Chris Holstege, MD
Chris Holstege, MD, a professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at the School of Medicine and director of the Blue Ridge Poison Center, wrote a story for The Conversation on poison ivy and bee stings that was picked up by news outlets across the country, including PBS, Yahoo and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Plants and animals deploy toxins most often in order to defend themselves. Learning how they do that and what happens when the human body is exposed to these substances can offer insights on how to prevent or manage these encounters with nature.
The goal is not to scare people away from the outdoors, but to equip them with the knowledge to appreciate these organisms’ intricate self-preservation strategies and to protect themselves in return.
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