INSTRUCTORS

Our instructors come from diverse backgrounds. Their outdoor experience as mountain climbers, sailors, dog sledders and paddlers is enhanced with substantial medical experience as Military Medics, Paramedics, Nurses or Physicians.

Becoming an instructor with Wilderness Medical Associates Canada

 

OUR INSTRUCTORS

GREG BARMBY, PCP Valemount, British Columbia For something to do when Greg was young(ish), he decided to ride a bicycle from one end of Canada to the other. 6 months and 10,000 km later Greg began his work in the outdoor industry...He
worked for a bicycle tour company for a few years and got much of his outdoor experience working for North Carolina Outward Bound School, where he worked as Resident Course Director, Instructor and Rock-Climbing specialist for 6 years. He loved working there, and did his share of search and rescue, technical rescue, and
swiftwater stuff while he was there. He has finally come back to Canada and settled in Valemount, B.C. just west of Jasper. He currently holds quite a few jobs, one of which is working as a Primary Care Paramedic for British Columbia Ambulance Service and is the Chief for his amubulance outpost in Valmount. He is still pretty avid in the outdoors, and gets his jollies from running huge distances over crazy terrain.

TROY BARNARD, ACP, WALS Thunder Bay, Ontario Originally from Kenora, Ontario Troy is an avid outdoor enthusiast who works as an Advance CareParamedic for Superior North EMS in Thunder Bay. Although always up for new experiences, his love of Northwestern Ontario and the countless adventures it offers keeps him close to home to enjoy his personal passions of kayaking, hunting, fishing, winter backcountry travel and ice climbing. Troy also works in medical roles during local SAR operations and as a kayak and fishing guide for Green Adventures, a local
adventure and backcountry outfitter based in Kenora.

LISA BARRETT, PCP Muskoka, Ontario An outdoor enthusiast, Lisa enjoys backcountry canoeing, winter camping, and mountain biking. She also regularly works as a ski patroller, mountain bike trail patroller, and guides canoe trips with youth. She currently works in Muskoka, Ontario as a Primary Care Paramedic and has a passion for remote patient care and extrication. Lisa has over 7 years remote work experience in the reforestation industry in both Ontario & Alberta. Lisa has also worked for extensive periods as an expedition medic for Raleigh International throughout Central America.

KRISTI BOWSKILL-BOLIN, PCP, WEMT Revelstoke, BC An intrepid and curious soul, Kristi's passion for the outdoors and teaching has led her to the different corners of the globe. She has worked as an Instructor for Outward Bound Canada and Outward Bound South Africa, as well as various guiding and tripping in Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, Europe, Mexico and Alaska. Kristi loves to be creative while teaching, working very hard to make every lesson she teaches engaging, informative, and fun! Kristi is also certifed as a Primary Care Paramedic in British Columbia.

BROOK DAVIS, RN Whitehorse, Yukon Brook has an extensive career working as a Yukon out-post nurse in the community of Old Crow 192 km north of the Arctic Circle and 1000 km north of the Territory's hospital. The community of Old Crow is accessible by fixed wing aircraft or by river boat on the Porcupine River. Brook and one other nurse were responsible for the health care of the Vuntut Gwutchin First Nation people who live in Old Crow. This includes treating everything from ear infections and gastritis to severe frost bite and emergency childbirth. The nursing station is equipped to deliver primary care and stabilization and transfer of those requiring higher level care. Patient transfers from Old Crow can take anywhere from 5 - 24 hours depending on weather conditions Currently Brook and her husband live in a small trappers cabin in southern Yukon near Whitehorse. Living the simple life they use buckets to haul water from the lake and candles and lanterns for light. Brook and her husband are also the owners of Cabin Fever, a premier wilderness guiding company throughout the Yukon.

SI DILKS, WEMR, Yangshuo, Guilin, China Originally from New Zealand, Si now resides full-time on mainland China and was WMA Canada's first instructor from Asia. Besides teaching wilderness first aid, Si is a professional rock climbing guide and the Operations Manager for Chinaclimb, China's leading rock climbing and adventure company.

ROBB EVIS, PCP, WEMT, Dorset, Ontario Robb is co-owner and director of Paddlefoot, specializing in whitewater expeditions, guide training, and environmental education. Robb is also a swiftwater rescue, ropes rescue, and wilderness survival instructor for Rescue 3 International and Wilderness Safety Systems. He is a world traveler, speaks three languages, and has been guiding and instructing in the backcountry for over 19 years. Rather than spending time "on the river", Robb's newest passion is discovering the world through the eyes of his 18 month old son Will. Robbalso works part time for Muskoka EMS as a paramedic.

STEFANIE FALZ, MD CCFP WALS, Kimberley, BC Stefanie is a physician practicing family and emergency medicine. After medical school in Edmonton, which was too far away from the mountains, she spent her family medicine residency in the Pacific
Northwest, where she skied and climbed the volcanoes of Washington and Oregon. Since moving back to Canada, she has worked as a physician in rural and remote communities in BC and Nunavut. When not working, she can be found backcountry skiing, climbing, and mountain biking. Her passion for mountain environments has taken her from Baffin Island to Patagonia and she has served as team doctor on a Mount Logan expedition.

YEVGENY (GENE) FILANOVSKY MD, CCFP(EM), WALS Nanaimo, British Columbia Gene is an Emergency Room Physician at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, and a ski doctor at Mt. Washington Alpine Resort. He did his medical training at the University of Alberta and Dalhousie University. On completing his training he spent a year working in Edmonton, but was soon drawn to the diabase cliffs and clean cold lakes of Northern Ontario. After four great years in Thunder Bay,he now makes his permanent home on Vancouver Island. He is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying skiing, ski mountaineering and ice climbing in winters, and windsurfing, kayaking and cycling in summers. He regularly consults and provides medical guidance to outdoor organizations, in particular polar expedition organizations.

STEVE HAHN, RN, WEMT Whitehorse, Yukon When not teaching for WMA Canada, Steve works as a flight nurse for Medflight Air Ambulance. As part of the northerly critical care flight team, he provides fixed and rotary wing advanced life support to the communities of the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut. This job allows him to work in a part of the world where the term wilderness medicine is commonplace. He has over 14 years experience in pre-hospital and emergency medicine. Steve enjoys whitewater open and decked canoeing and has competed locally in rodeo competitions.

MATT HOWELL, WEMT, Burlington, Ontario As well as teaching Wilderness Medicine, Matt is the Director of Missinaibi Headwaters Outfitters, a guiding and outfitting company in Northern Ontario.  A graduate of the University of Waterloo’s Recreation and Leisure studies program, Matt has been working in the Outdoor Education and Adventure industry for over a decade.  Matt spends as much time in the out of doors as possible, and works quite often with Adventureworks Associates, building, maintaining, inspecting and facilitating programs on both High and Low Ropes courses throughout Canada.  He enjoys traveling the world, and sometimes wishes that more time could be devoted to wandering the globe.

JAMIE INNES, PCP, WEMT Haliburton, Ontario Jamie has worked as a Paramedic both for the cities of Hamilton and Sudbury. A graduate of the BPHE Outdoor Adventure Leadership program at Laurentian University, he is currently pursuing his Masters degree in environmental education while working as an outdoor program facilitator at an outdoor centre in Haliburton. Jamie also has an extensive wilderness guiding background in paddling activities including a raft guide and remote site Paramedic for Wilderness Tours, a rafting company on the Ottawa River.

LEN JAMES, ACP, WALS Dundas, Ontario An Advanced Care Paramedic, Len is a Field Supervisor and former co-ordinator of Professional Development and Education for Hamilton EMS. Len has an extensive background in wilderness medical training in diverse areas as northern Canada through to central and South America. He has been on the Safety Committee for Outward Bound Canada and provides risk management consulting for organizations across Canada and internationally. In conjunction with a university education in outdoor education and phys ed. From 1995 to 2004, Len worked as the General Manager of Wilderness Medical Associates Canada.

RACHEL JAMIESON, PCP, WEMT Calgary, Alberta Rachel, a Paramedic, regularly works doing program design & implementation for special needs populations and wilderness risk management for Boundless Adventures, a well respected outdoor organization in Palmer Rapids, Ontario. She has spent significant time in Bolivia and Guatemala working in remote medical clinics and providing patient care where no resources exist. She also has worked as a wilderness instructor for NOLS, throughout the American Southwest. Rachel brings an infectious enthusiasm and energy to all her courses and is a favourite with many students. After many years of adventure, Rachel is returning to EMS work in Calgary, Alberta.

ALLAN KOSTYNIUK, ACP. Calgary, Alberta  Allan is originally from Toronto, ON but was lucky enough to find himself in a canoe at a young enough age to get hooked on the outdoor lifestyle.  Canoe tripping has taken Allan to wonderful rivers all over Canada, including trips to the NWT and the Yukon.  Allan’s passion for teaching has evolved with a paddle in hand, guiding canoe trips, rafting on the Ottawa River, and instructing canoe and kayak at the Madawaska Kanu Centre.  Allan has just finished his training as an ACP in Ontario, and is heading west to Calgary to experience the taller side of Canada.

DENIS LANGLOIS, RN Calgary, Alberta Denis has over 15 years experience in emergency nursing. He is a critical care nurse for an emergency department in Calgary. Previously, Denis was an officer and nurse for the Canadian Armed forces including roles as a Detachment Commander and Camp Senior Nursing Officer. He was also Second in Command of a Medical Company which included the duties of clinical instruction and supervision of the Field Ambulance medical assistants. Denis's experiences have taken him across Canada and internationally to provide care to soldiers on Humanitarian Aid Missions to Bosnia. In Bosnia he was the Officer in Charge of Emergency Care, responsible for the delivery and supervision of emergency care. Denis is also a capable rock & ice climber and mountaineer having summited some notable peaks throughout the Canadian Rockies.

NEIL MCDONALD, WEMT, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Neil has been guiding youth and adult groups on canoe and snowshoe trips since 1990. He has travelled extensively in northern Ontario, Quebec, and Labrador, and is particularly interested in traditional routes and techniques. A former field medic with the Canadian Forces, he was also an owner and Trip Director of a traditional canoe-tripping camp for ten years. Also a Wilderness Water Safety instructor, he is currently transferring his qualifications to the PCP level.

JASON MACLEOD, RN Calgary, Alberta Residing in the Calgary, Jason is an outdoor enthusiast and works as a critical care nurse in Calgary. He brings experience as a Dive Master, white water raft guide/kayaker, and years of ski patrol to the WMA Canada classroom and has been teaching for WMA Canada since 1997. Paragliding and climbing rounds out his outdoor activities.

DARRYL McKENZIE, WEMT Barrie, Ontario Darryl currently operates a youth expedition sailing company and has been active in the outdoor industry for over 15 years.  He has instructed/guided for Outward Bound Zimbabwe, The Costa Rica Rainforest Outward Bound School, Youth Challenge International, Butterfield and Robinson and has trained as a Mountain Instructor and Ocean Sailing Instructor with the National Outdoor Leadership School .  Darryl has worked as Director of Camping and Outdoor Education for the YMCA and has facilitated YMCA youth programs in Australia and Honduras . Darryl has worked on a dedicated Search and Rescue unit with the Canadian Guard and is a trained NLS lifeguard, Rescue Diver, and Swiftwater Rescue Technician.  Darryl is an avid world-traveler, raft guide, snowboarder and surfer.

ED MILLER, ACP, WEMT Trenton, Ontario Ed is employed as an Advanced Care Paramedic and Search and Rescue Technician with the Canadian Armed Forces. As a Search and Rescue Technician, Ed is required to be on-call to render rescue and medical assistance in remote and inaccessible areas. Parachuting, Mountain Rescue, Rescue Scuba Diving, Ground Search and Survival Skills are all maintained in order for Ed to fulfill this role. He is also a rope rescue and ice rescue specialist. As well, Ed has completed a 6 month tour in Bosnia as an independent Medic in an isolated platoon house.

RON MORRISON, EMR, Edmonton, Alberta Ron has worked as an expedition leader for over a decade, guiding extended river and ocean trips all across Canada, the far North, Alaska and Mexico. Ron has accumulated over a decade of teaching experience delivering rescue, medical, paddling, climbing, outdoor leadership and interpretive programs for a wide variety of outdoor schools and universities. He is well rooted in the Alberta paddling community and is currently the Education Chair of the Alberta Recreational Canoe Association (ARCA). Ron is also the Western Canada Manager for Wilderness Medical Associates and Agent for Rescue 3 International in Alberta. Ron also spent time serving in the Canadian Armed Forces. Ron is a certified parks Canada guide and interpreter and an Examiner for the B.C. Raft outfitters association and holds an honours degree in Outdoor Recreation Parks and Tourisim and another in Geography. As an avid climber Ron has also been on a number of international climbing trips. Above all itÕs RonÕs love for the outdoors, passion for teaching, sharing experiences and attention to detail that fuels his commitment to the outdoor industry.

NICKI MOSLEY, WEMR Canmore, Alberta Nicki's addiction to the outdoors and passion for fostering meaningful relationships has led her on an exciting journey of life-long learning. Instructing with Outward Bound Canada, in addition to living and working remotely in South and Central America, and the Arctic, has enabled her to develop and practice the intuitive and creative skills of facilitation, experiential education and risk-management. With a degree in International Development, a Bachelor of Education and a deep interest in the outdoors and the human body, Nicki enthusiastically also applies her skills as a Yoga Teacher and WMA Instructor. With change being the only constant in life, she thrives on continuous learning through a combination of hard work and play.

BOB OLAJOS, PCP, WEMT North Bay, Ontario Bob has guided wilderness trips throughout northern Ontario and further afield since the early 1990s. His passion is finding Temagami's lost canoe and snowshoe routes so that they can be spared the axe. To pay the bills, Bob is a firefighter in North Bay. When not running into burning buildings, he keeps himself busy with wild land firefighting, ambulance first response, haz mat incidents, auto extrication, and ice water rescue. He is also certified as a Primary Care Paramedic.

AARON ORKIN, MD Oxford, England Aaron is a family physician with a specific interest in expanding wilderness medicine to other health professionals.  During his medical training, his experiences have been diverse, working in settings from Soweto, South Africa to Sioux Lookout, Ontario where he helped to provide medical care to Ontario's northern, fly-in, First Nations' communities. Outside of medicine, Aaron has been involved in transcultural genocide education, designing and facilitating a curriculum for Rwandan and Jewish youth based in Hamilton. Despite growing up in Hamilton and Montreal, Aaron feels more comfortable outdoors than in, and spent a number of summers guiding canoe trips in the Temagami area.  His other outdoor pursuits include hiking, winter camping, and walking to work in minus 45 weather. Aaron is one the founder of WMA's Wilderness Medicine elective for medical students. Medical school and becoming a physician weren't quite enough for Aaron and he is now currently pursuing his Masters degree in Medical History from Oxford University in England.

SUE O'RORKE-EVIS, WEMT Dorset, Ontario Sue has been instructing for WMA Canada since 1999, and currently lives near Dorset, Ontario. She is co-owner and director of Paddlefoot, a white-water expedition and outdoor education organization. While not on the job Sue loves to paddle, scuba dive, ski, and travel as much as possible with her husband Robb and new son.

DANNY PELED, EMR, Gatineau, Quebec Danny teaches first aid and whitewater rescue and is director of Boreal River, a rafting expedition company.  He has led extended canoe trips in Northern Quebec and Ontario and has guided rafts (and sometimes swam) on the Ottawa where he was river manager for Esprit Rafting.  Danny was lucky to combine his passion for exploring rivers, travel, and teaching while living and leading programs in Costa Rica, Mexico, and Chile for seven winters.  He currently resides in Gatineau, Quebec with his partner Letha and his young dog Lizzie where he spends as much time and energy as possible cheering on and thinking about the best hockey team in the world, the Montreal Canadians.  Danny's sense of humour, high energy, and experience make the courses that he's part of a great time for everyone.

GRACE PERRY, ACP, WEMT Guelph, Ontario Grace has taught first aid and CPR courses for what seems like forever! She has taught swimming courses, water safety, and been lifeguard trainer for over 10 years. She has over 5 years of experience managing water recreation facilities and was an aquatic coordinator for the Cities of Burlington and Stoney Creek in Ontario. Grace regularly leads wilderness canoe trips for high schools and colleges. She is also actively involved in the adventure education community and facilitates and leads ropes course and outdoor experiential programs for youth and adults. Grace is also an Advanced Care Paramedic in the city of Guelph and for the region of Halton.

KAREN READER, WEMT Rossland, British Columbia Karen can generally be found west of the Mississippi and gravitates to places where skiing takes priority over much else. Karen’s background is in guiding and directing year-round outdoor adventure programs for people with disabilities with a focus on wilderness trips. Her love for the nuances and complexities of wilderness medicine is fueled through her involvement with the local search and rescue team, as a ski patroller, as an medic and, of course, through teaching courses with WMA.

TOBIAS SHEPHERD, WEMR, Huntsville, Ontario Toby loves being outside and in the woods, pure and simple.  Toby started his career in Outdoor Education as a participant on the Instructor Development Program with Outward Bound in 2005.  He has worked with Outward Bound Canada since then as a Lead Instructor and Course Coordinator year round.  Toby has also worked with both Outward Bound and Snow Forest Adventures as a dog sledding guide, getting to be on trail with dogs for the past three winters has only increased his connection to the Canadian wilderness.  He now seems to want the snow to start around November 1st and not fully melt until sometime in May...maybe June.  These days, when he’s not on a dog sled or teaching a WMA course, you can likely find Toby paddling or thinking about studying sustainability, an important topic that could use more of everyone's attention.

YANA SIMICE MD, CCFP(EM), WALS Nanaimo, British Columbia

DUGG STEARY, CCP(F) , WEMT London, Ontario While attending Lakehead University for his honours in Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism Dugg began his Paramedic training. After spending several years constructing and facilitating high and low ropes courses, guiding climbing and canoeing expeditions and instructing outdoor skills Dugg transferred full-time to EMS. He now works with Ontario's helicopter-based air ambulance as a Critical Care Flight Paramedic and is a member of a provincial emergency medical containment and treatment team. Dugg is also the coordinator and supervisor of Fanshawe College's Paramedic program. Although he spends a fair amount of his time working on his masters in adult education Dugg keeps himself grounded by organizing adventure sport medical coverage, distance running, paddling and yoga (yes, yoga). He feels it is important to convey that he enjoys long paddles along the beach however he doesn't like brussel sprouts at all.

SCOTT STEVENSON, ACP, WALS Caledonia, Ontario Scott is an advanced care Paramedic with both the City of Hamilton. Scott is an avid climber, paddler, skier and a rope rescue expert. Scott brings a wealth of practical and hands-on emergency medical experience to all the courses he teaches. When not working on an ambulance, Scott can also be found facilitating adventure and ropes course programs for school and youth groups.

SARAH STRICKLAND, MD, WEMT Thunder Bay, Ontario Sarah is currently a resident in the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s rural family medicine program. Having grown up both in and 10 km from Algonquin Park, most of her childhood was spent in the bush. She has worked as a flat water canoe trip guide in Algonquin Park prior to graduating from medical school at the University of Ottawa where she founded the school’s wilderness medicine interest group.  When not working, Sarah is an avid runner, angler and hiker. Your best chances of finding her though are on the ski trails or in a canoe.

CRYSTAL TRULL, RN, CHHP, NHPC, Red Lake, Ontario Crystal is an avid outdoors person with experience guiding whitewater and flat water canoe trips and rock climbing throughout Canada and the US. Crystal is also a Registered Nurse working in the Emergency, Obstetrics, and Acute Care Departments in a remote North Western
Ontario Hospital. She has combined her passion for remote & wilderness medicine and the outdoors through past work in water rescue and ski patrol and continues to do so as an RN transporting high risk patients from Northern Canada on flight medevacs to definitive care facilities. Crystal is particularly active in the rock climbing, horseback riding, and sea kayaking communities. A recent addition to her repertoire is a
Certified Holistic Health Diploma. Being educated in Campbell River, BC she now owns her own business as a Holistic Health Practitioner and continues work as an RN in Red Lake in emergency, obstetrics, and a charge nurse.

DAVID VANDERBURGH, MD Thunder Bay/Sioux Lookout, Ontario Now based in Thunder Bay, Dave is finishing his physician rsidency in the Northern Ontario School of Medicine's rural and remote family medicine program. His medical training has taken him from northern British Columbia to Newfoundland and Sioux Lookout, Ontario to the Kalahari desert Before studying medicine, he worked as a guide and facilitator at summer camps for special needs and at-risk youth where he led canoe trips for teens with behavioural disorders and physical disabilities. He has been a pioneer in the research and study of wilderness medicine educationto remote First Nations communities. Dave is an avid hiker, skier, and snowshoer, but he is happiest in a canoe. He has paddled extensively in Ontario and in the Yukon.  

ROB VANCE, EMR Brantford, Ontario Rob has been guiding and instructing outdoor skills for nearly a decade. He has a wealth of paddling, guiding and instructional experience. Rob has and continues to guide raft and canoe expeditions in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Alberta and Ontario. Rob holds a BA in Geography, a Bachelor of Physical Health and Education and most recently a Bachelor of Education with a specialty in Outdoor Education. His strong back country experience coupled with his teaching experience are a real asset to our team. Rob is also a certified whitewater paddling instructor, Emergency Medical Responder and Advanced Swift Water Rescue Technician. He is also the co-founder of Connected in Motion, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to unite people living with Type 1 diabetes and encourage them to live active and healthy lifestyles using outdoor experiential learning as the medium. A wandering soul, Rob splits his time between Alberta (Western Adventure Education), guiding river expeditions in the Canadian North for Nahanni River Adventures and Connected in Motion (Ontario).

HOLLY VIBERT, PCP, WEMT Thunder Bay, Ontario
Holly is a full-time primary care Paramedic in Thunder Bay for Superior North EMS (and active member of their Wilderness Response Unit) who originally grew up in Ignace, Ontario. Holly graduated from Lakehead University after studying in outdoor recreation and geography before eventually gravitating towards Paramedicine in 2000. She has combined both fields by providing medical care in Honduras as well as working locally in Northwestern Ontario during disaster and SAR operations. She also looks forward to deploying with Global Medics for international disaster relief. Holly is an avid backpacker, climber, and adventurer and regularly gets lost with her husband.

ROB WAGNER,ACP, WALS Kitchener / Waterloo, Ontario Rob is an Advanced Care Paramedic for the Region of Waterloo EMS. Very much into medical and Paramedic education, Rob teaches Primary Care Paramedicine and assists with Advanced Care
Paramedicine programs for Conestoga College. Rob also works as a site Paramedic for Wilderness Tours, a rafting company on the Ottawa River and has worked providing medical aid in Whitehorse Yukon for the Canada Games and in Yellowknife as a medic for the Arctic Games.

MIKE WEBSTER, PCP, WEMT Hamilton/Haliburton, Ontario Mike has been the Executive Director of Wilderness Medical Associates since 2005. Under his watch, WMA Canada has grown to become the premier wilderness medicine organization in Canada. Mike has overseen the development of the first wilderness medical school elective in Canada, the start of the first travel medicine first aid program in the world, the first development of structured wilderness medicine education in China, and has brought wilderness medicine into the mainstream medical community in Canada through the first ever Canadian based wilderness medical research intiatives. A paramedic with extensive experience in rural, urban, and expedition settings, Mike has worked as an expedition medic & guide in Antarctica for over 9 years. His background also includes being a manager of numerous outdoor programs, running wilderness trips for court referred youth as a probation officer, extensive wilderness guiding experience, and professional wilderness rescue experience from when he used to reside and work in Ariozna and New Mexico.

Return to top of page -- Home