Christopher Davis, MD (USA), is an emergency physician and wilderness medicine specialist at Wake Forest University, where he serves as an associate Professor and Director of the Wilderness Medicine Fellowship. His work focuses on operational medicine, rescue-based care, and the intersection of austere environments with high-acuity clinical decision-making.

Dr. Davis has extensive experience in search and rescue (SAR), whitewater rescue, and EMS, and is actively involved in training rescuers, EMS clinicians, and medical professionals in high-risk environments. He is a certified swiftwater rescue instructor and active professional whitewater guide and instructor, integrating real-world rescue operations into medical education. He teaches courses to whitewater paddlers and rescuers throughout the US and Central America.

His academic interests include drowning treatment and prevention, resuscitation strategies in austere environments, and improving the durability of medical training for non-medical rescuers. He is active as a member of the American Canoe Association’s Safety and Rescue Committee where he works to integrate drowning care into swiftwater rescue curricula.

Applying for: [e.g., Research / Expert / Clinical] category
Relevant work includes publications and educational initiatives focused on drowning resuscitation, austere care, and rescue-based medical training.

  1. Stopyra, J, Courage, C, Davis, C, Hiestand, B, Nelson, R, Winslow, J. “Impact of a ‘Team-focused CPR’ Protocol on Out-of-hospital Cardiac Arrest Survival in a Rural EMS System” Critical Pathways in Cardiology. September 2016 15(3) 98-102.
  2. Sempsrott JR, Hawkins SC, Graham DA, Davis CA, Abo BN, Schmidt AC. “In Response to Flush Drowning as a Cause of Whitewater Deaths: Targeting Prevention with Uniform Definitions” Wilderness Environ Med. May, 2020.            
  3. Davis, CA and Lareau, S. “Drowning.” Emergency Medicine Clinics in North America. December, 2023.
  4. Davis, CA, Sempsrott, JR, Schmidt AC, Hawkins, SC, Arastu A, Giesbrecht, GG, Cushing, T. “Clinical Practice Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of Drowning, 2024 Update.” Wilderness Environ Med. March, 2024. 35(1supp)
  5. Lareau S, Haines C, Durnan R, Sotelo M, Davis CA. “The dynamics of drowning: Clarifying terminologies and response strategies.” Nursing. July, 2024. 54(7)

    Chris Davis, MD, FACEP, FAEMS, FAWM
    Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine
    Associate Director, Wilderness Medicine Fellowship
    Wake Forest University School of Medicine
    christopher.a.davis@wfusm.edu