Ralph is married with four grown children and ten grandchildren. He and his wife, Saundy, have lived near St. Cloud, Minnesota for 36 years where Ralph worked as a medical doctor and radiologist with Regional Diagnostic Radiology until his retirement six years ago.

Educational and Military Background:

• Diagnostic Radiology Residency – University of Minnesota and Minneapolis VA Hospital program 1973 – 1976 & American College of Radiology – Board Certification 1976
• Captain, U.S. Army Medical Corps – General and emergency medicine at U.S. Kirk Army Hospital, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD; 1971 – 1973.
• Rotating Internship – Hennepin County General Hospital; Minneapolis, MN. 1970-1971.
• University of Minnesota Medical School: 1966 – 1970. Earned M.D. degree.
• University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts: 1963 – 1966. B.A. degree 1966.

Professional Background:

After completing his medical specialty training in diagnostic radiology Ralph joined Regional Diagnostic Radiology of St. Cloud, MN and practiced many aspects of diagnostic radiology with extensive experience in interventional radiology, image guided procedures, CT, and MRI at a tertiary care and referral center, the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, MN.  He served as chief of the department of radiology and on the executive board of the St. Cloud Hospital.

For many years, Ralph has had an interest in survival and wilderness medicine, has lectured on these topics, and has served as the team doctor on multiple expeditions.

Ralph is a member of the Stearns-Benton County Medical Society, the Minnesota State Medical Society, and the American College of Radiology.  He was awarded the Physician of Excellence Award by the 350 member medical staff of the St. Cloud Hospital.

Ralph retired from the practice of radiology in 2008 and has served in a consulting role since retirement.

Ralph’s Polar/Sub-polar Expedition History:

• 1992: South Sandwich and South Georgia.  Ralph was a team member of this expedition and served as its team doctor, safety officer, and environmental officer.  Approval was granted by the Falkland Islands Government and by the British Antarctic Survey.  The support ship was the RV Abel J (USA).
• 1994: Peter I Island Antarctica.  Ralph was the team leader of this expedition; did all permit, safety, and environmental documentation and planned the transportation, logistics, and camp layout.  He was also the team’s doctor and safety officer.  Ralph was granted approval for this expedition by the Norsk Polar Institute and the Norwegian Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The support ships were the Kaptain Klebnikov (Russia) which took the team to the island and the Akademik Fedorov (Russia) which took the team off the island.  Helicopters were utilized for landing and departure from the island.
• 1997: Heard Island.  Ralph was a co-leader of this expedition and was in charge of shelter selection, antennas, site layout, and was a co-medical officer.  Ralph worked with the Australian Antarctic Division for their approval and provided documentation before and after the expedition to insure appropriate safety and environmental precautions were in place.  The support ship was the Marion Dufresne (France) which took the team to the island, departed, and returned to pick up approximately two weeks later.  A helicopter was used for landing and departure.
• 2002: South Sandwich and South Georgia.  Ralph was a team member of this DXpedition and worked on scheduling and antennas.  The expedition was approved by the Government of South Sandwich and South Georgia and the British Antarctic Survey.  The support ship was the RV Braveheart (New Zealand).
• 2006: Peter I.  Ralph was a co-leader of this DXpedition and responsible for working with the U.S. Department of State, the National Science Foundation, the Norsk Polar Institute, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fulfill the necessary environmental and safety requirements and documentation for an expedition below 60 degrees South.  He also was in charge of shelter selection and scheduling and was a back-up team doctor.  The support ship was the DAP Mares (Chile).
• 2011: South Orkney Islands.  Ralph’s primary responsibility was drafting the necessary documents to allow an expedition below 60 degrees South.  He was also in charge of selecting shelters, was the back-up team physician, and worked with our team leader in several capacities.  Ralph’s expedition plans were submitted to and approved by the U.S Department of State, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the British Antarctic Survey.  The support ship was the RV Braveheart (New Zealand).

Ralph’s Expeditions to Other Environmentally Sensitive Areas:

• 1995: Easter Island - South Pacific.  Ralph was a team member of this expedition did much of the initial work on expeditions having internet connections from remote islands.
• 2009: Desecheo Island - Caribbean.  Ralph was on the advance planning team for this expedition, was a back-up team physician, and did the operator scheduling.  In addition he worked on antenna planning and layout.  The team worked closely with the Island Conservation Group and the expedition was approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Support vessels: Local charters.
• 2012: Malpelo Island – Colombia.  Ralph was a team member on this expedition which set a new amateur radio contact record and was a back-up team physician.  The environmental plans of this expedition were approved by the Fuerza Naval Del Colombia, Parques Naturales Nacionales de Colombia, and the Ministerio de Tecnologias de la Informacion y Las Communications of Colombia. Support ship: Sea Wolf (Colombia)
• 2014: Amsterdam Island – Central Indian Ocean.  Ralph was the team leader on this expedition and responsible for all permit documentation, biosecurity procedures, transportation, logistics, environmental precautions, equipment selection, team member selection, and post expedition reporting.  He worked with Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises, the Amsterdam Island Base Commander, and the French Department of Conservation to coordinate the expedition, ensure that all our activities were environmentally sound, and that there were no breaches of bio-security.  The support vessel was the RV Braveheart (New Zealand.)

Ralph’s Other Expeditions:

• 2010: Saba Island – Caribbean.  Ralph was a team member of this expedition and was the team physician during this expedition.  He worked on scheduling, software development, antennas, and station set-up.
• 2011: Kingdom of Bhutan.  This was a trip mostly for fun with five team members and four wives, the purpose being a relaxed amateur radio trip.  They visited medical facilities in Bhutan and some of the team will return to provide volunteer medical support.

Amateur Radio History:

Ralph has been a licensed amateur radio operator since 1961, currently holds the highest class of amateur radio license issued in the United States, has operated from 27 different countries, is a member of multiple radio societies, is on the board of directors of the International DX Association, and has been elected to the DX Hall of Fame.  His amateur radio call sign is KØIR.  He has enjoyed working on expeditions with other amateur radio operators from all over the world.  He has participated in emergency communication drills and seminars and has enjoyed participating in the amateur radio expeditions listed above.  During these past expeditions, his teams have had the opportunity to provide emergency medical assistance to others, assist in natural habitat restoration, carpentry repair services, repair of electronic devices, wildlife rescue, emergency diving operations to free the anchor of a stranded ship, assist in scientific projects, and many other activities to be helpful to anyone we meet who needs assistance.  Ralph and his teammates have enjoyed excellent relationships with credentialing agencies and welcome suggestions from anyone as to how they might be of assistance to others on future expeditions.