Scotland Hosts World Extreme Medicine Conference

Our mission is to break down barriers, build bridges and make connections within the extreme medicine community

Scotland – world-renowned for scientific medical excellence thanks to pioneers including microbiologist Alexander Fleming, the chemist Thomas Graham, best known for his leading work in dialysis and Joseph Lister, the “Father of Antiseptic Surgery” who transformed surgical practice – will be home to a pioneering medical conference this November.

Taking place from Friday November 18 – 21, at Dynamic Earth, Holyrood Gait, Edinburgh, EH8 8AS the World Extreme Medicine Expo involves over 100 world-renowned medical experts – from surgeons and paramedics to astronauts – sharing their specialty, medical practice conducted away from the comfort of a typical hospital setting.

Four core disciplines are covered – disaster and humanitarian medicine, extreme, expedition and space medicine, human endurance and sports medicine plus prehospital medicine.

World Extreme Medicine Founder Mark Hannaford said, “Our mission is to break down barriers, build bridges and make connections within the extreme medicine community. We are honoured to host the most incredible line up of speakers who are willing to share their learnings, working at the very top of their profession.

“The event is also an amazing showcase for the wonderful diversity of careers in medicine and proof that a fulfilling career can be found outside of a traditional hospital environment. My belief is that there’s never been a more exciting time to work in medicine and the fascinating presentations will prove that point.”

Speakers include the elite sports expert, Edinburgh-based Dr Andrew Murray who has worked for the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth games. He ran 4,300 km from Scotland to the Sahara Desert and completed a husky trek in -40C in Outer Mongolia.

An exploration of the challenges faced when a solar storm hits your space shuttle will be examined by Dr Michael Barratt who spent 199 days as the Chief Medical Officer on the International Space Station. He is passionate about the adapted physiology of people in space.

Disaster Medicine is a more down to earth theme, which is largely covered on the first day of the conference. Mark Hannaford continues, “We have speakers from many aid agencies including Natalie Roberts from Médecins Sans Frontières and Arij Boureslan-Skelton from Save The Children. We’re pleased to have many speakers representing UK-Med, the UK’s disaster and emergency trauma response team, founded by Tony Redmond, who’s also speaking. Speakers, including Sean Hudson, Eoin Walker, Chrissy and Roger Alcock have deployed with UK-Med in response to disasters including the earthquake in Nepal and Typhoon Haiyan. We have chosen Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) as our charity of the year and the leading vascular surgeon Dr David Nott will speak about their work on the first day. Our speakers will share human stories behind the traumatic news headlines.”

The prehospital care programme involves an incredible case of a young woman who suffered a coronary heart attack while walking in London’s Oxford Street. Luckily for her, senior paramedic Eoin Walker from London’s Ambulance Cycle Response Team was close by and saved her life. There will not be a dry eye in the auditorium when Zoë Hitchcock tells her life-changing story.

Mark Hannaford concludes, “We are thrilled to be bringing 100 speakers to Edinburgh at an exciting event attended by 800 doctors, nurses, paramedics, surgeons and medical students. New medical research findings will be shared, so that the World Extreme Medicine event will be making history, following in the footsteps of the scientific giants who are now household names.”

About World Extreme Medicine Expo

Location: Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, EH8 8AS
Dates: Friday November 18 to Monday November 21
Ticket information: http://www.extrememedicineexpo.com/events/event/extreme-medi... Prices from £124.17 (for one day) to £825.00 (for all four days)
Website: http://www.extrememedicineexpo.com/
Videos: Being a Doctor Just Became the Most Exciting Career https://vimeo.com/170846844
Extreme and Wilderness Medicine – Our Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhPrFGFIFXI

Ends

High resolution imagery and interviews are available on request. Journalists are invited to attend the conference too and are asked to register their interest as early as possible.

Media information provided by Famous Publicity. For more information, please contact Tina Fotherby at 07703 409 622 or tina@famouspublicity.com, Tabitha Monkhouse at 0333 344 2341 or tabitha@famouspublicity.com or Adam Betteridge at 0333 344 2341 or adam@famouspublicity.com.

About the World Extreme Medicine Expo:

The World Extreme Medicine Conference and Expo will take place at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, EH8 8AS from 18 – 21 November 2016. Bringing together many of the world’s brightest medical minds, it will focus four core disciplines:

• Disaster and humanitarian medicine
• Extreme, expedition and space medicine
• Human endurance and sports medicine
• Prehospital medicine.

The exposition’s mission is to break down barriers, build bridges and make connections within the extreme medicine community.

The term ‘Extreme Medicine’ was first coined by Mark Hannaford and Sean Hudson as an umbrella term for these extra-clinical medical practices.