat medic (EMT) and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in 2001. She deployed to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany from 2004-2005, where she provided care for US soldiers, allies, and civilian contractors wounded in Operation Enduring and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sarah completed her BSN at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and trained in critical care nursing. She spent some years working as a travel nurse before applying to medical school. Full Bio. 

Katrina STevens - Webmaster 

MS2 SUNY Upstate Medical University 

Katrina obtained her undergraduate degree in Biology from Clarkson University. After, she went on to serve in the AmeriCorps for West Mountain Regional Health Alliance in Colorado. While volunteering she served as project coordinator, with a focus on improving social determinants of health in the community, specifically food and housing insecurity. Currently, she is an active member of the Adirondack Mountain Rescue team and is pursuing research in wilderness medicine. In her free time she enjoys whitewater rafting, snowboarding, and knitting. Full Bio

Catherine Lawton - Australian Delegate 

MS3 University of Queensland Ochsner School of Medicine

Catherine completed a Bachelor of Science at The University of Michigan majoring in Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience and minoring in Biochemistry. Her specific interest in wilderness medicine lies in ultra-endurance, space, and rescue medicine. She has run a variety of full and half marathons including the Detroit International Marathon and will be training soon for her first ultra. Catherine finds the physiological changes in endurance sports such as ultra running or Iron Mans fascinating and loves the detailed work that goes into competing at such distances. Full Bio

Nikos Donegan - European Delegate

MS3 Warwick Medical School - United Kingdom

Nikos completed his bachelors in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, a blend of Physics, Cellular Biology and with a focus on Chemistry graduating in 2016. Since his freshman year at WMS he has sat on the committee of the Warwick Wilderness Medicine Society (WWMS) and will soon be running for the presidency. Nikos has been growing his appetite for Wilderness exploration ever since catching the bug for hiking and orienteering in secondary (high) school through his time with the Combined Cadet Force (Royal Navy) and Silver/Gold Duke of Edinburgh award (DofE). 

Aniekan Etesin - African Delegate

University of Uyo - Nigeria

Aniekan is a final year medical student of University of Uyo, Nigeria, with over 3 years experience in volunteering, she is a public health and safety enthusiast. She is the author of emergency Haqs, an engaging public health online series, where she uses story telling and graphic designs to educate her over 5000 friends on her social media platform, on basic life saving medical knowledge. She believes everyone should have access to quality and affordable health care and possess basic life saving knowledge. Full Bio

Leo Diamond - Undergraduate Delegate

University of Chicago 

Leo is a pre-med undergraduate at the University of Chicago majoring in geophysical sciences and English literature. He started his wilderness medicine journey when he got his WFR in high school and instantly fell in love with it. Since then he has upgraded to a WEMT, worked as a ski patroller during his gap year, and attended the National Conference on Wilderness Medicine. In his free time he is an avid triathlete. Leo is excited to help grow the project and help bring wilderness medicine to a wider audience.

Owen Spencer - Undergraduate Delegate

Northeastern University 

Owen is a third-year Cell and Molecular Biology student at Northeastern University. Although he was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, he found a passion for the ocean while traveling with his family. Owen became a certified Open Water diver in high school and conducted research on Giant Barrel Sponges in the British Virgin Islands. He has now been SCUBA diving in many locations around the globe, including the Mediterranean Sea during his first semester of college in Thessaloniki, Greece. Owen plans to bring his knowledge and excitement for the environment and medicine to this organization!