From the Battlefield to the Humanitarian Mission with Ryan Ahlgren
In this powerful episode, Eoin sits down with Ryan Ahlgren — a wilderness and humanitarian medicine practitioner whose career spans some of the most challenging environments on the planet.
From frontline trauma care during the ISIL occupation in Iraq, to medevac operations in Ukraine, to six-week stints deep in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, Ryan shares what it's really like to provide medical care in the face of heat, hardship, and uncertainty.
He also discusses his recent role in Antarctica and how diverse experiences have shaped his approach to both emergency and primary care.
This episode explores:
The realities of conflict and humanitarian medicine
Lessons in leadership, flexibility, and risk
The importance of ultrasound and sonography in remote settings
Aspirations for the future – including medicine in space
Whether you're a clinician, adventurer, or just fascinated by global health, this one’s for you.
World Extreme Medicine Podcast
We’re committed to ensuring extreme medicine education can reach all medical, healthcare and supporting professionals working in austere environments.
With regular updates, our team brings you the latest from across the broad spectrum of extreme medicine disciplines, including expedition, space, remote, pre-hospital and humanitarian medicine as well as a range of topics across performance and non-technical skills. Enhance your ability to tackle challenges with new skills you can take home or out into the field.
Push the boundaries of your medical career!
- No. of episodes: 237
- Latest episode: 2025-05-06
- Education
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