The Charles (Reb) Gregg Wilderness Risk Management Award recognizes individuals for their exceptional leadership, service, and innovation in wilderness risk management.
Congratulations to this year's recipient, Laura McGladrey!
Laura McGladrey is a nurse practitioner, academic, and clinician specializing in occupational stress in first responders and outdoor leaders. She is a thought leader in our industry and has been a leading voice in the national discussion on stress injury formation and recovery for a decade now.
Laura has created and adapted tools that proactively empower the wilderness and responder communities to take care of themselves while simultaneously managing risk for others. For example, Laura has advanced psychological first aid principles as a way to improve emergency response and has introduced us to concepts such as the “Stress Continuum,” managing exhaustion or depletion with “green choices,” and peer and incident support systems.
Laura’s work as an educator is now positively impacting the Ski Patrol, Avalanche/Snow Science, Climbing, Search and Rescue, Outdoor and Adventure Program, Law Enforcement, Urban/Wildland Fire, National Park Service, and Wilderness Medicine communities. As a practitioner, Laura has recently been instrumental in supporting health care providers across the country during the COVID surge and supporting first responders in the wake of the Boulder mass shooting. Also, after recognizing the need for leadership and education in the area of mental health and psychological first aid, Laura established the not-for-profit Responder Alliance, which continues to explore ways to connect responders, professionals, and organizations with new resources and training on building resilient individuals and teams.
Congratulations, Laura!