Mary Ellen Doty is an advanced nurse practitioner, entrepreneur, and the founder of Wilderness Medical Staffing, one of the most respected medical staffing companies serving rural and remote communities across Alaska and the American West. She built her career where most medical professionals never set foot—far off the road system, in isolated bush villages where temperatures plunge to 50 below and healthcare is often scarce or nonexistent. With decades of experience in frontline medicine, Mary Ellen is driven by a simple mission: to bring high-quality, purpose-driven healthcare to communities long overlooked by the traditional system. After witnessing the realities of rural and reservation healthcare firsthand, she created a rotational staffing model that delivers experienced, motivated clinicians to the communities that need them most—and still gives those clinicians a meaningful, balanced way to practice. Today, Wilderness Medical Staffing has served more than 150 clinic sites, saving hundreds of lives and easing the suffering of thousands. Mary Ellen earned her bachelor’s degree from Montana State University and her master’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has presented at the American Association of Nurse Practitioners’ national convention in New Orleans and served as an international speaker in Melbourne, Australia. She is also the primary contributor to the Wilderness Medical Staffing blog, where she writes about rural healthcare, staffing challenges, and the human side of medicine. Born in Montana, Mary Ellen spent 19 years living and working in bush Alaska before returning home, where she now lives 20 miles out of town with her sassy border collie, Jack. She’s an avid hiker, a country woman at heart, a student of Carl Jung’s work, and a woman of faith. Learn more about her work and connect at maryellendoty.com or wildernessmedicalstaffing.com.
