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Will has delivered medical care in some of the world’s most remote and dangerous environments, from the Himalayas to Siberia to the Pacific Islands, and in high-pressure, high-stakes situations including medical evacuations and natural disasters. With evocative, compelling stories, he explores decision-making, resilience, teamwork and personal leadership based on real-life experience.
Dr Will Duffin is a practicing NHS GP and Extreme Medic who specialises in delivering medical care in some of the most remote and challenging environments on earth. A veteran of dozens of expeditions and TV productions, Will’s roles extend from serving Joint Medical Director of World Extreme Medicine to being the on-screen doctor for the hit US reality series Survivor, where he provides emergency care in extreme conditions for both cast and crew.
From resuscitating preterm babies in rural Myanmar to leading rescue efforts for shipwrecked crews in the Pacific, Will has delivered frontline medical care in every corner of the globe, including on speeding trains through Siberia, in the aftermath of wildfires in Madagascar, and high on the slopes of Kilimanjaro and the Andes. These experiences give him a unique perspective on leadership, resilience and decision-making under pressure. Being dropped into fast-moving situations with colleagues from different disciplines and countries has made him an expert in working in ‘flash teams’. Working in constrained circumstances, with minimal resources and patients on the brink of life and death has provided Will with a rare, valuable insight into how to adapt and improvise to overcome any obstacle.
Will has taken a leading role in developing the emerging medical specialty of ‘Extreme Medicine’, training health professional around the world to work in any environment from jungle to desert, ocean to low earth orbit. Through courses, podcasts and live events he has helped communicate, educate and evolve his complex, innovative area.
Having found his passion through a determination to break away from the conventional career paths of medicine, Will is motivated by helping others to break away from received wisdom and to seek out new opportunities. He explores the transformational moments in life and the lessons they teach – the decisions, the pressure, the mistakes. He is a fervent advocate of the concept of ‘personal leadership’ by which we can lead ourselves with passion and purpose, because true influence and impact begins from within.
