Kenneth Kamler
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Kamler, M.D., is an orthopedic microsurgeon
trained at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center who practices surgery
of the hand in New York
, and extreme medicine in some of the most remote regions on Earth. He has treated bear bite in the Arctic
and frostbite
in the Antarctic
. He has set fractures in the Andes
and cared for out-of-breath scuba divers
in the Galapagos. He has performed surgery in the mud of the Amazon
rainforest
and in a NASA
undersea
analogue
space capsule
. He has flown in zero gravity aboard NASA’s DC-9 "Vomit Comet", testing robot
s for eventual use in emergency surgery on the International Space Station
or on Mars
.
He has been on six expeditions to Mount Everest
as expedition doctor and climber; four were with the National Geographic Society
deploying laser telescopes and global positioning satellite receivers to measure the exact height of Everest as well as the tectonic motion of the Asia
n continental plate. On two other expeditions to Everest, he served as Chief High Altitude Physician for NASA-sponsored research on human physiological
responses to extreme altitude
, and monitored remote body sensors worn by climbers to provide real-time medical data as they ascended the mountain. Dr. Kamler himself has climbed to within 900 vertical feet of the summit of Everest and was the only doctor, high on the mountain, during the infamous 1996 storm that claimed twelve lives. His treatment of the survivors was portrayed in the best selling book, Into Thin Air
, and in the IMAX
film, Everest
.
Dr. Kamler has made four trips to Bhutan
. Working with the Minister of Health, he has trekked through the remote eastern region to assess health care needs and in 2008 witnessed the coronation
of the new King
, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. He has acted as expedition doctor during a high altitude research expedition climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
with USARIEM, a research division of the United States Army
.
Dr. Kamler was Vice President of Research and Education for The Explorers Club
for ten years, former Chairman of its Science Advisory Board, served as a Director for twelve years and was recently re-elected to that role. He received the coveted Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award in 2009 for outstanding achievement in exploration. He has been an Explorer-in-Residence at the American Museum of Natural History
, a consultant for NASA and for National Geographic Adventure
, and a commentator for Outdoor Life Network and CNN
. He is currently on the Editorial Board of Advisors of Popular Mechanics
.
U.S. News and World Report has recognized him as a 2011 Top Doctor. In 2008 and 2010, Newsday
named him one of the Best Doctors on Long Island
, and in 2002 New York Magazine named him one of the Best Doctors in New York. He is listed in the New York Guide to Top Doctors as well as in Who's Who in America and Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. He is the subject of a chapter in the book Biography Today: Medical Leaders, and has been profiled in the New York Times, USA Today
, US News & World Report, and Reader's Digest
. He is a recipient of the Science Museum of Long Island's Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a member of the Sigma Xi
National Scientific Research Society. Dr. Kamler was honored at the 2005 National Scout Jamboree
as one of Twenty Greatest Living Explorers and had a sub-camp named after him.
He has addressed many prestigious organizations including The Explorers Club, National Geographic Society, Expedition Medicine Society, Wilderness Medical Society
, Sigma Xi National Scientific Research Society, New York Academy of Medicine
, Johnson Space Center, TEDMED
, EG (Entertainment Gathering), Queen Elizabeth 2 Ocean Liner
, United Nations International School
, International Bar Association
, Olympus World Headquarters, Johnson and Johnson, Ortho Biotech
, and CIGNA Health Care
. He has spoken at a symposium on risk to NASA astronaut
s and at an international conference on risk held in London
, both of which were nationally webcast.
Dr. Kamler's radio and television appearances include NPR
's Fresh Air
, CBS
' 48 Hours
, Dateline NBC
, ABC
's 20/20
, Fox News, NBC News
, Bloomberg News, Today Show, Larry King Live
, and multiple specials on National Geographic
, Discovery
, and History channels. CNN featured him as an Extreme Medicine Pioneer. He appeared on ABC
's Nightline
in the first-ever live interview from Everest Base Camp
. He has been interviewed by Forrest Sawyer
and Sanjay Gupta
. He has been a full hour guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Dr. Kamler is the author of two books on the physiological and psychological effects of extreme environments, both based largely on his personal experiences: Doctor on Everest, published by Lyons Press (2000), and Surviving the Extremes: What Happens to the Body and Mind at the Limits of Human Endurance, published by St. Martin’s Press and Penguin Books
(2004 and 2006). He has written a monthly column for National Geographic Adventure and is a feature writer and contributing editor for Popular Mechanics. He has written chapters for adventure books: Everest—Mountain Without Mercy (1997), The Worst Journey in the World (2006), They Lived to Tell the Tale (2007), Adventurous Dreams (2007), and Grasping for Heaven (2010); and for academic texts: Risk and Exploration in Space (2008), Expedition and Wilderness Medicine (2009), and The Annals of the New York Academy of Science (2009).
Microsurgeon
Microsurgeon can refer to:* Microsurgeon, a videogame by Imagic for the Intellivision game system.* A surgeon who specializes in microsurgery....
trained at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center who practices surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
of the hand in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and extreme medicine in some of the most remote regions on Earth. He has treated bear bite in the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
and frostbite
Frostbite
Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...
in the Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
. He has set fractures in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
and cared for out-of-breath scuba divers
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
in the Galapagos. He has performed surgery in the mud of the Amazon
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
and in a NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
undersea
Underwater
Underwater is a term describing the realm below the surface of water where the water exists in a natural feature such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, or river. Three quarters of the planet Earth is covered by water...
analogue
Human analog missions
Human analog missions are activities undertaken on Earth in various environments to simulate aspects of human missions to other worlds, including the Moon, asteroids, and Mars. These remote field tests are performed in locations that are identified based on their physical similarities to the...
space capsule
Space capsule
A space capsule is an often manned spacecraft which has a simple shape for the main section, without any wings or other features to create lift during atmospheric reentry....
. He has flown in zero gravity aboard NASA’s DC-9 "Vomit Comet", testing robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s for eventual use in emergency surgery on the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
or on Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
.
He has been on six expeditions to Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
as expedition doctor and climber; four were with the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
deploying laser telescopes and global positioning satellite receivers to measure the exact height of Everest as well as the tectonic motion of the Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n continental plate. On two other expeditions to Everest, he served as Chief High Altitude Physician for NASA-sponsored research on human physiological
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
responses to extreme altitude
Altitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
, and monitored remote body sensors worn by climbers to provide real-time medical data as they ascended the mountain. Dr. Kamler himself has climbed to within 900 vertical feet of the summit of Everest and was the only doctor, high on the mountain, during the infamous 1996 storm that claimed twelve lives. His treatment of the survivors was portrayed in the best selling book, Into Thin Air
Into Thin Air
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster is a 1997 bestselling non-fiction book written by Jon Krakauer. It details the author's presence at Mount Everest during the 1996 Mount Everest disaster when eight climbers were killed and several others were stranded by a 'rogue storm'...
, and in the IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
film, Everest
Everest (film)
Everest is a 70mm American documentary film from MacGillivray Freeman Films about the struggles involved in climbing Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak on Earth located in Himalayan region of Nepal. It was released to IMAX theaters in 1998....
.
Dr. Kamler has made four trips to Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. Working with the Minister of Health, he has trekked through the remote eastern region to assess health care needs and in 2008 witnessed the coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of the new King
Dragon King (Bhutan)
The Druk Gyalpo is the head of state of Bhutan. He is also known in English as the King of Bhutan...
, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. He has acted as expedition doctor during a high altitude research expedition climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
with USARIEM, a research division of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
Dr. Kamler was Vice President of Research and Education for The Explorers Club
The Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is a professional society dedicated to scientific exploration of Earth, its oceans, and outer space. Founded in 1904 in New York City, it currently has 30 branches world wide...
for ten years, former Chairman of its Science Advisory Board, served as a Director for twelve years and was recently re-elected to that role. He received the coveted Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award in 2009 for outstanding achievement in exploration. He has been an Explorer-in-Residence at the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
, a consultant for NASA and for National Geographic Adventure
National Geographic Adventure
National Geographic Adventure, formerly known as Adventure One but now commonly known as Nat Geo Adventure, is a subscription TV channel part of National Geographic Channels International and News Corporation...
, and a commentator for Outdoor Life Network and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. He is currently on the Editorial Board of Advisors of Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics
Popular Mechanics is an American magazine first published January 11, 1902 by H. H. Windsor, and has been owned since 1958 by the Hearst Corporation...
.
U.S. News and World Report has recognized him as a 2011 Top Doctor. In 2008 and 2010, Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
named him one of the Best Doctors on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, and in 2002 New York Magazine named him one of the Best Doctors in New York. He is listed in the New York Guide to Top Doctors as well as in Who's Who in America and Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. He is the subject of a chapter in the book Biography Today: Medical Leaders, and has been profiled in the New York Times, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, US News & World Report, and Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
. He is a recipient of the Science Museum of Long Island's Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a member of the Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
National Scientific Research Society. Dr. Kamler was honored at the 2005 National Scout Jamboree
2005 National Scout Jamboree
The 2005 National Scout Jamboree was the 16th national Scout jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America and was held from July 25, 2005 through August 3, 2005 at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia...
as one of Twenty Greatest Living Explorers and had a sub-camp named after him.
He has addressed many prestigious organizations including The Explorers Club, National Geographic Society, Expedition Medicine Society, Wilderness Medical Society
Wilderness Medical Society
The Wilderness Medical Society was created on the 15th of February 1983 by three doctors from California--Dr Paul Auerbach, Dr Ed Geehr, and Dr Ken Kizer. It provides advice and guidance to medical personnel working in wilderness or backcountry environments...
, Sigma Xi National Scientific Research Society, New York Academy of Medicine
New York Academy of Medicine
The New York Academy of Medicine was founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York City metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health reform...
, Johnson Space Center, TEDMED
TEDMED
TEDMED is an annual conference focusing on health and medicine. TEDMED is an independent event operating under license from the nonprofit TED conference.- Background :TEDMED staff operates from Stamford, CT...
, EG (Entertainment Gathering), Queen Elizabeth 2 Ocean Liner
RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as the QE2, is an ocean liner that was operated by Cunard from 1969 to 2008. Following her retirement from cruising, she is now owned by Istithmar...
, United Nations International School
United Nations International School
The United Nations International School is a private international school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 by families who worked for or were associated with the United Nations. The school was founded to provide an international education, while preserving its students' diverse cultural...
, International Bar Association
International Bar Association
The International Bar Association is an international association of lawyers and lawyers' associations. The IBA's stated purpose is to promote an exchange of information between legal associations worldwide, support the independence of the judiciary and the right of lawyers to practice their...
, Olympus World Headquarters, Johnson and Johnson, Ortho Biotech
Centocor
Janssen Biotech, Inc., formerly Centocor Biotech, Inc., is a biotechnology company that was founded in Philadelphia in 1979 with an initial goal of developing new diagnostic assays using monoclonal antibody technology....
, and CIGNA Health Care
CIGNA
Cigna , headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, is a global health services company, owing to its expanding international footprint and the fact that it provides administrative services only to approximately 80 percent of its clients...
. He has spoken at a symposium on risk to NASA astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s and at an international conference on risk held in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, both of which were nationally webcast.
Dr. Kamler's radio and television appearances include NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
's Fresh Air
Fresh Air
Fresh Air is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. The show is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its longtime host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners. The show...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' 48 Hours
48 Hours (TV series)
48 Hours is a documentary and news program broadcast on the CBS television network since January 19, 1988. The program originally presented documentaries of various events related to a particular subject occurring within a 48-hour period, and is credited as one of the first to air a "reality show"...
, Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's 20/20
20/20
20/20 is an American "television newsmagazine", , broadcast on ABC since June 6, 1978. Created by ABC News executive Roone Arledge, the show was designed similarly to CBS's 60 Minutes but focuses more on human interest stories than international and political subjects...
, Fox News, NBC News
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
, Bloomberg News, Today Show, Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
, and multiple specials on National Geographic
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
, Discovery
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, and History channels. CNN featured him as an Extreme Medicine Pioneer. He appeared on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Nightline
Nightline
Nightline, or ABC News Nightline is a late-night news program broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. It airs weeknights, usually for 31 minutes. Created by Roone Arledge, the program featured Ted Koppel as its main...
in the first-ever live interview from Everest Base Camp
Everest Base Camp
There are two base camps on opposite sides of Mount Everest. South Base Camp is in Nepal at an altitude of , and North Base Camp is in Tibet at ). These camps are rudimentary campsites on Mount Everest that are used by mountain climbers during their ascent and descent...
. He has been interviewed by Forrest Sawyer
Forrest Sawyer
Forrest Sawyer is an American broadcast journalist. Sawyer worked 11 years with ABC News, where he frequently anchored ABC World News Tonight and Nightline and reported for all ABC News broadcasts...
and Sanjay Gupta
Sanjay Gupta
Sanjay Gupta is an American neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine and associate chief of the neurosurgery service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia....
. He has been a full hour guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Dr. Kamler is the author of two books on the physiological and psychological effects of extreme environments, both based largely on his personal experiences: Doctor on Everest, published by Lyons Press (2000), and Surviving the Extremes: What Happens to the Body and Mind at the Limits of Human Endurance, published by St. Martin’s Press and Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
(2004 and 2006). He has written a monthly column for National Geographic Adventure and is a feature writer and contributing editor for Popular Mechanics. He has written chapters for adventure books: Everest—Mountain Without Mercy (1997), The Worst Journey in the World (2006), They Lived to Tell the Tale (2007), Adventurous Dreams (2007), and Grasping for Heaven (2010); and for academic texts: Risk and Exploration in Space (2008), Expedition and Wilderness Medicine (2009), and The Annals of the New York Academy of Science (2009).