Our mission is to empower a safe outdoor community
through access to innovative and sustainable education.
Base Medical offers training solutions to eliminate the access barriers in wilderness medicine and search and rescue (SAR) education. With our training solutions, wilderness medicine and SAR education is now accessible, affordable, and sustainable for rescue teams, outdoor organizations, and outdoor professionals worldwide.
We are a woman-led organization dedicated to the safety of the outdoor community. Base Medical has offered online, hybrid, and remote learning options since 2017. The learning methods on which the company was founded was in anticipation of the inevitable progression of wilderness medicine and rescue education to more advanced delivery systems and the inherent responsibility. Along our journey we have gained valuable experience and insight that is now shaping the future of the field as we blaze a new trail forward.
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A Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) is a corporation created to generate social good in a responsible and sustainable manner. We felt this business designation most aligned with our values and commitment to the outdoor community.
PBCs have to declare their public benefit purpose in their articles of incorporation. We took this one step further and included a stop-gate mechanism to maintain our company's alignment with our values. Imagine Base Medical 100 years from now. The goal is for Base Medical to do good now and in the future, no matter who is running it, who the investors are, or what happens within the field. The following is directly from our articles of incorporation:
“The Corporation is established as a Public Benefit Corporation with the objective to provide affordable, sustainable, and equitable education and professional development access to increase the safety, preparedness, and emergency response of the outdoor community. At least once per year, the Corporation shall use the following guiding inquisitions to remain in alignment with its public benefit objective:
The Triple Win: Are our programs and education opportunities structured and priced in a way that benefits the community, our clients, and our company?
Downstream Effects: How do our programs positively and negatively impact the community and the professionalism of the industry now and in the future? Are there certain demographic groups more positively or negatively impacted than others?
The Innovation Triangle: Do we have a healthy organizational culture, good retention of team members, clients and students, and supportive systems and processes to serve as the foundation on which we can scale and continue to innovate? “
The Base Medical Team
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Teal Harbin (she/her)
Base Medical Chief Executive Officer & Founder Wilderness paramedic and nurse with a B.S. in EMS and Certified in Mountain Medicine
Teal is a driven, future-focused woman striving to do the most good for the outdoor community and beyond. Born and raised in the southwest USA, she draws upon her Mexican/Puerto Rican/European roots to promote diversity, equity, and opportunity for all. She is an agent of change.
Teal is an experienced medical provider and international social entrepreneur. Her medical background includes ski patrol, mountain rescue, search and rescue, firefighting, pediatric emergency medicine, remote medicine, international telemedicine, and international medicine. She has instructed remote medicine and coordinated medical evacuations worldwide from austere locations. This experience served her well when she stepped in as the EMS Logistics Solutions Officer to improve medical care for the Afghan refugees at the Oman Amid Village at Holloman Air Force Base for Operations Allies Welcome. While living in Germany and traveling the world, Teal founded Base Medical in 2017 in Tallinn, Estonia with the mission to elevate the quality and access to wilderness medicine and rescue education. In addition to serving as the visionary of Base Medical, she is currently an item writer for the international wilderness paramedic exam with the IBSC and serves as the SAR Medical Coordinator for the state of New Mexico.
IG: @teal.harbin
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Tim Durkin (he/him)
Base Medical Chief Medical Director, DO, FAAEM, CAQSM, Author, Emergency & Sports Medicine Physician
Dr. Durkin is a board-certified emergency and sports medicine physician and is Base Medical’s Chief Medical Officer. He has over three decades of response, patient care, and teaching experience that drive his passion for excellence in Base Medical’s curriculum.
His premedical experiences included service as a camp staffer, SAR responder, urban/rural paramedic, BLS/ACLS/first aid instructor, and working on a program management team for DARPA. He completed a residency at Albert Einstein Medical Center, the busiest trauma center in Philadelphia, and a sports medicine fellowship at the University of Florida (Go Gators!). After residency, he practiced emergency medicine at both large and small hospitals in the southwest for 15 years with extensive involvement in EMS, SAR, and sports medicine coverage, including as a medical director for SAR and USFS wildland fire teams. He currently serves SAR program coordinator for Colorado Highland Helicopters and practices sports medicine in the four corners region. He is the author of The Pocket Guide to Event, Outdoor, and Sports Medicine. When not working, he enjoys backcountry skiing and trying to keep up with his wife while mountain biking.
IG: @swsportsandrescuemedicine -
Lauren Skonieczny (she/her)
Training Director, Wilderness EMT, WFA/R Instructor
Lauren Skonieczny (she/her) is a wilderness EMT and SAR Volunteer based in Portland, Oregon. She has been teaching Wilderness Medicine since 2021 and has over 15 years of experience as a professional guide - leading and teaching groups with diverse backgrounds both domestically and internationally.
Outside of Base Medical, Lauren plays and coaches Australian Rules Football, volunteers with Pacific Northwest SAR, serves on her SAR team's training committee, and works as an event medic.
As training director, Lauren's role is to support instructors and education centers.
Base Medical Instructors
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Matthew Angus
(he/him)
Wilderness EMT -
Sam "Marlo" Bragg
(she/they)
Wilderness First Responder -
Dennis Eller
(he/him)
Wilderness EMT -
Eric "Chino" Giacchino
(he/him)
Wilderness Paramedic -
Liane Lau
(she/her)
Critical Care Nurse -
William Lillard
(he/him)
Wilderness First Responder -
Nick Ostini
(he/him)
Wilderness EMT -
Scott Schissel
(he/him)
Wilderness First Responder -
Christine Troy
(she/her)
Wilderness First Responder -
Benjamin Woodard
(he/him)
Nurse Practitioner
And Many More!
We have 60 instructors located throughout the country. Our instructors work independently from Base Medical to deliver accessible, affordable, high-quality wilderness medicine training to the outdoor community. Join our mission!
Matthew Angus
he/him
Wilderness EMT
Although born in the midwestern flats of Illinois, he has called the San Juan mountains home for the last 6 years in Durango, Colorado. He graduated from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (Go Dawgs!) in 2017 but obtained his EMT license in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. His medical experience began with tending to the health needs of troubled youth as a field EMT for a wilderness therapy guiding program based in the Southwest. It was during this time that Matthew began developing skills of compassionate patient care and practicing medicine in the austere environment.
Matthew now uses his EMT skills at a local clinic and SAR team in the area and has big goals to obtain advanced medical training. Matthew also cares deeply about creating learning spaces that center on inclusion, challenge, and team building.
Sam “Marlo” Bragg
she/they
Wilderness First Responder
Sam is the seventh generation of a large, vibrant Deaf family of Maine's great woods. After obtaining a Master’s degree in Outdoor Leadership from Saybrook University and National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Sam joined CorpsTHAT’s team intending to build a bridge to connect the Deaf community and the outdoors through education, recreation, and careers. Sam is passionate about creating equitable and inclusive spaces in the outdoors for Deaf and hard-of-hearing folks. Four years ago, Sam assisted with founding the first-ever Deaf-centric conservation crew with CorpsTHAT. Currently, Sam now manages field operations for the conservation and outdoor recreation programs.
Sam is Wilderness First Responder certified, a Leave No Trace level 2 Instructor, A Level Sawyer Certified, holds a certification in Mental Health Wilderness First Aid, and is a Wilderness First Aid instructor with Base Medical. During Sam’s free time, Sam enjoys climbing, trail running, skiing, and backpacking.
Dennis Eller
he/him
Wilderness EMT
Dr. Dennis Eller has been a member is an educator in FWPS, a veteran, an AMGA certified guide, and a Rescue Technician with Tacoma Mountain Rescue. Dr. Eller shares a deep passion for nature and a commitment to share its wonders with others.
Dennis has served in numerous high risk environments as a Special Operations Team leader, Firefighter / EMT-P, and Rescue Support Specialist with TMRU. He has led and participated on multiple missions throughout the Pacific Northwest with many being on Mt Rainier NPS.
One of Dennis's most remarkable contributions has been his dedication to making outdoor spaces more accessible to Native American communities and creating standardized training for Mountain Rescue Units. He has advocated for recruiting and training Native American guides, leaders, and educators, ensuring that there are role models and mentors for future generations through his work with public education organizations, volunteer organizations, and Mountain rescue organizations.
Eric “Chino” Giacchino
he/him
Wilderness Paramedic
The Mazamas (Portland, OR)
Chino is a Paramedic, Fire Battalion Chief, and has previously served as a USAF Pararescue Journeyman, Air Force Instructor for Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), Aircrew Flight Instructor / Evaluator, Static Line Jumpmaster and Helicopter Team Leader. Chino has completed four deployments in his roles.
He is also the dad of twin girls who love being outside. Together, they rip on mountain bikes, hike, and spend a lot of time with a fishing rod over the side of their canoes when camping. He’s been known to tackle some medium sport or trad routes and he loves whisky and IPA.
Dr. Dennis Eller has been a member is an educator in FWPS, a veteran, an AMGA certified guide, and a Rescue Technician with Tacoma Mountain Rescue. Dr. Eller shares a deep passion for nature and a commitment to share its wonders with others.
Dennis has served in numerous high risk environments as a Special Operations Team leader, Firefighter / EMT-P, and Rescue Support Specialist with TMRU. He has led and participated on multiple missions throughout the Pacific Northwest with many being on Mt Rainier NPS.
One of Dennis's most remarkable contributions has been his dedication to making outdoor spaces more accessible to Native American communities and creating standardized training for Mountain Rescue Units. He has advocated for recruiting and training Native American guides, leaders, and educators, ensuring that there are role models and mentors for future generations through his work with public education organizations, volunteer organizations, and Mountain rescue organizations.
Liane Lau
she/her
Critical Care Nurse
Liane is based in Seattle, where she works as a critical care nurse at Harborview Medical Center serving patients from across the Pacific Northwest. She specializes in Pediatric trauma and intensive burn care.
As an instructor, Liane aims to create a supportive, inclusive learning environment while also helping students confidently approach the challenges that wilderness medicine can bring.
Liane is also an avid athlete and traveler, having cycled across the U.S twice, completed numerous marathons, and trekked in Nepal and Spain. Some of her recent hobbies and travels include regular open water swimming off Alki beach this winter and caving/snorkeling in Belize.
William Lillard
he/him
Wilderness First Responder
A New Jersey native, Will spent his summers backpacking at camp in Colorado and fishing at his grandparent's in Western North Carolina. His time spent in the outdoors instilled a growing passion for environmental conservation. He has led outdoor education trips for Sanborn Camps in CO, Wilderness Adventures in HI, WY, MT, Naturalist at Large in CA, and the Outdoor Academy in NC.
While exploring the small mountain streams and lakes on days off, he decided to turn his passion for the outdoors into a career. He returned to school at NYU for his graduate degree in Environmental Conservation Education.
His passion for fly fishing, conservation, and teaching inspired him to create Lillard Fly Fishing Expeditions as his Master's thesis. His goal is to encourage appreciation for nature through participation in backpacking and fly fishing while inspiring future generations of sporting conservationists. When he's not working, he enjoys adventures with his wife Kim and three kids. He is a Wilderness First Responder, Registered Maine Guide, Montana Outfitter, and Colorado Outfitter.
Nick Ostini
he/him
Wilderness EMT
The Mazamas (Portland, OR)
Nick is a WFA and WFR instructor, often found instructing with the Mazamas out of Portland, OR. He is a creative Director by day and a mountaineer, rock climber, skier, backpacker, and instructor by night.
Scott Schissel
he/him
Wilderness First Responder
The Mountaineers (Tacoma, WA)
Scott is a 24 year Military and 7 year National Park Ranger veteran as well as an Alpine Climbing, Whitewater, Fly Fishing and Mountain Biking Guide and Instructor. Scott has previously served with Tacoma Mountain Rescue and the National Park Search and Rescue.
Scott is passionate about spending time outside and is always seeking the next adventure.
Christine Troy
she/her
Wilderness First Responder
The Mazamas (Portland, OR)
Christine was introduced to the world of climbing and mountaineering in 2016 by the Mazamas in Portland, OR. Since then, she has climbed many of the peaks of the Pacific Northwest, become a Wilderness First Responder (WFR), and taught wilderness first aid and climbing skills to new mountaineers.
Professionally, Christine is an engineer and teacher and is passionate about sharing the skills for safe and ethical wilderness recreation with other outdoorspeople.
Benjamin Woodard
he/him
Nurse Practitioner
Hailing from New Mexico, Benjamin is a board-certified nurse practitioner in both emergency and family practice, with a passion for clinical teaching, mentorship, and care in austere settings. He has worked in rural practice and emergency medicine since 2014.
Benjamin earned his doctorate from Yale University and focused his work on creating emergency procedural skills training for new nurse practitioners in remote settings. He has served as an Assistant Professor, clinician, educator, and consultant.
As a Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine, he has taught wilderness medicine to healthcare providers in the both US and internationally as well as courses for non-medical folks. He is an active member of the Wilderness Medicine Society, and the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners.
More from our team
Podcasts
Listen to the SAR Mutual Aid Podcast for discussions with SAR leaders throughout the country!
The Brief
Follow our blog for in-depth articles on all things wilderness medicine, SAR, and outdoor safety.
“The tools and tactics we use to achieve our mission differ than those used by others in the industry. We must dare to be different to create the much needed change to empower you and others to build a safer community.”
-Teal Harbin