Join us at Cabin Fever 2026, February 6–8 at the stunning Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge. This annual faculty development conference brings together rural physicians, residents, and healthcare professionals to share ideas, spark innovation, and explore the future of rural medical education.
Connect, learn and be inspired in the heart of Kananaskis.
Registration is subject to approval, with priority given to rural physicians and healthcare providers.
By the end of Cabin Fever you will be able to:

List and apply at least two ways your practice will change due to attending learning sessions.

Create a personal toolbox of training methods based on workshop presenter experiences.

Evaluate and apply a variety of communication strategies to enhance interactions with learners.

Harley Crowshoe’s ancestry is Blackfoot and originates from the Piikani Nation Reserve in southern Alberta.
Harley has extensive Aboriginal Policing experience with First Nations people in Alberta and British Columbia. Throughout his RCMP career he held supervisory positions and after 20 years of service with the RCMP he retired as rank Staff Sgt.
Harley joined the Aboriginal Policing Directorate as the Regional Manager, responsible for Alberta and Northwest Territories. This provided him the opportunity to continue working closely with the First Nations communities in Alberta and NWT.
Harley has worked for AHS for many years, first serving the AHS Wisdom Council as chair; then the AHS South Zone as the Indigenous Health Senior Advisor; the AHS South Sector as Indigenous Health Provincial Director; and has supported AHS as an Indigenous Health Advisor. Now retired, Harley worked parttime with Aakom-kiyii Health Service guiding their accreditation journey. He also sits on a number of committees, including a Member of the National Advisory Committee on Missing Children and Unmarked Burials.
Harley is a recipient of both the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation and the 25 Year Service Award from Public Service Canada. He was also presented a Soapstone sculpture and Sacred Eagle Feather in recognition for contributions to the First Nations people of Canada. He was inducted as an Honorary Chief of the Piikani (Blackfoot) Nation – including traditional transfer of sacred eagle headdress.
Dr. Buck is the inaugural Regional Associate Dean for the Southern Alberta Medical Program, a role he is pleased to take on. He was also part of the first RAS class of 2001, reflecting his long-standing involvement in distributed medical education in Southern Alberta.
Clinically, Dr. Buck practices in the Chinook Regional Hospital Emergency Department and occasionally provides surgical assists and rural locum coverage. Outside of medicine, he enjoys running in the coulees with his dog Emily, curling during the winter months, and gardening with his partner David.


Dr. Derie-Gillespie grew up on a ranch near Oyen, Alberta, and has since built a career defined by versatility and curiousity. Often described as a "medical Swiss Army knife", she embraces a wide range of clinical interests and enjoys being a reliable tool for almost any situation.
Dr. Derie-Gillespie has trained in social work, public health, and rural family medicine, with special interests in skin cancer, women's health, and MAID. She is also a self-published fiction author with two medical thrillers to her name.
Outside of Medicine, she enjoys community theatre and camper-vanning adventures. She lives in Medicine Hat with her daughter.

Dr. Caron is a member of the Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation and a surgical oncologist who provides cancer care in rural, remote, and northern BC. She is the only Indigenous physician within BC Cancer and the sole Indigenous faculty member in UBC’s Faculty of Medicine. She holds the inaugural FNHA Chair in Cancer and Wellness and co-founded the UBC Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health. Her work includes leading the Northern Biobank Initiative and co-leading the Silent Genomes project to advance safe, culturally grounded cancer and genomic research for Indigenous communities.

Join Corey for a relaxed painting
session. He brings his passion for
creativity to every event and makes
painting fun and welcoming for everyone.
All ages welcome.

Enjoy a gentle, family-friendly yoga class
with Dr. Carol Hutchison. With 15 years
of teaching experience, Carol creates a
calming space to stretch and unwind.
Ages 10+.

Beyond Retention: Life-Course Insights into Women’s Rural Medical Careers

Bringing Just Culture to the Frontier: Validation of an Adapted Assessment for Rural Family Medicine Residents

Meaningful Community Engagement in Undergraduate Medical Education Rural Clinical Experiences: A Pilot Project in Raymond, Alberta

None. No Training. The Lack of Emergency Preparedness Training among Rural Medical Learners

The Good, The Bad & The They Way Forward: Exploring the Factors Influencing Simulation Training Uptake in Rural Alberta

An Observational Retrospective Study on Pickleball Injuries in a Canadian Cohort

Barriers and Facilitating Factors for Black Medical Learners Working in Rural Practice Medicine

Becoming More Integrated into the Community: A Qualitative Study on Learners’ Insights from a Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship

Building PeersCARE: Lessons from Developing a Faculty-Wide Postgraduate Peer Support Team at the University of Calgary

Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines: Are They Relevant in Rural Settings?

Cognitive and Psychological Adjustment of Refugee Children: Implications for Rural and Remote Healthcare Delivery

Comprehensive Review of the Role of Telemedicine in Surgical and Anesthetic Care in Urban and Rural Settings across North America and Australia: A Scoping Review

Draw & Doodle Simulation versus Theatre-based Simulation to prepare medical students for acute care scenarios at electronic dance music festivals

Enhancing Equity in Medical Educations: Creating Diverse Anatomical Illustrations for Improved Clinical Training

Evaluating the Implementation and Feasibility of a Community-Partnered Health Screening and STEAM Outreach Program in a Rural Indigenous Context

Factors That Influence Medical Students' Perceptions and Motivations Towards Conducting Research: A Scoping Review

Feedback Loops on Cards

Hidden Identity Simulation: Using Secret Roles to Practice Navigating Event Medical Team Dynamics

Impact of Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Abnormal Placental Pathology and Neonatal Outcomes in Alberta, Canada

Intermittent fasting in rural family medicine: What happened over six months

Large Groups and Regional Sites

Makoyoh’sokoi (Wolf Trail) Program Facilitator Training Evaluation and Quality Improvement Project

Perceptions of Birthing Experiences in Rural Southern Alberta

Piloting an Innovative Low-Fidelity Simulation for Emergent Cases with Skin Manifestation

Providing equitable access to specialist women's health care in Alberta: A pilot project exploring Lethbridge as a distributed postgraduate OBGYN training site

Promising, yet Unproven: Telehealth's Role in Recruitment and Retention of the Rural Healthcare Workforce

Quality Assurance: Scanning our Clerkship Survey data for Insights into the Student Experience in Urban and Rural Settings

Residency Program Directors and Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship Students

SIMergizers: Energizers to Simulate Teamwork and Communication Skills Practice for Electronic Dance Music Festival Medical Teams

Spiritual Well-Being of Resident Physicians: A Narrative Inquiry Study

Strengthening Research Roots in Rural Alberta Through Longitudinal Clerkship Engagement

Translating the Calgary Blackbook: Accessible and Inclusive Medical Presentation Schemes for Distributed Sites

Urgent Care and Rural Emergency Physician Attitudes on a Pilot Uniprofessional Theatre-based Simulation Experience

Cabin Fever is returning to the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge. Nestled in the Canadian Rockies, the lodge is a scenic 100 km drive from Calgary for local commuters or attendees flying in from other provinces.
Please do not book accommodations until your registration has been confirmed.
Once confirmed, you may book your stay using the online reservation link below or by calling 403-591-7711. When calling, please use the code CF1 to access preferred rates. Please note that room availability at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge is limited.
Have questions about Cabin Fever? Browse our FAQs. If you do not see the answer to your
question below, please email our team at dlri@ucalgary.ca