For Jillian Klaucke, MD, the practice of medicine is not confined to the walls of a clinical exam room. The GBMC primary care physician’s study of Wilderness Medicine has provided her the opportunity to work in exotic locations like a clinic in Montana’s Yellowstone National Park, a medical practice in rural New Zealand and in Cusco, Peru, where she conducted high altitude illness research. Wilderness Medicine is the practice of medicine in limited-resource environments. It encompasses topics such as altitude sickness, cold- and heat-related illness, trauma, expedition and disaster medicine, dive medicine, search and rescue efforts and wild animal attacks. “From activities like exploring deserts, climbing mountains and skiing to scuba diving, white-water rafting and windsurfing, people find themselves in situations where medical issues can and do occur,” Dr. Klaucke explains. A doctor trained in Wilderness Medicine may be the difference between life and death for a patient.