Haven’t Registered Yet?
The 42nd Annual Emergency Medicine for Rural Hospitals Conference is now open for registration.
Jan 23-25, 2026 at the Banff Park Lodge
Indigenous Health
Presented by: Dr. Esther Tailfeathers MD
Description: Indigenous Health Keynote Address
Older adults in the rural ED - Achieving better for you and your patients
Presented by: Dr. Brittany Ellis, MBCHB, MSC, FRCP (EM), FELLOW GERIATRIC EM
Description:
As the population ages, rural emergency departments are seeing more older adults with complex, multifaceted health needs—often without the resources of larger centres. This gap between what providers want to deliver and what they can deliver can lead to frustration, moral distress, and burnout.
Yet, even in resource-limited settings, evidence-based strategies can improve outcomes for older adults and reduce strain on providers. This plenary will share practical, actionable approaches to common geriatric challenges—delirium, dementia, falls, and more—tailored for the rural ED.
Attendees will learn how to integrate the latest evidence and best-practice in care of older adults into routine ED practice. Beyond clinical skills, the session will address the emotional toll of caring for older patients in constrained environments, offering concrete tools to improve care of older adults.
Planetary Health (Climate Change and Health) – A look at the reality and role(s) a rural EM doctor may play
Presented by: Dr. Sonja Wicklum, MD, CCFP, FCFP
Description:
This session we will help you to situate Canada (and Alberta) within the climate crisis and describe Canada’s GHG emissions, including the environmental impact of healthcare delivery. We will define Planetary Health and its key principles and discuss the role of healthcare providers – how you can mitigate your impact on climate change and adapt in order to enhance the resiliency of your communities to the effects of climate change. And lastly give hope on how to move from seeing this work as a burden to a privilege.
Hope or Hype? The impact of A.I. in Medicine
Presented by: Dr. Mike Weldon, MSc. Electrical Engineering, M.D., CCFP-EM
Description:
-What differentiates A.I. from other technologies?
-The Jagged Frontier of A.I. Capability
-AI Scribes
-AI in Clinical Practice
-AI in the innovation pipeline (drug discovery, research, clinical trials)
Note: Will cite peer reviewed evidence and real world use cases for A.I. as much as possible.