How do you combine a love of travel with a curiosity about infectious bugs?

Rudy Zimmer, MD

Dr. Rudy Zimmer is a Public Health and Preventive Medicine specialist with a Certificate of Knowledge in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Travellers’ Health (CTropMed®). After nearly 15 years in travel and tropical medicine practice at Odyssey, he continues to provide a full continuum of services from pre-travel prevention to in-country support to post-travel acute care and ongoing health surveillance for expats.

Dr. Zimmer is a clinical assistant professor within the University of Calgary’s Department of Community Health Sciences, and is involved in travel medicine training of resident doctors here at Odyssey. More recently, he has become an Oil & Gas UK registered doctor as well as a DMAC Level 1 medical examiner of commercial divers, as well as addressing the needs of business travellers in general.

As member of the editorial board of the Journal of Travel medicine, Dr. Zimmer is working toward improving the medical literature on travel and tropical medicine through reviews and primary research.   He is also a medical consultant for Alberta Health Services (Calgary Zone) overseeing travel health services and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis. He is also an expert in risk communication.

His medical career has taken him to Kenya and Tanzania, as well as rural and remote Canada. Having started his travels as a teenager, Dr. Zimmer loves to backpack independently, including 30 years of trips to places such as: Tibet, Myanmar, Eastern Europe, Nepal, India, China, Costa Rica, Thailand, Morocco, Malaysia, Peru, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. On reaching the age of 50 years old, he successfully reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro on a full moon night.

His opinionated website on travel health issues is found here.

Allison MacQueen, MD

Dr. MacQueen is a family doctor with a special interest in Travel Medicine, International and Women’s Health. She obtained her Certificate in Travel Health in 2010 and is a member of the International Society of Travel Medicine. Since 2009, she has been lucky enough to experience several trips as a medical volunteer in Peru, Haiti and Honduras. Drawing from her volunteer and personal experiences, as well as her education, she is thrilled to be involved in providing travel advice.

Wanessa Ricci (RN) brings 20 years of nursing experience working with families and clients of all ages. She quickly fell in love with travel health when she initially joined Odyssey Travel + Tropical Medicine Clinic in 2004 and later obtained a Certificate in Travel Health (CTH) from the International Society of Travel Medicine. She is a member and former executive of the Alberta Association of Travel Health Professionals.

As Nursing Director at OTTMC, Wanessa contributes to supporting overall operations and the growth and development of travel health nurses at Odyssey Travel Clinic. As a travel health nurse, Wanessa is happy to serve clients of all ages, with complex medical conditions, and complex travel itineraries. Whether you need advice on travel vaccines, preventing malaria, managing jet lag or altitude illness, “Nurse Nessa” can help you prevent disease and minimize travel related risks.