World Extreme Medicine Podcast

In this episode, host Eoin Walker is joined by Clare O’Brien , a registered nurse whose career spans more than three decades across the NHS, humanitarian crises, and global health leadership. From intensive care and organ transplantation in the UK to frontline deployments in South Sudan, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia, Clare shares what it really means to work in extreme, resource-limited env...

In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, host Eoin Walker sits down with infection control specialist Muhammad Halwani to explore what it really takes to prevent and manage infectious disease threats in extreme environments. From the early days of MERS in 2012 to the global arrival of COVID 19, Muhammad walks through the realities of outbreak response in Saudi Arabia, the challenges...

From remote surf camps in Indonesia to some of the most isolated islands in the South Atlantic, Gemma van Huyssteen has built a career shaped by curiosity, adaptability, and medicine far beyond hospital walls. In this episode, Gemma shares her journey as a GP with extensive experience in remote, wilderness, and marine environments. She talks candidly about working in settings where evacuation can...

In this episode, Sarah Spelsberg speaks with Luca Carenzo and Laura Leuci from Humanitas University in Milan about their research into the pre-hospital management of accidental hypothermia across Italy’s helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS). Their nationwide survey, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine , offers a detailed look at how hypothe...

In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast , host Eoin Walker speaks with Corinne Palma , a recently graduated veterinarian from University College Dublin and Vice President of the International Veterinary Students’ Association. Together, they explore how veterinary medicine extends far beyond the clinic — from field anaesthesia innovations and drone-assisted wildlife monitoring to the...

In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast , host Eoin Walker speaks with Simon Robinson , former Royal Marine Commando Paramedic turned Head of Clinical Development in Urgent Care. Together, they explore the evolving role of paramedics in primary care, from emergency response to diagnosis, prescribing, and leading multidisciplinary teams. Simon shares insights on: The transition from f...

In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, we explore one of the most talked-about studies in pre-hospital trauma care: “Beyond IO and IV - Trauma Lines in Pre-Hospital Haemorrhagic Shock.” Host Eoin Walker is joined by Paolo Pallavicini , final-year medical student and research fellow with London’s Air Ambulance and the Centre for Trauma Sciences, to unpack a groundbreaking study anal...

From conflict zones to refugee camps, from neonatal units to global health leadership—nurses are at the heart of humanitarian medicine. In this episode, host Eoin Walker is joined by Elsa Afonso and Marcus Wootton from the Royal College of Nursing’s International Academy . Together they bring decades of frontline and strategic experience with organisations including MSF, UNICEF, and academic insti...

At just 28 years old, Rachel Smith is preparing to make history. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before her third birthday, she has never let her condition define her limits. Already having summited the highest peaks in South America, Africa, and Australia, Rachel now sets her sights on Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s highest peak at 4,892m. In this conversation with host Eoin Walker , Rachel shares her...

In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, host Eoin Walker speaks with Leif Rognås (consultant anaesthetist and clinical lead with the Danish Air Ambulance) and Karina Damsgaard (psychologist specialising in emergency medicine and resilience in high-performance teams). Together, they unpack the concept of Compassionate Debriefing, an approach designed to replace traditional “honest de...

In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, host Eoin Walker is joined by Hannah Lock , an emergency medicine doctor, expedition specialist, and seasoned mountaineer with experience across six continents. Together, they go beyond the basics of acute mountain sickness (AMS) to explore the lesser-known high-altitude illnesses and how they’re managed in the field. From HAPE and HACE to ret...

In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, host Eoin Walker speaks with Luke Apisa about his extraordinary journey from wilderness medicine to space medicine. Luke shares insights from treating climbers at 14,000 feet in Nepal, supporting ultramarathon runners in the deserts of Arizona and Utah, and helping to develop future medical capabilities for space exploration with NASA and Spac...

In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, Eoin Walker sits down with chef, explorer, and researcher Mike Keen to unpack an extraordinary Arctic journey. Mike kayaked the entire 3,000km length of Greenland’s rugged west coast, surviving solely on a traditional Inuit diet of seal, whale, dried fish, and wild foraged plants. Working with researchers at King’s College London, he tested ho...

In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, host Eoin Walker is joined by Luca Carenzo , intensive care consultant, and Federico Emiliano Ghio , critical care nurse and medical lead for high-altitude emergency services in Livigno , Italy, one of the busiest ski resorts in the Alps. From sub-zero slopes and altitude-induced illness to managing cardiac arrests at 2800m with no hospital in...

In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, host Eoin Walker speaks with Mardi Steere, Executive General Manager of Medical and Retrieval Services at the Royal Flying Doctor Service , about a groundbreaking innovation in rural healthcare delivery, the Virtual Emergency Centre (VEC). Operating in one of the most remote regions of Australia, the VEC integrates telehealth, remote diagnosti...

What happens when your first major expedition is one of the world’s Seven Summits? In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, emergency medicine doctor Ffyon Smith is joined by Kacylia Roy Proulx , a medical student at McGill University and President of her university’s Wilderness Medicine Society. Together, they explore Kacylia’s experience of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, from early tr...

In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, host Eoin Walker is joined by expedition doctor, GP, and WEM faculty member Daniel Grace to explore the essential medications needed for remote and high-risk environments. From his recent work in Zambia, Daniel unpacks real-world pharmacology strategies: what drugs matter most, how to balance ideal vs. realistic care, and how to make limited s...

What does it take to finish one of the most extreme endurance races on the planet? In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, host Eoin Walker is joined by ultra-endurance athlete Sébastien Marlier, who recently completed the Bretzel Ultra Triathlon — a continuous event five times longer than a standard Ironman. With 19km of swimming, 900km of cycling, and 211km of running, this race d...

In the final part of our 3-part series marking the anniversary of the 7/7 London bombings, we hear from paramedic Sam Sinclair, who was deployed to Tavistock Square, the site of the fourth and final explosion. Sam shares his experience of arriving on scene, witnessing the scale of the devastation, and making impossible decisions under pressure. In this conversation with WEM’s Eoin Walker, he refle...

In Part 2 of our 20 year anniversary series on the 7/7 London bombings, paramedic Adam Desmond shares his deeply personal and unflinchingly honest account of responding to the attacks at King's Cross. Speaking with WEM’s Eoin Walker, Adam reflects on the chaos, the human cost, and the enduring psychological impact of working at the heart of one of the UK’s worst terrorist attacks. From navigat...

In this special 3-part podcast series marking 20 years since the 7/7 London bombings, we begin with a personal testimony from paramedic & WEM podcast host Eoin Walker, who was just one year out of training when he found himself responding to the worst terrorist attack in UK history. In Part 1 hosted by Will Duffin, Eoin shares what it was like to arrive at the scene, navigate confusion and ris...

In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine podcast, Eoin Walker speaks with humanitarian health leader Hareen De Silva about his recent deployments in Gaza, Syria, and beyond. From mass casualty incidents and waterborne disease outbreaks to the psychological toll on healthcare workers, Hareen shares vital insights into what it takes to deliver medical care in conflict zones. We explore: The wor...

What do helicopters, humanitarian crises, and high-pressure hospital wards have in common? In this episode, we sit down with Jan Becker, CEO, helicopter pilot, midwife, and international educator, to explore the vital role of non-technical skills in high-stakes environments. From aviation to midwifery to emergency medicine, Jan unpacks Crew Resource Management (CRM), situational awareness, closed-...

In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, WEM's Sarah Spelsberg is joined by emergency physician and seasoned kayaker Robert Knopp to explore what happens when outdoor adventure meets unexpected injury. Together, they dive into shoulder dislocations in the wilderness; from real-life field reductions to improvised rescue gear, and what every paddler or outdoor leader should know be...

Cara Sheppard is the Senior Medical Officer at Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Service (PAMS) , an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service in Western Australia's East Pilbara. In this episode, Marcus chats with Cara about what it really means to deliver healthcare in remote desert communities, where cultural safety, chronic disease, and deep-rooted systemic challenges intersect. From the...