Deborah Atwood Climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro

Huxley Alumna, Deb Atwood, achieves the summit of Africa’s highest geographical point, Mount Kilimanjaro 19,340’. Deb joined 23 other men and women for the nine-day East Africa High Altitude Research Expedition that conductedhigh altitude physiology research with the US Army Research Institute for Environmental Medicine (USARIEM). The expedition was a Field Study of altitude acclimatization, acute mountain sickness (AMS), hydration status and evaluation of a predictive prototype model for assessing individual altitude acclimatization status.

The team gathered important “continuous data” by wearing a series of miniaturized bio-monitoring devices that included actigraphs (mini accelerometers) to measure energy expenditure and pulse oximeters which were worn throughout the night while sleeping to record pulse oxygen measurement, heart rate, ambient temperature & barometric pressure. After a seven day accent via the western Lemosho route, Deb slept in the Kilimanjaro crater for one night at 18,800’ before descending the mountain via the Mweka route.