The path less traveled finally brought Adrienne to Durango in the spring of 2021. A Chicago native, Adrienne worked her way through her undergraduate years at the University of Michigan by leading wilderness adventures and beginning her medical career as a paramedic. Adrienne then attended the Master’s program in physician assistant studies at Wayne State University in Detroit, graduating in 2003. Since then, Adrienne has amassed experience in trauma surgical, critical care, and austere medicine fields.

Not one to sit at home on days off, in December 2014 Adrienne learned to ski and was recruited by the local unit of the National Ski Patrol. There she shared her twin passions for the outdoors and medicine by teaching patrol candidates the fundamentals of outdoor emergency care. A mentor introduced Adrienne to the Wilderness Medical Society, and suddenly a career path that led westward was born.

As the Health Director at Open Sky, Adrienne is honored to serve the students and families as well as the larger wilderness therapy community. Adrienne is an advocate of access to high-quality evidence-based medical care and believes in whole-body approaches to health.

In her free time, Adrienne and her family (including three hairy dogs) hike, pedal, and climb peaks, rock, and ice.