International Wilderness Life Support – Message from Ari, MedTreks CEO
When people hear wilderness medicine, they often picture dramatic expeditions — alpine summits, remote rivers, deserts, jungles, and wild coastlines.
And yes, those landscapes are part of the story.But wilderness medicine is not defined by scenery. It’s defined by conditions.
It exists anywhere care is delivered when resources are limited, environments are unpredictable, evacuation is uncertain, and the tools you’re used to simply aren’t available.
Today, we are proud to officially announce International Wilderness Life Support (IWLS) — a course built for healthcare professionals who understand that medicine doesn’t stop when resources do.
My own path into this work was shaped early through global health and humanitarian service. For more than twenty years, I’ve been deeply involved in a community-based program in Kenya—working alongside local partners, healthcare workers, and families in environments where resources are limited, infrastructure is fragile, and the challenges are very real. Those experiences fundamentally shaped how I understand medicine.
What I learned there—and continue to learn—is that wilderness medicine is not defined by geography. It exists anywhere care is delivered under difficult conditions: when the environment is harsh, the weather is unpredictable, the culture is different from your own, evacuation is uncertain, and the tools you’re used to simply aren’t available.
Wilderness medicine is about showing up anyway.
It’s about adaptability. Creativity. Humility. Listening. It’s about caring for others when the plan changes, when things don’t go as expected, and when the right answer isn’t obvious. It’s about understanding that your medical skillset can—and should—extend beyond borders, beyond systems, and beyond comfort zones.
This course was created with that philosophy at its heart.
Yes—we promise to teach you wilderness medicine: evidence-based, practical, field-tested skills that will make you more confident and capable in remote and austere environments. But we also hope this course teaches you something deeper: how to practice medicine with flexibility, cultural awareness, and purpose—wherever you are in the world.
Our faculty bring decades of experience in wilderness medicine, expedition care, global health, emergency medicine, and education. Together, we’ve built a curriculum that is comprehensive, thoughtful, and grounded in real-world practice—not just theory.
My hope is that as you move through this course, you don’t just gain new skills—you gain perspective. That you feel more prepared not only for expeditions and emergencies, but for moments when your presence, judgment, and compassion matter most.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for choosing to grow, to learn, and to serve in this way.
We’re honored to have you as part of this community.
Warmly,
Ari Rasori
Founder & CEO, MedTreks International
