The Expedition Medical Cell of the RGS-IBG was established in 1996. Its initial remit was to provide medical advice to the Society's field research programmes and, through teaching and research, to reduce the hazards of participating in an expedition or travelling in remote areas.  The Cell has been involved in research into the health risks associated with expeditions, and has been closely associated with several popular handbooks on Expedition Medicine.  

To improve the quality of information the Medical Cell provides, we are now developing a series of best practice guidelines, and working towards a second edition of the Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine. Much of this new work will be done through online forums and we welcome enquiries from anyone with expertise who can help improve the quality of healthcare in very remote areas. We also plan to host meetings to debate the guidelines, and try to bring together enthusiasts in this exciting area of medicine.

In the UK a number of separate special interest groups have been established and we hope that the new RGS-IBG Expedition and Wilderness Medicine Advisory Group will aid liaison between these bodies 

Members of the core committee of the cell are: Dr Sarah Anderson, Dr Jon Dallimore, Prof Chris Imray, Dr Chris Johnson (convenor), Mr James Moore, Mrs Shane Winser and Prof David Warrell.

If you are interested in joining the RGS-IBG Expedition and Wilderness Medicine Advisory Group please contact: go@rgs.org.

  Specific advice and guidance is given in the Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine (OUP, 2009) which can be purchased from Geography Outdoors.