Carolyn Meyer, MD

Introduction

Carolyn Meyer, MD, is an emergency medicine physician with a fellowship in wilderness medicine who incorporates her love of the outdoors into her practice. She believes that access to the natural world has a strong positive effect on health and encourages her patients to spend time in nature.

“Understanding ourselves as creatures in relationship with the land and our other fellow animals reorients our priorities and community systems in healthy ways,” she says. She notes that walking outside can slow your heart rate, relax your facial muscles and make you more productive for the rest of the day.

Dr. Meyer grew up in Yosemite National Park, and her childhood there inspired her to pursue a career in healthcare. Along with the health benefits of spending time in natural surroundings, she values what health systems can do to work with communities to nurture human wellness, recognizing the interdependence of individuals and their environment. “We need holistic, robust community networks that work to preserve and protect the wild spaces, clean air, water and soil that keep our communities healthy,” she says.

As an emergency medicine physician, Dr. Meyer enjoys working with patients and her team to create treatment plans that relieve worry, fear, and pain. “I love the moment when a dislocated shoulder finally goes back in its socket, and when a symptom of vague abdominal pain develops into a diagnosis.”

When she isn’t helping patients, Dr. Meyer likes to walk outside with a pen and paper. “I walk and write at the same time,” she says. It’s a practice that fits with her vision for healthcare. “We need to be prepared, embrace creativity and innovation. Let’s take a different trail,” she says.