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Christopher Van Tilburg

Christopher Van Tilburg is an American physician and author specializing in emergency, wilderness, travel, environmental, and occupational medicine. He is author of 11 books on outdoor recreation, wilderness medicine, and international travel, including two memoirs on mountain rescue including Mountain Rescue Doctor: Wilderness Medicine in the Extremes of Nature and Search and Rescue: A Wilderness Doctor’s Life-and-Death Tales of Risk and Reward.

Early Life

Van Tilburg grew up in Ridgefield, Washington, USA. He earned a BS in Science Communication from University of Portland and a MD from University of Washington School of Medicine. He completed an internship in Internal Medicine from University of Utah in Salt Lake City and a family medicine residency at Family Medicine of Southwest Washington in Vancouver, Washington. He earned a Certificate of Travel Health and he is Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine.

Career

Van Tilburg is on staff at Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital in Hood River, Oregon, USA where he works at Occupational and Travel Medicine, in the Emergency Department and at the Mountain Clinic at Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort. In addition, he has worked as a physician on expeditions around the world, on cruise ships, on humanitarian medical relief programs, and for expert witness cases. He is also a mountain rescue doctor with Hood River Crag Rats, the oldest mountain rescue team in the United States, established in 1926 in Hood River, Oregon, USA.

Writing

Dr. Van Tilburg’s parallel career of writing began with his first paid job at age 16 as a sports reporter for the Lewis River News. In addition to 11 books and frequent contributions to medical and non-medical publications, he has held multiple editorships including Editor-in-Chief of Wilderness Medicine, Contributing Editor for Columbia Gorge and Gorge Magazine, and currently as Editor-in-Chief of Travel Medicine News.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Van Tilburg has been honored three times by the Wilderness Medical Society. He received Dian Simpkins Award for Service, the Haiti Humanitarian Research Award, and the Ice Axe Award for Service.

His book Mountain Rescue Doctor: Wilderness Medicine in the Extremes of Nature was shortlisted for Banff Festival of Mountain Books and Oregon Book Awards in 2007 and was Readers Digest Editor’s Pick for November 2007.

His book Adrenaline Junkie’s Bucket List: 100 Extreme Adventures to Do Before You Die received the Far West Ski Association Bill Berry Award for outstanding printed media in 2014.

Published works

Van Tilburg is a prolific author. In addition to 11 books, he has authored medical papers, adventure travel magazine articles, equipment reviews, book reviews, and blogs.

Books

-Backcountry snowboarding. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books, 1998.

-Canyoneering : beginning to advanced techniques. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books, 2000.

-Backcountry Ski Oregon : classic descents for skiers & snowboarders, including southwest Washington. Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2001.

-Emergency survival : a pocket guide : quick information for outdoor safety. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books, 2001.

-First Aid: A pocket Guide: quick Information for Mountaineering and Backcountry Use. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books, 2001.

-Watersports Safety and Emergency First Aid: A handbook for Boaters, Anglesr, Kayakers, River Runners, and Surfriders. Guilford, CT: Falcon Press. 2002.

-Introducing your kids to the outdoors. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2005.

-Mountain rescue doctor : wilderness medicine in the extremes of nature. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2007.

-Backcountry ski & snowboard routes: Oregon. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books, 2011.

-The adrenaline junkie bucket list : 100 extreme outdoor adventures to do before you die. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2013.

-Search and rescue stories : a wilderness doctor's life-and-death tales of risk and reward. Guilford, CT: Falcon Press, 2017.

Medical Papers

Van Tilburg was the lead author for Wilderness Medical Society Practice Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Avalanche and Nonavalanche Snow Burial Accidents, a multinational effort published in 2017.

Service Van Tilburg also has a history of volunteering. He served as a member of the Board of Directors for Wilderness Medical Society from 2000-2006. He has made five trips to Haiti for medical relief with Health Corps Haiti. He currently serves as Mountain Rescue Association Medical Committee Chair. He has volunteered as a rescue mountaineer since 2000 for Hood River Crag Rats Mountain Rescue.