Board of Directors

CAWM is run by a volunteer Board of Directors. Board Members are elected by the CAWM Membership at the Annual General Meeting, in accordance with the CAWM By-Laws.

Anne-Marie LeBlanc

Secretary - MDCM, CCFP (SEM), Dip.Sport.Med CASEM

Anne-Marie is a family physician who completed her Fellowship in Sports and Exercise Medicine at McGill University in 2012.

She is passionate about outdoor adventures and culinary experiences, wilderness medicine and nature. She is a lifelong traveller and has practised medicine across Québec and the Yukon, where she created the first sports and exercise medicine service of the Territory. She has been teaching AWLS courses since 2013 both in Québec and the Yukon.

She feels most alive and energized when outside, with her backpack on and nature all around!

Dave Jerome

President - Capt, MD, MSc, CCFP, DMB, FAWM

Dave is a Family Physician living in Yellowknife NWT. He works as a Medical Officer with the Canadian Armed Forces, and has deployed overseas with both the army and the navy. He has volunteered for over 10 years with Ground SAR teams in NS and NL. He completed his Fellowship in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM) in 2020. Dave was one of the co-founders of CAWM in 2020.

Dave’s favourite outdoor activities include paddle sports, diving, orienteering, backcountry hiking and sport climbing.

Alana Hawley

MD, FRCPC-EM, DiMM, FAWM

Alana Hawley is an FRCPC Emergency Medicine physician at Penticton Regional Hospital in BC and a Clinical Instructor with UBC.

Alana is a Wilderness Medicine practitioner, educator, and researcher. She completed a Wilderness Medicine fellowship at the University of Utah as well as the Diploma in Mountain Medicine (DiMM) and the Fellowship of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM). Alana currently serves on the FAWM Committee Board and volunteers as the Medical Advisor of Penticton Search and Rescue.

Personal interests include climbing, diving, mountain biking, skiing, hiking, and mountaineering.

Mike Koppang

ACMG, CAA, BSc

Mike is a Mountain Safety specialist based out of Canmore working for Alberta Environment and Parks in Kananaskis Region.

Mike was born in Alberta then began working with Alberta parks in the 90s obtaining his Association of Canadian Mountain Guides Ski Guide certification in 2003. During his time in parks he has attending numerous backcountry rescues in remote settings in all types of terrain. He was also one of the founding members of the Canadian Mountain Parks Backcountry medical council which represents Parks Canada and Kananaskis Rescue specialists and physicians in developing medical protocols and training priorities within these professional programs. Mike also works portions of his winters with RK Heliski as a heliski guide.

Heather White

Treasurer - MD, FRCPC, FAWM

Heather is an FRCPC trained in Emergency Medicine with a fellowship in Resuscitation and Reanimation. She completed her training at Queen’s University but has recently moved west to be closer to the mountains. She works as an Emergency Physician and Trauma Team Leader in Kelowna, BC. She completed her FAWM in 2018.

Craig McArthur

Craig was a little late to the party with EMS being his third attempt at a career. After completing early EMS training in Calgary, he worked for several years in safety and industrial settings before moving to Inuvik, NWT to work on North America’s northern most EMS service for a couple of years. Returning to Edmonton for ACP training saw him sent to Banff EMS as a student. Recognizing a good thing when it comes along, he later joined their team and has been there for the last 14 years. Enrollment in the Diploma in Mountain Medicine program with the WMS has brought him to a number of WMS conferences, and he was involved with their efforts to build a local hospital in a remote village in Nepal. He tells people that he is a good skier, and resides in Banff, AB where he continues spinning that yarn.

Paula Slaney

MD, CCFP, FAWM

Paula is a rural family physician living in Newfoundland and a clinical assistant professor with the department of family medicine at Memorial University. She completed her fellowship in the academy of wilderness medicine (FAWM) in 2019. She is passionate about wilderness medicine education and research as well as promoting the benefits of spending time in nature.

Her favorite activities include hiking, kayaking, camping, and traveling with her partner, Matthew and their two dogs, Everest, and Ziggy.

Kendra Young

BSc, MD, (DiMM, FAWM and MHSE Candidate)

Kendra Young is finishing her final year of the FRCPC Emergency Medicine Program at the University of Alberta with areas of interest in wilderness medicine and medical education. She is currently completing her DiMM and FAWM certifications in addition to her Master of Education in Health Science Education. She loves all things outdoors with a special love for climbing.

Miles Randell

Based in Squamish, BC, Miles has been practicing wilderness medicine since 1991 in SAR across western Canada, has been a paramedic since 1997, and was a pro ski patroller at Blackcomb from 2004-2022. As TEAAM Aeromedical president, and flight paramedic, and with speciality skill sets in helicopter hoist and longline rescue, mountain rescue and swift water rescue, Miles has been performing rescues and repatriations more than half his life. With a small business called SARMed, that focuses on teaching wilderness medicine for SAR and guides, wilderness medicine is his life.

He’s passionate about the specialty of wilderness medicine and is excited about working with the Canadian Association of Wilderness Medicine to further this fascinating and rewarding field.

Past Board Members

Steve Roy (Founding Member: 2020)

Chris Lipp (Founding Member: 2020)

Dave Healey (2020-2021)

Mackenzie Wardle (2020-2021)

Tyler Semmens (2021)

Mike Webster (2022)

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All Members of CAWM are entitled to run for the Board of Directors and attend the Annual General Meeting

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