About

     Jeffrey has held a USCG Master's license since 1975 and is an experienced blue-water sailor, having logged thousands of miles aboard his own boat, numerous deliveries, and while serving as mate and medical officer on sail-training and research vessels. His marine resume includes twenty seasons as an instructor, course director, and vessel master with The Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in the Maine and Florida sea programs. 

 

David Johnson, MD is a board-certified emergency physician and past President and Medical Director of Wilderness Medical Associates International. His participation in trans-Atlantic sailing expeditions and numerous treks in North and South America, coupled with 35 years in urban and rural emergency medicine, have given him a broad base of experience in patient care in difficult and demanding situations.
     Dr. Johnson is a frequent conference presenter and author, and has taught all levels of EMS and wilderness medicine courses throughout the US and Canada, and in some of the more far-flung corners of the world. He is co-author of Wilderness and Rescue Medicine, WMA's text used in coures worldwide. He has been recognized by Outward Bound USA with the McGory Award for outstanding contributions to experiential education. He is well known for his low-key teaching style and exceptional ability to relate complex medical issues to the elemental principles of wilderness medicine. He is also known for being firmly committed to the science behind the subject.

 

Brad Sablosky, WEMT-Paramedic became interested in wilderness medicine during his 13 year career as a river guide in Northern Canada. After hanging up his guide paddle he served for 5 years as the Director of Langskib Wilderness Program in Northern Ontario. He has worked as a senior field instructor for Aspen Achievement Academy and sits on several charitable boards for outdoor education organizations. He has been teaching with Wilderness Medical Associates and Medical Officer, Ltd. since 2003.
     Brad has served as a firefighter/paramedic with Durango Fire and Rescue, a crewmember with La Plata County Search and Rescue, and a professional ski patroller at Telluride Mountain in Colorado. Brad is a private pilot and owner of a Cessna Skywagon with which he explores North America from the desert southwest to the Canadian Arctic.

 

Erik Forsythe, WEMT-Paramedic has worked as a paramedic with Crested Butte and Gunnison EMS, and as a flight paramedic with Careflight out of Grand Junction and Montrose, Colorado, and is a former director of the Crested Butte Professional Ski Patrol. Erik is also a member of Crested Butte Mountain Rescue and on the SAR team for the Black Canyon National Park. He has been teaching wilderness medicine programs since 1994 and became an instructor with Wilderness Medical Associates International in 2000. He currently runs WMAI programs in Europe. 



 

Laura Wininger is a horsewoman and sailor by choice, and a designer by trade. When she’s not occupied designing a house or taking care of our business she enjoys a quiet anchorage in the islands or riding backcountry on a pack trip. She has sailed extensively on the coast of Maine, and spent two years as a live-aboard cruising the US East Coast, Bahamas, and Caribbean. Laura’s training history includes EMT, Wilderness First Responder and Offshore Emergency Medicine and often serves as an assistant instructor for our marine medicine courses.

 

In memory. S.V. Woodstock was a Cape Dory 33 sloop and our chief research associate for Offshore Emergency Medicine. She was an experienced sailor and a specialist in reality therapy. She was proven particularly adept at challenging our assumptions about what works, fits, and survives at sea. Woodstock haunted the US East Coast and Bahamas where she enjoyed skinning knuckles, shattering illusions, testing theories, and ensuring that we continue to speak the truth. She was totaled by Hurricane Ian in 2022. We are still looking for her successor.