Dr. David Young is the Medical Director for the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2027. He is an Emergency Medicine Doctor who currently practices medicine in an academic hospital in Denver, Colorado where he also teaches wilderness medicine to residents and fellows which fits perfectly as his interests include wilderness medicine, human performance, extreme environments, and race medicine.
Dr. Dave completed his residency through Harvard University's emergency medicine residency program followed by a fellowship in Wilderness Medicine at the University of Colorado. He had graduated magna cum laude from the University of Redlands in 2003. At Boston University he completed his Masters in Exercise Physiology in 2005 and Nutrition in 2006, followed by his Doctorate in 2010 where he was named a Massachusetts Medical Society Scholar.
Not only is Dr. Dave well qualified as a doctor he also loves to be involved in all aspects of ultra endurance events - both as an athlete as well as providing medical support as a volunteer. The Gobi March (Mongolia) 2026 is his eighth time working on the medical team of a RacingThePlanet Ultramarathon having already worked at the Atacama Crossing 2012, the Namib Race 2016 and 2022, RacingThePlanet: New Zealand 2019, the Atacama Crossing 2019 and the Gobi March 2023. He was the medical director at the Namib Race 2024 and Gobi March 2026. Dr. Dave also successfully completed RacingThePlanet: Patagonia 2017 and Greece 2025 as a racer. When he is not working his interests include international travel, contemporary art, photography and many outdoor sports, including distance running, rock climbing and cycling.
Patrick BURNS, M.D.
Medical Doctor
United States
Patrick Burns, M.D., is a faculty member in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California.
After completing his medical studies at Tufts University School of Medicine (Boston, MA, US) and an Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Washington (Seattle, WA, US), he went on to complete fellowship training in wilderness medicine at Stanford University.
Dr. Burns has served as medical staff at numerous RacingThePlanet / 4 Deserts Ultramarathons, including RacingThePlanet: Ecuador 2015; the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2016 and 2019; the Gobi March (China) 2017; the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2023 and 2026; and the Namib Race (Namibia) 2022 and 2024, and The Last Desert (Antarctica) 2026 . He has also competed in RacingThePlanet: Patagonia 2017 and RacingThePlanet: Greece 2025, successfully completing both demanding events.
When not working in the Emergency Department, Dr. Burns embraces an active outdoor lifestyle. His favorite pursuits include skiing, running, hiking, rock climbing, distance cycling, triathlons, and adventure races, along with traveling and cooking.
Dr. Burns joins the Atacama Crossing 2027 Medical Team.
Alexandra LAUREN, M.D.
Medical Doctor
United States
Alexandra Lauren is an Emergency Medicine physician based in Montrose, Colorado. She completed her Emergency Medicine residency at Denver Health in Denver, Colorado, a program known for its high-acuity training and strong focus on trauma and prehospital care.
Her background in wilderness medicine began even before medical school, when she earned her Wilderness First Responder certification followed by her Wilderness EMT. She later served as the physician at the Summit Research Station on the Arctic ice sheet in Greenland, providing medical support in one of the most remote and extreme environments on Earth, and more recently on the RacingThePlanet Medical Team at the Gobi March (Mongolia) 2026. Alexandra is also set to race RacingThePlanet: Brazil.
With a passion for austere and expedition medicine, she brings both clinical expertise and real-world field experience to the Atacama Crossing 2027 Medical Team.
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