laura watson

Laura is a GP by training with special interests in urgent care and women’s health.  She took part in her first expedition as medical officer in 1992 as a 1st year medical student, travelling to the lowland rainforests of the East Usambara Mountains in Tanzania, combining a love of wildlife with embryonic medical skills.

​

Since then her itchy feet and love of adventure have taken her back to Tanzania as an undergrad to research malarial anaemia in children, then to Laos for a year to work with NGOs in paediatrics, malaria and family planning.  She then did her GP training in Oxford during which time she sailed with the Jubilee Sailing Trust as Ship’s Doctor on the mixed ability tall ship the STS Lord Nelson. 

 

After qualifying as a GP Laura moved to SE Asia and worked for 8 years for global assistance company International SOS in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where she ran a women’s health clinic as well as saw a varied case mix of acute and chronic medicine with a lot of tropical medicine and trauma.  She was part of the Intl. SOS evacuation and medical escort teams and spent many hours treating and stabilizing sick patients waiting for ICU teams to evacuate them out of Cambodia. 

 

Finding a love of running and endurance events late in life Laura has raced and volunteered on a host of ultra-running events including running the 400km Fort William to Cape Wrath 8 day expedition race in 2016. She is the Medical Director for the 6 day Burgos Way of Legends Multi-Stage 254km ultra race in Spain.  Laura is passionate about keeping everyone safe and has great skills in repairing tattered feet to get runners through to the finish!  Currently working mainly as a GP in the Emergency Department in Oxford she is looking forward to the challenge of being race doctor on the next Cape Wrath Ultra in 2018.