Outdoor Medicine CME in Healdsburg: Why We Love Hosting the Outdoor Medicine Collective

Outdoor medicine CME does not have to feel like another long weekend in a hotel ballroom. Each October, MedTreks hosts the Outdoor Medicine Collective in Healdsburg, California, a small Northern California town tucked into Sonoma Wine Country just 90 minutes north of San Francisco.

Healdsburg also happens to be Ari’s hometown, which makes this gathering feel especially personal. It is a place where medical professionals can learn practical, hands-on topics in the morning, then spend the rest of the day exploring redwoods, the California coast, local food, and wine country with a small group of people who value medicine, travel, and time outside.

CME That Leaves You Feeling Inspired

Most healthcare professionals have CME funds and CME days that need to be used each year. Why not spend them somewhere you’ll actually enjoy and feel inspired?

Imagine earning up to 20 hours of Category 1 CME during the mornings, then spending your afternoons hiking among towering redwoods, exploring the California coast, enjoying incredible meals, or simply unwinding with a glass of wine and new friends. Whether you’re using your CME allowance, writing off the weekend as a professional expense, or simply looking for an excuse to get away, the Outdoor Medicine Collective offers a refreshing alternative to traditional conferences.

This is the kind of CME that leaves you feeling inspired – not exhausted.

Education Designed for Real Life

The Outdoor Medicine Collective brings together practical, evidence-based topics that are relevant whether you’re working in the emergency department, primary care clinic, urgent care, wilderness setting, or simply caring for your family and community.

Topics include:

• Wilderness and environmental medicine
• Travel medicine and global health
• Orthopedics and sports medicine
• Emergency and urgent care pearls
• Climate and health
• Lifestyle medicine and wellness
• Hands-on workshops and case discussions

Our sessions are designed to be interactive, engaging, and immediately applicable to practice. There are no endless PowerPoint marathons here—just practical education delivered by faculty who genuinely love teaching.

Meet Faculty Who Make Learning Fun

One of the things attendees tell us year after year is how much they appreciate our faculty. We believe education should be approachable, interactive, and enjoyable. Expect lively discussions, plenty of laughs, practical takeaways, and instructors who love sharing stories from years of clinical and outdoor experience.

No prior wilderness medicine experience? No problem. Whether you’re completely new to outdoor medicine or have years of experience, you will walk away with new tips and tricks learned.

Plenty of Time to Connect

Some of the best parts of the weekend happen between sessions.

The Outdoor Medicine Collective weaves in opportunities to network, share stories, and build friendships with people who truly understand the realities of working in healthcare today.

Coffee breaks, lunches, happy hours, and evening gatherings make it easy to connect with new friends—and perhaps even future travel buddies.

Explore Wine Country, Redwoods, and the California Coast

One of the biggest perks of Healdsburg is that everything is close.

Spend an afternoon hiking among giant redwoods, cycling through Dry Creek Valley, taking a scenic drive to the Sonoma Coast, or wandering downtown Healdsburg’s boutiques and galleries. Foodies will appreciate the incredible restaurants, while wine lovers can explore some of California’s most celebrated vineyards.

Many attendees bring a spouse, partner, or friend and turn the conference into a long weekend getaway.

Easy to Reach, Hard to Leave

Healdsburg is conveniently located just 15 minutes from Sonoma County Airport and about 90 minutes north of San Francisco.

Once you arrive, you’ll quickly understand why so many people fall in love with this part of Northern California.

More Than CME

At MedTreks, we believe continuing medical education should do more than check a box.

It should feel useful, engaging, and connected to real life. It should give healthcare professionals time to learn, step outside their usual routine, and connect with others who understand the pace and demands of clinical work.

The Outdoor Medicine Collective is designed with that balance in mind: practical education in the morning, time outside in the afternoon, and space to enjoy Healdsburg, good food, conversation, and a slower pace.

We hope you’ll join us this October in Healdsburg for a weekend of outdoor medicine CME, connection, and time in Sonoma Wine Country.