The team

I'm sitting in IAH, waiting for the plane to leave for New Zealand (Aukland non-stop and then Christ Church).  I thought I'd introduce everyone to the medical team heading to Antarctica.  From left to right:

• Dean. Lead Physician at McMurdo.  The lead physician is responsible for the health care at all three US bases and at the various field camps.  He is the interface between the Polar Medical Program (run by Univ. Texas Medical Branch) and the National Science Foundation which runs the entire US Antarctic Program.  He also runs the training programs (mass casualty training, for example) and is responsible for the public health of the base and for food safety.  Dean spent one month in McMurdo ten years ago.
• Joe.  Physical Therapist at McMurdo.  This is Joe's third tour in Antarctica, once over winter.  Laidback and funny.  He's arriving in October when the summer crew starts to trickle in. He has two kids in the military, one on a sub.  
• Me.  Mid-level at McMurdo.  Typically, my position is held by a PA not an MD but they made an exception in my case.  I do a lot of medical care and also assist in administrative/organizational things when no patients are around (setting up the pharmacy inventory for example).  I convinced them to let me do a small research project on viral sequencing while I'm there.  
• Ariel. Physician's assistant at the South Pole.  Ariel is from Montana where she is a PA and a ski instructor.  She is quite bubbly and enthusiastic and loves doing procedures. She will be the mid-level at the South Pole working with another physician who is currently at McMurdo.  She arrives in late October.  We'll see her when she passes through McMurdo on her way to the pole.
• Rebecca (in front). Pharmacist at McMurdo  Rebecca is a pharmacist from Anchorage/Bethel, Alaska.  She met her husband--who is deployed to Afghanistan--when she was climbing Denali.   She and her husband never seem to be on the same continent at the same time.  She is responsible for the formularies at all bases and the field camps.  The powers that be spent about half of the orientation telling us how we have to account for every single pill of control substances and can't lose a single tablet.  She has her work cut out for her.  She arrives in early October.  This is her first tour.
• Marissa.  Flight nurse at McMurdo.  Marissa is originally from Uruguay but lives now in Hawaii.  This is her second tour.  She helps with the evacuations by the Air Force and goes with patients who more nursing care than the Air Force can provide (these are NOT air ambulances but C-17s). She is laugh-out-loud funny.  She arrives in October.
• Chris.  Mid-level at the field station at the West Antarctic Ice Shelf (WAIS)   Chris is the Clint Eastwood of the team.  He is quiet (although witty when he speaks), competent and unflappable.  He will be working at a field camp of about 20 people at WAIS.  The WAIS team lives in tents, believe it or not, a few hours by helicopter from any other human encampment.  Chris is responsible for all health at that camp and evacuating people as necessary.  This is his third tour to Antarctica (one winter over).  He arrives in October.
• Sean. Nurse Manager at McMurdo.  Sean, an RN, is the second (or the first?) most important person on the medical team.  He keeps all the health facilities running and makes sure we don't do anything stupid.  This is his second tour as Nurse Manager and his third tour over all.  He's the only person actually going to McMurdo with us this week.
• Grant. Air Force Flight Surgeon.  Grant runs the Air Force medical program.  He will only be in Antarctica for a short time but supervises the flight surgeons who rotate through from October through January.  The Air Force has a small but critical presence in Antarctica since they do all the transportation on and off the ice.  Their medical team is there to support the airmen but they also do take care of the civilians as well.
• Pete.  Physician at Palmer Station.  Pete is the physician for Palmer Station on the other side of Antarctica.  He's an ER doc from Oklahoma.  Unfortunately, we'll never see him since he arrives by ship in October and never comes through McMurdo.  It's my impression that Palmer is the primo medical job in Antarctica since it's warmer and is where the wildlife is.  
• Not pictured.  Chris, the physician currently in McMurdo.  He'll overlap with us for one month, filling us in on what needs to be done.  Also not pictured are three Aerospace Medicine Residents at UTMB, all women, who will each do a one-month rotation at McMurdo starting in November.  Finally, missing is Bob the dentist who arrives in January for six weeks.  

Currently, it is -10F in McMurdo and feels like -31F.  The sun rose at 1:00 PM and set at 1:50 PM.  Here in Galveston, on the other hand, the temperature is 100F and the humidity is 80%.  It is stifling.  But Galveston is quite a cute town.  It was well worth a visit.  We also made a quick detour on the way to IAH at the Johnson Space Center.  Since NASA has a big presence in Antarctica, it seemed appropriate. 

Now, Shawn, Dean and I are off to the plane.