23-25 July 2027  |  Lancaster, Pennsylvania

The Central Appalachian Conference on Wilderness Medicine

Call for Presenters

We are accepting abstract submissions for podium presentations and workshops for our conference.

 Any provider – physician, resident, fellow or non-physician provider (advanced practice provider, RN, EMS, etc.) and student are invited to submit an abstract for a podium or workshop presentation for consideration.

Presentations should focus on clinically relevant topics in wilderness medicine and may be research based or experience-based presentations. Presentation topics and objectives should be focused on providing care to individuals in austere or resource limited environments – any place that is not a hospital or clinic exam room.

We highly encourage students, residents, and fellows from all medical specialties to submit proposals for consideration.

Statement on the use of AI in the development and presentation of academic presentations:

AI is a powerful tool that can be used to save time, sift through massive amounts of data, and can provide unique insights that may not have been considered. We do not condone the use of AI as a tool to aid presenters in finding an organized voice in the dissemination of educational topics. However, while AI provides significant computing power, the data or information that it uses to generate a response is still flawed by human production and is open to mistakes and misrepresentations of data. Thus, given this conference is still academic in nature, presenters must identify whether AI was used and to what extent it was utilized in the preparation of the presentation. Presenters are responsible for verifying and substantiating the accuracy of any data that was analyzed and reported by AI in both the abstract submission and, if chosen, as part of the formal disclosures at the beginning of there presentation.

For a starting place on topics that may be considered, you can look up the Wilderness Medical Society FAWM core topic list here

The Abstract Submission Form can be found here.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: 31 DECEMBER 2025. Presenters will be notified by the end of January, 2027.

Save The Date:

July 23 - 25, 2027

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

What to Expect

Wilderness medicine - explored.

Join us for 3 days of lectures, hands on workshops, and the ability to network with like-minded individuals who are just as excited to learn about wilderness medicine as you are. This conference will allow you an opportunity to immerse yourself in the diverse range of medical topics and remind you of your innate ability to adapt the medical care you are already providing.

Two Conference Tracks and Online Track

In order to cover as many diverse topics as possible, we will be offering two different tracks that will run simultaneously during the conference. This will also allow us to create a more intimate setting where you are able to immerse yourself into the topics at hand.

❋ Professional Networking

Connection is a core part of the process. You’ll learn just as much from the group as from the content itself Which is why we have intentionally built in ample time into the conference schedule for you to connect with other conference attendees.

❋ Hands-on Workshops

Workshops are designed to provide you with a chance to try your hand at new applications to your medical skills. The are include d in the conference tracks at no extra cost and give you a chance to put the theory into practice.

About the Location

Conference location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Venue: Information coming soon!

Located in the southern area of Pennsylvania, Lancaster provides a diverse range of experiences and opportunities in a compact area and the contrast between the farming and rural roots of Pennsylvania with the urban and suburban culture of Pennsylvania. This hotbed of contradictions and colliding worlds makes this a great place to examine the contrast between medical care in traditional settings and care with low resources available even if in an area with traditional health systems available.

Course Director - Alex Borzok DNP, FAWM, CRNP, ARNP, PHRN, AWEP

A native of Northcentral Pennsylvania, Alex Borzok has a strong affinity for woods, water, and wild things. His interest and passion in wilderness medicine has spanned over 25 years since he sat in his first wilderness EMT class at age 17. While his daily practice as a nurse practitioner has seen him in specialty medical practice including emergency medicine, internal medicine/geriatrics, nephrology, and urgent care he continues to return to wilderness medicine as the “root of all knowledge” thanks to the versatility of the specialty and the depth of knowledge required to remain adaptable and flexible when providing care in low resource environments.

He has supplemented his knowledge with experiences in camp medicine, search and rescue, and wilderness medicine education. He also has a combined 16 years of collegiate-level education lecturing in general sciences, health sciences, and nursing curriculum and also in clinic-based education including healthcare simulation facilitation.

He has also presented at a variety of conferences in the US, Canada, and Scotland. and has extensive teaching in professional medical programs at the collegiate level. Outside of wilderness medicine, he is also very interested in complex system process improvement and implementation. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, backpacking, camping, and the occasional non-technical book reading and writing. His plan if medicine does not work out is to retrain as an architect.

Conference Objectives

At the end of the conference, participants in the Central Appalachian Conference on Wilderness Medicine will be able to:

  1. Develop an understanding of what constitutes wilderness medicine when compared to other types of medical specialties.

  2. Identify areas in current practice to incorporate principles of wilderness medicine.

  3. Identify additional resources to use in the delivery of patient care.