Doctor and Adventurer

In this episode of Our Voices, Our Future, we are joined by Dr. Laura Helfman—an emergency medicine physician, wilderness medicine instructor, and whitewater rafting guide—to explore how she has built a career defined by balance, passion, and service. Dr. Helfman shares how her love for the outdoors shaped her journey into wilderness medicine, and a desire to service led her to decades of involvement with the American Medical Women’s Association and the American Women’s Hospitals Service. She reflects on navigating gender bias in medicine, the importance of mentorship and support networks, and the value of cultivating interests beyond clinical practice to avoid burnout.

You can reach Dr. Helfman by email at riverdoc@outlook.com