Dr. Hawkins is a writer, physician, and anthropologist based in the Carolina mountains of the United States. Dr. Hawkins holds dual board certifications in emergency medicine and EMS, and is the first physician ever awarded the degree of Master Fellow by the Academy of Wilderness Medicine. He is Medical Director of Burke County EMS and Landmark Learning, founder of the Appalachian Center for Wilderness Medicine, founder of the Appalachian Mountain Rescue Team, and co-founder of Vertical Medicine Resources. He was named a “Hero of Emergency Medicine” by the American College of Emergency Physicians for his work in wilderness EMS in 2008, and received the Wilderness Medical Society Ball Watch Award (now the Ice Axe Award) in 2009. He was named one of the Top 10 Innovators in EMS in 2011 by JEMS for his work as the co-founder of the Wilderness EMS Medical Course (jointly sponsored by the National Association of EMS Physicians and the Wilderness Medical Society). He also serves as Executive Editor of Wilderness Medicine magazine and helped develop one of the first wilderness EMS degree programs in the country at Western Carolina University. He is the co-author of Vertical Aid: Essential Wilderness Medicine for Climbers, Trekkers, and Mountaineers and the editor of the textbook Wilderness EMS. His current academic appointment is assistant professor of emergency medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Hawk Ventures Staff
Hannah is a member of the Linville Gorge Rats and is an avid hiker and outdoorsperson. She is currently enrolled at Appalachian State University, where she somehow finds time to complete her academic work with distinction while being a master synergizer for Hawk Ventures.
David Young comes to Hawk Ventures from the US Army Special Forces, where he was responsible for training Special Operations medics and other military and civilian medical personnel at Fort Bragg, NC. He is the former EMS Coordinator for Western Piedmont Community College and is a graduate of the Western Carolina University Emergency Care Program.
Phil Leonard is the EMS Liaison between the Carolina Wilderness EMS Externship and Burke County EMS (BCEMS). He is a BCEMS paramedic and training sergeant, as well as a member of the BCEMS Special Operations Team. He was the recipient of the Excellence in Prehospital Medical Care Award from Mountain Emergency Physicians and Blue Ridge HealthCare in 2009. He is a member of numerous wilderness rescue teams, including Burke Search & Rescue and the NC HeloAquatic Rescue Team, and has served as an instructor for the Appalachian Center for Wilderness Medicine. He is the course director of the Carolina Wilderness EMS Summit.
James Robinson is a Burke County EMS (BCEMS) paramedic and a member of the BCEMS Special Operations Team. He works for MedCenter Air in Charlotte, NC, as well has being a lead faculty member for Hawk Ventures.
