A Cochrane doctor is combining his love of extreme outdoor adventures and medicine to help those in need.

To date, Dr. Bill Hanlon has climbed eight of the world's highest mountains including a summit of Mt. Everest in 2007.

Initially, the extreme adventure attracted him to high-altitude locations, now it's his passion for medicine that takes him there.

"We try not to impose our ideas on these communities. We very much go into a village, start out by meeting with the elders and people involved in health care and see what their needs are," says Dr. Hanlon.

Dr. Hanlon's passion for providing medical care to remote areas of the world led to the establishment of the Basic Health International Foundation. "Sustainability is a big part of our focus. It also has to be something beneficial and decided on by the local community too."

Dr. Hanlon says his next focus will be on developing telemedicine in communities in the Andes of Peru.

For more information about Basic Health International Foundation, click on the link to the right.