Expedition Medicine Advisory Group
What is the RGS Expedition Medicine Advisory Group?
As part of the Society’s commitment to supporting those planning field research and expeditions, the Society has a specialist advice unit, the Expedition & Wilderness Medicine Advisory Group (formerly known as the Medical Cell). This group provides a forum for discussion, information and advice to those operating in remote areas.
Established in 1996, the group's initial remit was to provide medical advice to the Society's overseas field research programmes and, through teaching and research, to reduce the hazards of participating in an expedition or travelling in remote areas.
The Expediiton Medicine Advisory Group has been involved in research into the health risks associated with expeditions, and has been closely associated with several handbooks on Expedition Medicine, including most recently the 2nd edition of the popular Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine (OUP, 2015).
What does the Expedition Medicine Advisory Group do?
To improve the quality of information the Expedition Medicine Advisory Group provides, it is involved in developing a series of best practice guidelines. Much of this work is done online and anyone with expertise who can help improve the quality of healthcare in remote areas is encouraged to participate. The Society hosts meetings to debate the guidelines, and to bring together enthusiasts in this exciting area of medicine.
Current projects include:
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Guidance on improving practice around the provision of prescription-only medicines for use on UK-based overseas expeditions.
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The provision of indemnity insurance for expedition medical professionals practicing in wilderness areas (except USA & Canada).
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Working with the General Medical Council to improve guidance for British doctors volunteering overseas around registration requirements.
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Providing input to the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh revised Competency framework for medical provision for Wilderness Medicine (March 2020) and its alignment to BS 8848:2014.
- Establishing a network of social and behavioural scientists working on issues related to well-being and resilience in extreme and expedition environments based around the Expedition Psychology Project and the development of DRiFT - a mobile app for performance and mental health management in the field.
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Supporting the new Global Polar & Altitude Metabolic Research Registry
Members of the Medical Cell Executive Committee include:
Expedition Medicine Manual
A comprehensive pocket guide to expedition medicine, with practical advice for use in remote environments, and links and references to further information.
Professor Chris Imray (chair)
Chris is a Consultant Vascular and Renal Transplant Surgeon at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. Chris’ interest in altitude research began in 1988, when he joined the Birmingham Medical Research and Expeditionary Society. He has managed to combine his clinical and climbing interests by studying cerebral perfusion under hypoxic conditions. He is one of the foremost experts on frostbite and has an interest in acute mountain sickness in adolescents. He is a member of the Alpine Club and a Faculty Member of UIAA Diploma in Mountain Medicine.
Dr Sarah Anderson
Sarah Anderson currently works at Public Health England as Head of the National TB Programme Office leading the implementation of the Collaborative TB Strategy for England, 2015-2020. She undertakes research in Tuberculosis, Infectious Diseases and Public Health. Sarah trained as a doctor in Cambridge and London. Whilst at Cambridge, she led an expedition to Uganda, was President of the Cambridge Expedition Society and has been involved with expeditions ever since.
Dr Jon Dallimore
Jon is one of the Directors of the International Diploma in Expedition and Wilderness Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Jon is a medical consultant to four British expedition companies and gives medical briefings to hundreds of World Challenge expedition leaders each year. He is a co-editor of the Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine, and has been teaching on expedition medicine courses for healthcare professionals since 1991.
Dr Sundeep Dhillon
Sundeep holds degrees in medicine and physiology from the University of Oxford. He spent 20 years in the British Army working with Airborne Forces, ensuring they remained in peak physical and psychological form. In 1998 he became the youngest person in the world to climb the highest mountain on each continent - The Seven Summits. He is an Honorary Lecturer at the Centre for Altitude Space and Extreme Environment Medicine (CASE Medicine), University College London. His main interests are human biology at extremes, including altitude, heat and cold.
Dr Claire Grogan
Claire is a medical doctor with a passion for expedition and remote medicine. She has provided medical support for expeditions in jungle, desert and mountainous environments across the world. Claire was the lead medic for the BBC documentary 'Highest Classroom on Earth” and has also worked with British Exploring's Project New Horizons in Iceland.
Dr Lucy Obolensky
Lucy is a GP and EM doctor specialising in Global and Remote Healthcare. She recently founded Endeavour Medical to provide a forum for education, research and opportunities for all health professionals working in these fields. Lucy is Associate Professor of Global Health and Remote Medicine at the University of Plymouth and works closely with the British Antarctic Survey within this role.
Dr Andrew Grieve
Andy's early career in expedition medicine took him to Uganda where he led a military team on Mt Elgon, to Madagascar where he looked after coral reef conservationists, to Lesotho where he cared for 150 cadets in a mountain environment. More recently, he has deployed to jungle (Belize), desert (Oman) and mountain (Nepal) environments with the military. Andy has recently returned from a two year deployment to Brunei.
Dr Tania John
Tania is a sessional GP and International Medical Adviser to NGOs working through volunteers in developing countries. Tania has worked in Emergency Medicine, General Practice, Occupational Health and International Medical Assistance in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Uganda and Russia, developing particular experience in the care of expatriates, business travellers and tourists.
James Moore
As the Director of The Exeter Travel Clinic and Travel Health Consultancy, a specialist centre in the provision of expedition medicine training for both healthcare professionals and non-medics, James is a specialist in travel and expedition medicine. He also developed and directs the International Diploma in Expedition and Wilderness Medicine with Jon Dallimore.
Rob Conway
Rob has been part of a number of expeditions for example SCUBA diving in the waters of Eastern Africa and the islands and shoals of the Western Indian Ocean. Rob is currently acting as chair of Blue Ventures Conservation, an award winning charity working to increase the awareness of threatened coral reefs (www.blueventures.org). He teaches on expedition medicine courses.
Matt Wilkes
Matt began Adventure Medic to combine a hospital career with remote medicine and the great outdoors. His clinical interests are the provision of healthcare in the remote setting, wilderness medicine and anaesthesia and altitude physiology. He has worked in various guises around the world, mostly in the high mountains, and has flown all over East Africa with AMREF Flying Doctors.
Dr Brett Rocos
Dr Brett Rocos is a Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon working in many trauma units and is a teacher and author of various publications. He has been linked to the forces and is currently delivering a teaching session with the Parachute Regiment on the management of ankle injuries.