Heggie invited to Fulbright symposium in Australia

When people go on vacation, they want to concentrate on enjoying themselves and having fun, not on the potential illnesses, accidents and injuries that could ruin their good time.

Travis Heggie, assistant professor of Recreation and Tourism Studies, is one of the few people in the world who does research in travel medicine, a subject most tourists and vacationers would rather not think about. As a result, he keeps some high-profile company in academic circles.

Heggie will be an invited speaker and panelist during the Fulbright 60th Anniversary Symposium in Cairns, Australia, Aug. 18-20. The event is being hosted by James Cook University in Cairns. Two of the Australian panelists – Peter Leggat of James Cook and Jeff Wilks of the University of Queensland – are giants in the field of travel medicine and travel health and safety.

“Being at the same table with these guys is my dream; it’s like meeting Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux at the same time,” says the Canadian-born Heggie, who’s also an avid hockey fan. “To get this invitation to this symposium, it’s the biggest honor of my career so far.”

Heggie’s work focuses on health and safety issues related to outdoor recreation, travel and tourism. He studies everything from a brain-eating amoeba called Naegleria fowleri found in the warm stagnant waters of Africa and southern United States, to injuries from swimming pool slips at fancy resorts, to the health hazards of climbing Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro.

“My students sometimes call me Dr. Death or Dr. Risk,” Heggie laughs. “It’s not many people who get excited about receiving an autopsy report in the mail. I get three or four sent to me a day.”

At the Fulbright symposium, he’ll be speaking on travel issues related to the African bush, the Australian outback and the American wilderness, which is the focus of his current research. The panel of six experts on which he’ll participate will discuss aspects of tourism that contribute to community well-being in the tropical world.

The Fulbright Program is America’s flagship international educational exchange program, and sends U.S. faculty and professionals abroad each year.  It was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by then-Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

“It’s the highest level of scholarly recognition in the U.S and beyond,” Heggie notes. “It sets you up for scholarly research and writing.“

Indeed, he is currently working to establish a joint research program between UND, James Cook University and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa.

“It will be exciting,” Heggie says.

— Patrick Miller, writer/editor, University Relations, 777-5529, patrick.miller@und.edu.