The Southland Wilderness Medicine Team
Caroline Speight; Company Director.
I am a Physiotherapist and arrived in New Zealand in 2007 from England. I quickly developed a passion for the spectacular New Zealand outdoors. I am a very keen tramper and have tackled some of the remotest routes in New Zealand. As part of the Southland Wilderness Medicine Group I look forward to facilitating Advanced Wilderness Medicine Courses here in the heart of New Zealand’s rugged wilderness.
Michelle Watts RN; Company Director.
As part of the Southland Wilderness Medicine Group my aim is to ensure we provide top quality education in this evolving area of practice. My own personal experience of remote and wilderness living includes an extended stay on a remote Pacific Island. I am now in the fortunate position of living in the beautiful Deep South of New Zealand with my Family. I qualified as a General Nurse in the UK in 1989 and have worked here in New Zealand and Overseas. I currently work at Southland Hospital.
Julian Speight; AWLS Instructor.
I am a Consultant General Surgeon and hold both the Edinburgh and Australasian fellowships. I have a been involved in paragliding for over twenty years which has taken me as far afield as the Drakensburgh Mountains in South Africa and the Himilayas in Nepal. The nature of the sport has lead to managing trauma in remote locations. I also have experience as an expedition medic, and continue to have an interest in back-country skiing. The AWLS course is very popular in North America, and we strongly believe that the skills will be invaluable to anyone involved in the outdoors here in New Zealand.
Dr Martin Watts; AWLS Instructor.
I am an Emergency Medicine Specialist. I am also a New Zealand Resuscitation Council level eight Instructor. I have experience in Medical Retrieval and I have worked in some very remote environments including seven months as an Island Doctor on a small and remote Pacific Atoll.
Cory Kreutzer RN; AWLS Instructor.
I grew up in Colorado(the Rocky Mountains), i’m an avid outdoors-woman, including hiking, mountaineering, rock climbing, fly fishing, skier and trail/marathon runner. I have completed 4 separate 14,000ft mountain climbs; I also spent the last two years in NZ roaming around the mountains. My longest backcountry trip has been 8 days. I have been an ICU Nurse for 8 years and have done a year of Emergency Department work. I am currently working on my fellowship in WMS and aim to finish sometime in 2010.
Dr Justin Venable; AWLS Instructor.
International whitewater expedition kayaker, paddled in more than 25 countries with numerous first descents of previously uncharted rivers. Expedition physician for Himalayan and Andean alpine climbing missions and many source to sea river missions globally. High altitude specialist, Himalayan Rescue Association 2004 / 2008. NZ Representative to UIAA Medical Commision (International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation).
Dr Andy Shute; AWLS Instructor.
I’m a UK Doctor living in New Zealand with an interest in wilderness Medicine. Following a Wilderness Medical Training course in Chamonix I was a Medical Officer on the Medex 2008 Research Expedition to the Hidden Valley, Nepal gaining experience in high altitude Medicine, emergency evacuation and cold injuries among others. I’m a keen tramper with altitude experience plus some climbing and mountaineering skills. I dislike running with a passion.
Dr Geoff Clover; AWLS Instructor.
I am a consultant in internal medicine and infectious diseases at Dunedin Public Hospital. I like to run very slowly and climb even more slowly including some alpine and ice forays. I am a member of the Wilderness Medicine Society in their fellowship program. Very recently I became an AWLS instructor. My main interest
at the moment is in the development of wilderness medical education in NZ.
Dr Elinor Slater; AWLS Instructor.
Elinor works as a GP in Queenstown. Her passions include skiing, climbing, tramping & endurance sports. Her wilderness medicine experience includes working as a ski patroller in New Zealand & the USA, an assistant expedition leader in the Himalaya; as a ski doctor at Coronet Peak & The Remarkables. She has also worked a number of times on ships to the Arctic & Antarctic. She is currently doing a Masters in Wilderness Medicine.
Dr Simon Dalton FAWM; AWLS Instructor.
I have been involved with expedition medicine for a number of years accompanying various groups to all sorts of locations including Costa Rica, Lesotho, Peru, Nepal, Vietnam and to the summit of Kilimanjaro twice. I am
Associate Medical Director with Expedition and Wilderness Medicine (UK) and have recently completed the Wilderness Medical Society’s Fellowship programme (FAWM). I enjoy teaching with AWLS and hearing the wilderness experiences of others.
Dr Sonja Sparrow; AWLS Instructor
I work as a GP in Queenstown. My love for the outdoors brought me from London to NZ after I had graduated. Interests include skiing, tramping, bike touring, multisport racing and running. I have worked as a ski field doctor for five winters and worked in the medical team on a number of multisport races. Newly appointed AWLS instructor and loving the stories I hear on all the courses.
Dr Marc Gutenstein; AWLS Instructor
Based in Queenstown, New Zealand, I have worked as expedition medic in Peru, Chile, China, Honduras and Belize including altitude and sub-aqua expeditions. Outdoor interests include ski-touring, trekking, climbing, and kite surfing. I work in Emergency Medicine and Rural Hospital Medicine.
Dr Ben Mattingly; AWLS Instructor
I am a trained Emergency Medicine Specialist with specific interests in the outdoors, I have travelled extensively and enjoy rock climbing, mountaineering, skiing, scuba diving and backpacking(or “tramping” as they say here in NZ). I have enjoyed backcountry trips to many areas of NZ, Australia and the US including Yellowstone, Sawtooth Mountains, Weminuche Wilderness and Beartooth Mountains. I recently enjoyed a year working in NZ, but work primarily in a busy academic Emergency Department in Western Massachusetts-Baystate Medical Centre.
Dr Tonya Cruikshank; AWLS Instructor
Tonya has been a GP in Queenstown for 8 years, following several years working as a Skifield Doctor on the local Skifields. She was born and trained in the UK and worked for several years in Emergency and Critical Care in the UK and Australia before coming here. She has worked as an expedition Doctor in Mongolia and as a Medical Officer for expedition Ships in South Georgia and Antarctica. She was Medical Director for the Southern Traverse Race (2003 and 2004). She trains and manages Medical Staff currently on Coronet Peak and the Remarkables Skifields.
Dr Chris Hill; AWLS Instructor
I am a Uk trained Doctor who came to NZ and fell in love with the outdoors. I am a recreational physician, specializing in exploring NZ and sometimes training as a Rural Medicine specialist. I came into wilderness medicine as part of my job as a ski field Medic as well as covering several adventure races. My main passions are ski touring, tramping and mountain biking. Recently travelling to Kasmir for a month of exploring, as well as taking a post as Himalaya Rescue Association doctor in 2011. I enjoy the role as AWLS instructor, but sometimes learn as much from the “students” as I teach them.
Dr Sara Martin; AWLS Instructor
I became a doctor after 14 years as an adventure guide and outdoor instructor including 5 years with NZ Land Search and Rescue. I’m currently working at Nelson Hospital – a fantastic base for my main outdoor interests – alpine sports, whitewater kayaking and mountainbiking and more recently my first multisport race. My background has given me some great personal experiences and a passion for sharing the outdoors. I am proud to be a part of the AWLS instructor team and really enjoy meeting the amazing people the courses bring together.
Dr Dinesh Deonarain; FAWM, AWLS Instructor
Dinesh is completing his Fellowship in Accident and Medical Practice and a Fellowship in Wilderness Medicine. He is currently employed as the Clinical Director at Mt. Ruapehu Accident and Medical Clinics. Prior to his medical training, Dinesh has worked for the Canadian Parks Service as a Wildlife Biologist and Researcher in remote areas of Canada. He has travelled extensively throughout North and Central America, the South Pacific, Europe, Asia, and Africa. He has obtained avalanche and white-water rescue certification in addition to desert, jungle, and mountain expedition training. His interests include alpine and backcountry skiing and snowboarding, multisport, sea and white-water kayaking, surfing, snorkelling and free diving, hiking and mountain biking