In the tradition of the last 24 years, the biennial congress will continue to focus on high altitude medicine which is an important flagship of the International Society for Mountain Medicine. While originally this event focused mainly on science and research aspects of high altitude medicine, for some years now the congress objectives have extended.

ISMM aims to offer a comprehensive overview of ongoing topics of interest in mountain medicine, whilst also extending the program by adding a dedicated mountain emergency medicine component (in collaboration with the International Commission of Mountain Emergency Medicine ICAR MEDCOM and the Wilderness Medical Society WMS).

This renewed program will also include practical workshops related to trekking, expedition medicine, and clinical education. In the last few years, enrolment in Mountain Medicine Diploma courses has shot up internationally, and the faculty feels there is a need for better unification, coordination and quality management.

Moreover, nowadays traveling mountaineers should be aware not only of the risks of global epidemics such as SARS, Zika and Ebola, but also tropical diseases and protective measures for common problems like travelers’ diarrhea and fever in the traveler. For these reasons, the ISMM World Congress 2018 has adopted many new fields of interest.

For the first time, the congress will be held in Kathmandu, hosted by an active group of young physicians gathered in the Mountain Medicine Society of Nepal. The program includes many aspects of mountain medicine, from science through to expedition medicine. It gives the attendants the opportunity to combine this unique congress with a journey to the highest peaks of the planet, to a land of miraculous people, culture and landscapes.

So, please take the opportunity and don’t miss out!

Published in GI-Mail 09/2018 (German edition). Sign up for GI-Mail here.  

Tip: More up to date educational events can be found online in the Education Database »medicine & health«.