Jeri Kersten Mendelson is a practicing dermatologist these days, giving patients advice on how to properly care for their skin, especially outdoors in the sunshine.
But Dr. Mendelson has spent plenty of time outdoors herself, both exploring and working as a wildlife biologist. So she's up to speed on the things that can go wrong when people work and play outdoors, and teaches an adult education course on Medical Hazards in the Wilderness.
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) in Ashland offers the course from time to time, with another round starting up this week (January 13th). It includes a huge range of potential issues, from wildlife encounters and tick bites to fungal infections and infectious diseases.
We bring Jeri Mendelson in for an overview of some of the issues and responses.