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 environments. She reflects on her experiences responding to cholera outbreaks, Ebola, and neglected diseases like Noma, and the ethical realities of delivering care in conflict zones.
This conversation explores leadership under pressure, resilience in crisis, the importance of community-led responses, and why hope can be just as powerful as medicine. Clare also speaks candidly about returning home after deployment, sustaining purpose beyond the frontline, and what aspiring expedition and humanitarian clinicians should consider before stepping into these roles.
A thoughtful, grounded discussion on compassion, governance, adaptability, and what global healthcare can teach us about ourselves.

A quick update from the podcast team
We’re hitting pause on the podcast for a short while.

In the meantime, you can still access a wide range of recorded sessions, talks, and content online — perfect if you’re catching up or revisiting past episodes.

Thanks for being part of the journey so far. We’ll be back when the time’s right.

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 of training frontline teams, the role of rapid diagnostics, antibiotic resistance, and how public health systems adapt under pressure.
Together they discuss:
• The lessons learned from managing MERS and how they shaped COVID 19 preparedness
• Diagnostic challenges and the evolution of infection control protocols
• Training healthcare providers to work safely in high risk environments
• Public health communication, leadership, and societal compliance
• How antibiotic resistance shapes care in the field
• Why extreme environments require unique infection control approaches
They also explore the growing appetite for extreme medicine training in Saudi Arabia, and the need for specialised courses, fellowships, and international collaboration.

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 take days, resources are limited, and clinical decision-making relies as much on preparation and judgement as formal protocols.
You’ll hear about:
• Providing medical care in remote Indonesian surf communities
• Managing hazardous marine and wilderness injuries in austere environments
• Life and clinical responsibility aboard highly isolated research vessels
• Teaching and working around dive and marine-related injuries in challenging settings
• Why stepping outside conventional medical career pathways can open unexpected doors
This conversation explores what real-world remote medicine looks like, the nuance between training and lived experience, and how surfing, science, and medicine intersect in places where help is never close by.
Follow more of Gemma’s work:
Surfing Doctors Association: https://surfingdoctors.com/
Instagram: @gemstargazer – https://www.instagram.com/gemstargazer
Connect with Marcus:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-stevens
A thoughtful, grounded discussion about building a meaningful medical career off the beaten path, and being honest about what experience really looks like in extreme environments.

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 hypothermia is managed before hospital arrival—revealing system-wide gaps, training opportunities, and practical steps for improving patient outcomes.
In this episode:
How a medical student led a nationwide HEMS research project

Why hypothermia management must start before hospital arrival

The biggest equipment and training gaps identified

The role of the “burrito wrap” in field insulation

How to balance standardisation with adaptability

Why education, simulation, and consistent training are key to progress

Read the full open-access paper:
Pre-Hospital Management of Accidental Hypothermia: A Nationwide Survey Among Italian HEMS
Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine (2025)

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 ethical challenges of intervention and the growing importance of One Health.
Corinne shares insights from her experience across small animal clinics, conservation projects, and research labs, and discusses the traits and training needed for the next generation of veterinarians working in extreme environments.

You can connect with Corinne via social media:
Instagram
LinkedIn.