Our Story
A long history of epic conferences...
The PA Wilderness Medicine & Survival Skills Conference was born out of interest in finding adventure in the great outdoors, coupled with a passion for educating and training the next generation. An expert skier, scuba master, and emergency medicine physician, Dr. Eric Bowman and his wife at the time, Kat Bowman (deceased 2018), started this amazing all outdoor conference in the woods of Hanover, Pennsylvania. The annual conference was hosted for 15 iterations, with a year here and there that were unable to be hosted.
Dr. Peter Baumeister, also an emergency medicine physician, met Eric in 2015 at the PA Wild Med Conference, and the two became lifelong friends. With an expansive history of practicing medicine in the most austere environments around the globe, coupled with a passion for the outdoors and teaching others, Pete began presenting at the conference in 2016. After many years of deeply valued mentorship, Pete began directing the conference in 2022 alongside his mentor and the visionary creator of the conference.
Pete and his family, along with the WildMed team, are ecstatic to continue this legacy in an awesome, new location in Green Country of Oklahoma.
Get to Know Our WildMed Directors:
Peter Baumeister, D.O., CDR MC (FS) USNR, FAWM, Conference Director
Peter J. Baumeister, DO is a board-certified emergency medicine physician with extensive experience in emergency, wilderness, tactical, aerospace, disaster, and austere medicine. He currently serves as an attending emergency medicine physician in Oklahoma with his alma mater, Oklahoma State University.
Throughout his career, Dr. Baumeister has practiced in a wide variety of environments, including Level I Trauma Centers, academic medical centers, rural hospitals, and international settings. He has served as Director of Wilderness Medicine and Tactical Medicine for an emergency medicine residency program, Medical Director of a National Emergency Response Team, and Assistant Director of Disaster Medicine.
A graduate of Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Baumeister completed his Emergency Medicine residency at Stanford University after serving as a U.S. Navy Flight Surgeon, supporting aviation, search and rescue, and operational forces around the world. His career has taken him to six continents, where he has practiced medicine from more than 200 feet below sea level to over 50,000 feet above sea level—and even at speeds exceeding the speed of sound.
Driven by a lifelong passion for emergency, wilderness, disaster, and tactical medicine, Dr. Baumeister believes that the most effective medical providers are those who can think critically, adapt rapidly, and deliver the best medicine in the worst places, particularly when resources are limited. His professional interests include wilderness medicine, disaster preparedness and response, trauma care, prolonged field care, care under fire, operational medicine, and medical education.
As an educator and mentor, Dr. Baumeister is dedicated to advancing practical, evidence-based, and innovative medicine through immersive, hands-on training combined with real-world operational experience. His mission is to develop medical professionals who are confident, adaptable, and capable of providing world-class care in the world's most remote, austere, and demanding environments.
Above all, Dr. Baumeister has dedicated his career to sharing his experience, knowledge, and passion with fellow clinicians, believing that better-trained providers strengthen healthcare systems, improve patient outcomes, and make communities safer wherever the mission leads.
When he's not saving lives or teaching others, Pete can usually be found behind the controls of a tractor or backhoe, working on the ranch, tending to his livestock, and enjoying life outdoors with his wife and two children.
Eric Bowman, MD, FACEP, FAWM, Conference Founder & Co-Director
Dr. Eric Bowman is an emergency physician, nationally recognized wilderness medicine educator, and Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine. He founded and previously directed the Wilderness Medicine Section within the Department of Emergency Medicine and has dedicated his career to advancing wilderness medicine education through hands-on, immersive learning experiences.
A longtime member of the Wilderness Medical Society, Dr. Bowman holds certifications in Advanced Wilderness Life Support (AWLS), Wilderness Advanced Life Support (WALS), Outdoor Emergency Care, and is an active member of the National Ski Patrol. His extensive outdoor experience includes backpacking, camping, downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, whitewater rafting, survival skills, and SCUBA diving. He has earned numerous PADI certifications, including Rescue Diver, Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver, Advanced Open Water Diver, and Master SCUBA Diver.
Known for his engaging teaching style and infectious enthusiasm, Dr. Bowman has educated countless medical professionals, students, and outdoor enthusiasts.
The photo featured here captures him doing what he greatly enjoys—instructing at BreckWild, the Wilderness Medical Society’s National Wilderness Medicine Medical Student Elective in Breckenridge, Colorado. Whether around a campfire or in the classroom, his passion for teaching and inspiring others is evident in everything he does.
