TraumaCon 2012: Speaker Biographies

Holly Bair, RN, MSN, NP

Trauma Program Manager
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, Michigan

Holly Bair is the Trauma Program Manager at William Beaumont Medical Center in Royal Oak, Michigan. She is a licensed Nurse Practitioner in the state of Michigan and received her Masters Degree from Madonna University in 2001. In 1995 Holly came to Beaumont Hospital to create a Level I Trauma Center. Beaumont Hospital‐Royal Oak has successfully re‐verified seven times under her direction. Along with her duties on the Trauma Service she is also the Director of the Beaumont Access Center and the hospital‐employed mid‐level providers.

Holly has multiple publications, including papers reflecting her work on a rapid reversal protocol for anticoagulated patients with traumatic head bleeds. She has lectured at the state, regional, and national level on a range of trauma‐related subjects. She belongs to many professional organizations and has served as the Secretary of the Michigan Emergency Nurses Association.

Cynthia Blank‐Reid, RN, MSN, CEN

Trauma Clinical Nurse Specialist
Temple University Hospital
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cynthia Blank‐Reid has been a nurse for over 28 years and is currently a Trauma Clinical Nurse Specialist at Temple University Hospital in Philadlephia. She received her undergraduate nursing degree from Villaniva Univeristy and Master's Degree in Burn, Emergency and Trauma Nursing with a minor in neurosurgery from Widener University.

For the past 7 years she has been the Trauma Clinical Nurse Specialist at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. Prior to that she was the Trauma Program Manager for 13 years at a Level I trauma center in Philadelphia. She has lectured locally and nationally on a multitiude of nursing topics, and has published extensiviely. She is active in a variety of nursing organizations, including the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN), the Emergnecy Nurses Association (ENA), the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN), Sigma Theta Tau (STT), and the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN). She has served as national president of AANN and has recently been the chair of the STN Educational Committee.

S. Danielle Brown, RN, MS

Director, Research Coordination and Education
Neuroscience Research
Phoenix Children’s Hospital
Phoenix, AZ

Danni Brown has been the Director for Research Coordination and Education at the Children’s Neuroscience Institute at Phoenix Children’s Hospital since 2009. Prior to that, she was the Clinical Director of the Pediatric Neurotrauma Center at the University of Pittsburgh, in the division of Neurosurgery, from 1999 to 2009. Also at the University of Pittsburgh, Danni Brown managed the Hypothermia Project from 1994 to 1999, an NIH –funded study of the impact of moderate hypothermia on the outcomes of individuals with closed head injury.

Other career highlights include working as a case coordinator, clinical specialist, teaching assistant, head nurse, and staff nurse. Danni Brown completed her undergraduate degree at Southeastern Massachusetts University and her master’s degree at the University of Arizona (Tucson). She as lectured and published widely, on topics that include pediatric head trauma, hypothermia, endocrinology, and care of the open‐heart surgery patient.

Thomas Buckley, ATC, EdD

Assistant Professor of Athletic Training
College of Health and Human Sciences
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, GA

Dr. Thomas Buckley is an Assistant Professor and Graduate Program Director of Athletic Training at Georgia Southern University (GSU). Prior to arriving at Georgia Southern, he was an Assistant Professor in the CAATE Accredited Athletic Training program at Dominican College in Orangeburg, NY, while earning his Doctorate in Applied Physiology from Columbia Universities Teachers College. Dr. Dr. Buckley is currently involved in multidisciplinary research projects examining a wide range of concussion issues.

Buckley has co-authored numerous publications and has studied postural control and stability in individuals with central neurophysiological deficits. His work has been funded by the Army Research Office and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. Most recently, Dr. Buckley and his research team at GSU’s Jack N. Averitt College of Graduate Studies were awarded a $385,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the immediate and long-term effects of concussions. His research will help treat military personnel, athletes, and others who suffer from head injuries.

Melissa C. Evans, MD, FAAP

Assistant Professor
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, SC

Dr. Melissa C. Evans is an Assistant Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston. Dr. Evans completed her medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina, and both a residency and Pediatric Critical Care fellowship at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia. She is board-certified in both pediatrics and pediatric critical care medicine. Other career highlights include doctoral studies in biochemistry at VCU and work on rotavirus vaccine trials. Prior to returning to South Carolina, Dr. Evans served as the Associate Residency Program Director in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California – Davis (UCD). She was also the Assistant Director of Instruction for Pediatrics and an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care at UCD during that time.

Dr. Evans’ research and clinical interests include pediatric severe traumatic brain injury, pediatric simulation training, ultrasound-guided vascular access for children, the physiology of vasodilatory shock, wound healing, and basic science studies of severe hemorrhagic shock, to name a few. Dr. Evans is a frequent invited speaker on a wide variety of pediatric critical care topics and is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (Section of Critical Care), the Association for Pediatric Program Directors (Learning Technology Task Force), the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American Medical Association, and the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

Among her many honors and awards, Dr. Evans has been the Teacher of the Month at the MUSC College of Medical Students (2011), Best New Faculty (“Rookie of the Year”) in the Pediatric Residency Training Program (2011), the Outstanding Interdisciplinary Team Experience Award winner at UCD (2008), the New Investigator Research Award recipient from the American Academy of Pediatrics—Section of Critical Care (2003), the STAR Award winner (Service, Trust, Attitude, Respect) at VCU (2006), the Gad Kainer Pediatric Research Award recipient at VCU (2003), the National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award winner (2002), the Clinical Honors in Pediatrics awardee at MUSC (1997), the Ambulatory Pediatric Association Trainee Research Award winner (1996), and was recognized for the Best Student Essay in Immunology at MUSC (1995). Dr. Evans was also listed among the Best Doctors in America, 2011-2012.

Mary Kate FitzPatrick, RN, MSN, CRNP-BC

Nursing Clinical Director, Quality, Safety, and Unit Based Clinical Leadership
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Kate is a past President of STN (2004), serving on the STN board for 6 years. In addition, Kate was a member of the editorial review board for the Journal of Trauma Nursing for over 10 years. Kate was one of the founding authors of the TOPIC course and has served as a chapter author and regional director for the Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses program. Kate has over 25 years of professional nursing experience. She has administrative leadership expertise in the areas of patient safety/ quality, nursing operations, trauma system development and trauma center accreditation. From 1993-1996, Kate served as the State Trauma System Coordinator for the Delaware Division of Public Health. In this role, Kate was responsible for overseeing the establishment of a state-wide trauma system.

She has held hospital-based leadership roles as the Trauma Performance Improvement Coordinator, Trauma Program Manager and Trauma Clinical Programs Administrator at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Kate currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma Foundation Board and was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the American Trauma Society. Kate earned her BSN from the University of Delaware and her MSN in Burn, Emergency, Trauma from Widener University. She earned a post Masters certificate from the University of Pennsylvania and is board certified as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. Kate is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and will graduate in May, 2012.

Lisa Gray, RN, BSN, CPN

Clinical Manager, Trauma Services
St. Mary’s Hospital
Evansville, IL

Lisa Gray has been serving in a leadership role in pediatric trauma since 2008 and was instrumental in leading her hospital’s efforts to become the first and only verified Level II Pediatric Trauma Center in their Tri-State area. Lisa has worked at St. Mary’s Hospital for the past 16 years, as both the Trauma Clinical Manager and as the Pediatric Program Coordinator, Pediatric Resource/Transport Coordinator and as a Staff Nurse in Pediatrics/Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

She is also the President and a Board Member of the local chapter of the Indiana SAFE KIDS Coalition in Vanderburgh and Warrick Counties. As the lead agency for the SAFE KIDS Chapter in Vanderburgh and Warrick counties, St. Mary’s works on local, state and national levels to prevent unintentional childhood injuries and deaths. Gray graduated from Indiana University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. She is a professional member of the Society of Pediatric Nurses, the Society of Trauma Nurses, the Indiana Trauma Network and the Indiana State Trauma System Task Force.

Ronald I. Gross, MD, FACS

Chief, Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery
Baystate Medical Center
Springfield, MA

Dr. Ronald Gross is the Chief, Division of Trauma and Emergency Surgery at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is also an Associate Professor of Surgery at Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Gross completed medical school at New York University (NYU) School of Medicine in New York, NY and his general surgery residency at Bellevue Medical Center, NYU School of Medicine in New York. During his surgical residency he was a fellow with the Cardiovascular Research Laboratory. Dr. Gross served in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps where he held the rank of Colonel and was the Chief of Staff and and Chief of Surgical Services for the 405th Combat Support Hospital, and Deputy Commander, Clinical Services of the 912th Forward Surgical Team during his deployment to Iraq in 2003.

Dr. Gross is on the Board of Directors for LifeChoice Donor Services serving six counties in Connecticut and three counties in Western Massachusetts and is a member of the Massachusetts State Trauma Committee. He also serves on the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma both nationally and on the Massachusetts committee.

Dr. Gross has been the AAST Distinguished Visiting Surgeon Program at the U.S. Army Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany in 2010 and 2011, and will serve again in 2012. He was the recipient of the the “Evening to Honor Excellence” High School Scholarship Foundation Award of Fairfield in 2004, and received a Public Service Award from the Southwest Emergency Services Council in 2003. He also received the Millennium Commitment Award from the ACS Committee on Trauma in 2000.

He has co-authored publications on numerous trauma topics including blunt hepatic trauma, transthoracic lung herniation in blunt trauma, morbid obesity in surgery and trauma, emergency and hazmat preparedness, and the implementation of the ATOM Course.

Lynn Haas, RN, MSN, CNP

Program Manager, Division of Trauma Services
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Cincinnati, OH

Lynn Haas, RN, MSN, Trauma Program Manager, joined the Trauma Department of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in September 1989 as the trauma nurse coordinator. She received her BSN from Ohio State University and MSN from the University of Cincinnati. Prior to her present position, Lynn was a surgical intensive care nurse at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, and the trauma nurse coordinator at Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio.

In the early 1990s, one aspect of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center's strategic plan was to formalize the development of a regional pediatric trauma center which was in compliance with standards developed by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. Lynn's responsibility included overseeing the progression of all aspects of trauma center development -- administration, education, clinical, research and performance improvement. A formalized Trauma Service and trauma resuscitation team were implemented, communication to the EMS personnel was expanded, a trauma registry was started, a trauma clinical nurse specialist/ nurse practitioner expanded the clinical aspect of the program and finally, injury prevention was incorporated into the context of the Trauma Program.

In 1993, Cincinnati Children's received their first Level I Pediatric Trauma Center verification, with subsequent re-verification in 1996, 2000, 2003 and 2006. Lynn is actively involved as a trauma coordinator at the local, state and national levels. In recent years, Lynn held the position of secretary and president within the Ohio Society of Trauma Nurse Coordinators (OSTNC). At the regional level, she is currently contributing to the development of a regionalized Cincinnati trauma system by participating on the steering committee and within specific trauma sub-committees. Nationally, Lynn co-chairs the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN) Pediatric Trauma Special Interest Group. In addition to her hospital responsibilities, she has site-reviewed and provided consultations for other pediatric trauma centers in the United States.

Melissa Harte, RN, MS

2012 STN President
Director of Trauma & Forensics
Phoenix Children’s Hospital
Phoenix, AZ

Melissa Harte is the President-Elect of STN and is the Director of Trauma, Forensics, and Emergency Services at Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, where she was worked since 2010. She has many years of experience in varied roles in trauma and emergency services, including as a staff RN, nurse manager, EMS Coordinator, ED Director, consultant, and CNS.

Melissa Harte completed her generic nursing preparation at Castleton State College and went on to a Bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from New England College, and an MS in Management – Health Care Administration from New England College. She has been active in many professional and volunteer organizations, including STN, the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST), ThinkFirst Boston, and many local schools and fire departments. Melissa Harte is a past member of the conference committee of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) and was an ad-hoc member of the Massachusetts Trauma Committee and Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMS-C). She has been a contributor to Nursing Spectrum and editor of Trauma Updates.

Joseph Haymore, MS, RN, CCRN, CNRN, ACNP

Chief Neurosurgery Nurse Practitioner
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Bethesda, MD and
Critical Care Nurse Practitioner
Washington Adventist Hospital
Takoma Park, MD

Joseph Haymore is the Chief Neurosurgical Nurse Practitioner for the Neurosurgery service at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at Bethesda, Maryland. He is also a Critical Care Nurse Practitioner at Washington Adventist Hospital, where he works in a Neuro/Medical/Surgical ICU. Joseph received his Associate Degree in Nursing from Wake Technical College in Raleigh, North Carolina and his BSN and MS (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner) from Georgetown University School of Nursing in Washington, DC.

Joseph is a former member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Stroke Service where he worked on Acute Stroke MRI Research. He has authored and co-authored many papers, abstracts, and educational materials on neuroscience topics, including neuro assessment, neuro critical care, spinal surgery, therapeutic hypothermia, advanced practice, acute stroke assessment with MRI, thrombolytic therapy, and stroke center development. His teaching experience includes a faculty appointment at Georgetown University, working with senior level baccalaureate students, and as a guest lecturer for Montgomery College, Columbia Union College, and the Greater Washington Hospital Consortium. Joseph is a frequent invited speaker for educational conferences at the local, regional, and national level, including the National Teaching Institute (NTI) of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN), the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), and the American Association of Neurological Nurses (AANN). His professional affiliations include the AANN, AACN, the Neuro Critical Care Society (NCS), the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), Sigma Theta Tau (STT), and the Jesuit Honor Society - Alpha Sigma Nu (ASN). He is a former board member of the AANN.

Heidi Hotz, RN

Trauma Program Manager
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, California

Heidi Hotz is the Trauma Program Manager at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a Department of Health designated and ACS verified Level I Trauma Center. She is the President of the American Trauma Society (ATS), Past President of the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN), and Past President of the Trauma Managers Association of California (TMAC). She has extensive experience in all aspects of trauma including clinical care, program management, trauma data, trauma performance improvement and patient safety, trauma systems, injury prevention, consultant for trauma centers and systems, educational curriculum development, conference and event planning and all trauma related issues across the continuum of care.

Heidi is the recipient of the STN’s Trauma Leadership Award. She is a member of the Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) Training Project Team of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). She has been a survey team member for the ACS Trauma Systems and Evaluation Program. She has been an invited expert panel member for many national trauma initiatives and projects such as the ATS Leadership Forums, the screening & brief intervention for alcohol in trauma initiatives, the Model Trauma System Plan work group, to name a few. She has lectured on a wide variety of trauma related topics throughout the United States and internationally. She has extensive participation at the member and Chair levels for local, regional, state and national committees. She was the Chair of the Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses® (ATCN) Committee in Arizona for 6 years. She was then appointed the first Chair of the STN’s ATCN National-International Committee and spearheaded the special projects team to attain the ACS COT approval of the program as a collaborative effort with the ATLS Subcommittee. She was a member of the STN Board of Directors for over 8 years in the positions of Director at Large, Treasurer, President Elect and President. She is an author and Faculty Member for the STN’s Trauma Outcomes Performance Improvement Course (TOPIC).

Amy Koestner, MSN, RN

Trauma Program Manager
Borgess Medical Center
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Amy Koestner is the Trauma Program Manager at Borgess Medical Center, a level 1 Trauma Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Amy has a 30-year nursing career, with experience spanning the bedside in pediatric ICU, regional pediatric education, flight nursing, adult ICU bedside care, and the past 15 years in the role of trauma program manager. She has led multiple trauma centers through five ACS verification visits. Amy earned her BSN from Nazareth College, and her MSN from Wayne State University.

Amy has been active in the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN) for over 10 years, serving in a variety of leadership roles, including past president in 2008. Her involvement in STN has included participation as an original author/ faculty member for the Optimal Trauma Center Organization & Management Course, as one of the key authors of the Senior Lifestyle & Injury Prevention (SLIP) course, as national & international faculty for the Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN) course, and most recently as the appointed STN chair liaison to the Committee on Trauma. Amy remains active as faculty for ATCN, the Trauma Nurse Core Course (TNCC), the Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course (ENPC), and speaks on trauma topics on a state and national level. Amy has been involved in trauma system development in Michigan through her leadership role in the Michigan Trauma Coalition and Regional Trauma Advisory Committee in Southwest Michigan.

Kathleen D. Martin, MSN, RN, CCRN

Trauma Program Nurse Director
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center
US Army Military Treatment Facility
Landstuhl, Germany

Kathleen Martin has over 30 years of experience in trauma care delivery. She is currently the Trauma Program Nurse Director at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Her career has spanned diverse nursing positions including staff RN in the trauma ICU, clinical nurse specialist, trauma program manager, consultant, trauma nurse site surveyor, and entrepreneur in her own consulting company. She has authored many research papers and book chapters, and her research interests include, organ donation, trauma performance improvement (PI), and trauma systems. She is an active educator, teaching ATCN and the Trauma Outcomes and Performance Improvement Course (TOPIC), and has had numerous invited speaking engagements. She was the recipient of the Society of Trauma Nurses’ (STN’s) 2009 Distinguished Lectureship Award.

Kathleen has served on the STN board of directors in various positions for 17 years and is a past president of STN. Her involvement with the STN has been as an original author/ faculty of the TOPIC and TOPIC-M course, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Trauma Nursing, and international faculty for the ATCN Course. She is a current member of the STN board of directors as the TOPIC Committee Chair.

Judy Mikhail, RN, MSN, MBA

Program Manager
Michigan Trauma Quality Improvement Program (MTQIP)
Department of Surgery
University of Michigan Health System
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Judy Mikhail is currently the Program Manager for the Michigan Trauma Quality Improvement Program (MTQIP), which is based at the University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor. She has over 30 years of progressive trauma nursing experience, most recently as the administrator for Trauma, Bariatrics, and Neuroservices at Hurley Medical Center, a Level-1 Trauma in Flint, Michigan. She began her nursing career in the Burn Unit at Hurley, and progressed from surgical ICU staff nurse to clinical nurse specialist and ultimately a trauma program manager and trauma administrator. Judy earned her diploma in nursing from Hurley Medical Center School of Nursing, her BSN from the University of Michigan, and MSN from the University of Texas. In 2003, she completed work on her MBA from Colorado State University. Judy Mikhail is currently a full-time doctoral nursing student at the Medical University of South Carolina. She has been active in many professional organizations, including the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST), the American Burn Association (ABA), the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE), the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN), and the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN).

Judy MIkhail is a nationally recognized speaker in trauma care and has been an active educator and course director for PreHospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN), the Trauma Nurse Core Course (TNCC), the Course in Advanced Trauma Nursing (CATN), Fundamental Critical Care Support (FCCS), and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). She serves as an adjunct instructor for the University of Michigan-Flint, School of Nursing. She has authored over 18 publications in trauma, including the evaluation and treatment of abdominal trauma, the use of midlevel providers in trauma centers, injury severity scoring, resuscitation endpoints in trauma, and care of the burn patient. She has won three local research awards. Judy Mikhail has served as President and Treasurer of the board of directors of STN. She has been involved in trauma system development in Michigan, including serving as President of the Michigan Trauma Coalition, and currently serves on the State of Michigan Trauma Advisory Committee.

Kelly Nadeau, RN, MN, EMHP

Director, Healthcare Community Preparedness Program
Georgia Department of Public Health
Health Protection
Emergency Preparedness & Response
40 Pryor Street, 4th floor
Atlanta, GA 30303

Kelly Nadeau is the Director of the Healthcare Community Preparedness Program, Emergency Preparedness and Response within the Georgia Department of Public Health. This program is responsible for assisting with emergency preparedness of hospitals and other healthcare organizations. Funding for this program is through Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Healthcare Preparedness Program. Training and education opportunities, regional exercises, healthcare preparedness planning, and healthcare volunteer coordination are just a few of the activities sponsored by the grant in Georgia. Prior to beginning this position in August of 2009, Kelly was the Trauma Coordinator and Emergency Management Coordinator at DeKalb Medical for twenty years.

Kelly obtained her Bachelor’s in Nursing from West Virginia Wesleyan College and her Master’s in Nursing from Emory University in Adult Critical Care and Nursing Education. Her nursing practice has included critical care, emergency, and trauma nursing. Teaching experience includes TNCC, ACLS, BCLS, CATN, emergency management courses, and pathophysiology in classroom and on-line for nursing programs.

M. Gage Ochsner, MD, FACS

Chief of Trauma Services and Surgical Critical Care
Memorial University Medical Center
Savannah, Georgia

Dr. M. Gage Ochsner is the Chief of Trauma Services and Surgical Critical Care at Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah. He received his B.A. from Southern Methodist University and graduated from medical school at Tulane University. He completed his internship and residency at National Naval Medical and Naval Regional Medical Center. Following the completion of a fellowship in trauma/critical care surgery at the Washington Hospital Center, Dr. Ochsner was appointed assistant professor at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences and staff surgeon at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

In 1994, he was appointed to his current position at Memorial University Medical Center. Dr. Ochsner has membership in several professional medical societies, is board certified in surgery with added qualifications in surgical/critical care, and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He has authored numerous publications on various topics including pulmonary contusions, VTE prophylaxis, and the risk of ATV use in comparison to motorcycles, all of which he has graciously agreed to address at the 2012 Savannah STN Conference.

Greg Pereira, RN, BSN, MBA

Trauma Manager
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Atlanta, GA

Greg Pereira is the Trauma Program Manager at Children’s Hospital of Atlanta (CHOA). He earned his BSN from the University of Massachusetts, and after graduating he accepted a commission in the United States Air Force and served both as an active duty Emergency Room Manager and as a Flight Nurse in the Reserves. Upon discharge from the Air Force, Greg spent 5 years taking assignments across the United States as an emergency room nurse. His final assignment brought him to Atlanta in 1996.

In 2002, Greg accepted a position at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. He was one of the original Trauma Resource Nurses at that facility. In 2004, he became the Trauma Manager for both CHOA at Egleston, a Pediatric Level 1 Center and CHOA at Scottish Rite, a Pediatric Level 2. He earned his MBA from the American Military University in 2009.

Greg is the current Georgia state chair for the Society of Trauma Nurses. He also chairs the Georgia Committee for Trauma Excellence, the statewide trauma coordinator group. Greg also serves on the not-for-profit group, Trauma Associates of Georgia, providing trauma outreach education to facilities throughout the state. He is a member of the Southeastern Southeastern Regional Pediatric Disaster Network. He has become a true advocate for Pediatric Trauma Care within the state and the region.

Linda Reinhart, MSN, RN, CNS, CCRN

Adult Trauma Coordinator
Lehigh Valley Medical Center
Allentown, PA

Linda Reinhart has been the Adult Trauma Coordinator at Lehigh Valley Medical Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania since 2004. Prior to that, her career highlights include both clinical, educational, and administrative functions as a staff RN, Patient Care Coordinator in the Neuro ICU, and Trauma Patient Care Specialist. She also maintains her status as an active firefighter volunteer in the Quakertown Fire Company.

Linda Reinhart is the current chair of the Neuro-Trauma Special Interest Group (SIG) of the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN). In addition to her professional involvement with STN, Linda has been active in the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN), the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS), and is a member of Sigma Theta Tau. She is an active trauma educator, with course teaching that includes Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN) and numerous lectures as an invited speaker. Her research and education interests include management of traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, cervical spine clearance, and care of the morbidly obese trauma patient.

Michael Rotondo, MD. FACS, FCCM

Chair, ACS Committee on Trauma
Professor & Chairman of Department of Surgery
Chief of Surgery at PCMH
Director, Center of Excellence for Trauma & Surgical Critical Care
East Carolina University Medical Center
Greenville, NC

Michael Rotondo, MD is the current Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT). He is also the Chairman of the Department of Surgery and a professor at The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. He completed his surgical residency at Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, in Philadelphia in 1989, where he served as chief resident. In 1990 entered a fellowship in Traumatology and Surgical Critical Care at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he distinguished himself in the management of complex injury. In 1993 he and his colleagues introduced the concept of “damage control” surgery—an entirely different approach to injury care that is now common practice. In 1995, he was named Vice Chief of the Division of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care at Penn’s Level I trauma center, and two years later he was appointed Trauma Program Director. In 1999, Dr. Rotondo moved to rural eastern North Carolina to become Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery at the Brody School of Medicine. There he established the Center of Excellence for Trauma and Surgical Critical Care for the University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina, where he also served as Chief of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care.

As President of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) in 2005, he focused on the needs of the rural patient, and established a Rural Trauma Committee to conduct collaborative outcomes research specific to the rural environment. With the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST), he was one of the principal architects of the Acute Care Surgery curriculum, which offers an integrated approach to trauma, surgical critical care, and emergency surgery to respond most effectively to time-dependent surgical disease. As Chair of the Trauma Systems and Planning Committee of the American College of Surgeons’ (ACS) Committee on Trauma, he has recently worked aggressively for healthcare policy reform and to develop regional healthcare systems across the U.S., in an effort to maximize resources devoted to rural injury populations.

Jeffrey P. Salomone, MD, FACS

2012 President, Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST)
Associate Professor of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine
Deputy Chief of Surgery
Grady Memorial Hospital
Atlanta, Georgia

Dr. Salomone is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine and a Deputy Chief of Surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital Atlanta, GA. He worked as a dispatcher and EMT while pursuing his undergraduate degree at the University of Nevada, Reno. During medical school, Dr. Salomone earned his National Registry Paramedic certification and taught extensively in EMT and Prehospital Trauma Life Support Courses. He maintained active involvement in EMS throughout his residency in General Surgery and fellowship in Surgical Critical Care while in training at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Dr. Salomone joined the faculty of Emory University in 1996, where his practice is based at Grady Memorial Hospital and includes general surgery, trauma surgery and surgical critical care. He is assistant medical director for Grady EMS, the large hospital-based EMS service that provides emergency response for the City of Atlanta and is also the Police Surgeon for the Atlanta Police Department. Dr. Salomone has contributed significantly to many national and international EMS projects and authored numerous EMS manuscripts, articles and textbooks, including Prehospital Trauma Life Support, 6 ed. In addition to pre-hospital trauma management and emergency care, Dr. Salomone has clinical and research interests in surgical infections and sepsis, traumatic brain injury, and herniorrhaphy.

MAJOR Kenneth Wilson, MD, FACS

Director of Trauma
and Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery - Morehouse School of Medicine
Grady Memorial Hospital
Atlanta, Georgia

Kenneth Wilson is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery and the Chief of Trauma at Grady Memorial Hospital, Morehouse School of Medicine. He received his B.S. at Emory University, in Atlanta, GA and MD from Howard University, in Washington, D.C. He completed his surgical internship at Howard and completed his General Surgery Residency at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Wilson completed his fellowship training in Trauma and Critical Care at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. He is board certified in both General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. Dr. Wilson serves as the Assistant Program Director for the Department of Surgery at Morehouse School of Medicine.

Dr. Wilson holds the rank of Major in the U.S. Army Reserves and has served three tours overseas, two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, from which he recently returned. His first tour was with the 801st Combat Support Hospital in Kuwait from July 2003 – November 2003. His second tour was as Chief of Surgery for the 948th Forward Surgical Team Al Kut, Iraq from August 2007 – November 2007. His most recent deployment was as Deputy Clinical Commander of the 344th Combat Support Hospital, Salerno, Afghanistan from December 2010 – April 2011. He is the recipient of many awards, including the Army Medal of Commendation on three occasions (July 2003, July 2007, and April 2011), the Golden Apple Award as Surgical Instructor of the Year (May 2009), and the Hero in Healthcare, Military Service Category, from the Atlanta Business Chronicle (May, 2011)

Dr. Wilson is a frequent invited speaker and his research and clinical interests include surgical simulation training, using wearable augmented reality as a clinical decision support tool, trauma in austere environments, pediatric battlefield medicine, blast injury, thoracic trauma, complex wound closures, enteroatmospheric fistula management, rib fracture stabilization, and vascular injuries in blunt trauma, to name a few.

David W. Wright, MD, FACEP

Associate Professor
Emergency Medicine, Emory University & Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
Emory University
Atlanta, GA

Dr. Wright is Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Director, Emergency Neurosciences, at Emory University School of Medicine. He is actively involved in both the preclinical and clinical assessment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke and has co-authored numerous publications on related topics.

Dr. Wright is the Project Leader for the Phase II clinical trial, ProTECT™ (Progesterone for TBI, experimental clinical treatment) and is now the Principal Investigator for the planning grant proposal in preparation for a Phase III clinical trial. He is also the Principal Investigator of the Emory Hub for the Neurological Emergencies Treatment Trials Network. Dr. Wright is interested in the development of novel technologies for medical applications, particularly mild TBI, and works collaboratively with the Georgia Institute of Technology Department of Biomedical Engineering. He is the co-inventor of the DETECT™ system, (Display Enhanced Testing for Concussions and TBI). The DETECT™ system is a novel, portable, self-contained device developed for the sideline assessment of concussion and other forms of mild cognitive impairment such as the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Jeffrey S. Young, MD, FACS

Trauma Director - UVA Trauma Center
Senior Associate Chief Medical Officer
The University of Virginia Health System
Charlottesville, VA

Dr. Jeffrey Young is the Senior Associate Chief Medical and Quality Officer, Professor of Surgery, and Director of the UVA Trauma Center. He is an Echols Scholar graduate of the University of Virginia, and the Medical College of Virginia. He completed his general surgery residency and trauma surgery fellowship at the North Carolina Baptist Hospital at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He was a finalist in the National Residents Paper Competition for the American College of Surgeons – Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT). He joined the faculty at the University of Virginia in 1994 as Director of the UVA Trauma Center. He was appointed Associate Chief of Staff for Quality and Performance Improvement, Chief Quality Officer, and is currently the Senior Associate Chief Medical and Quality Officer at the University of Virginia. He has also previously served as the Director of the Surgical Trauma ICU at UVA.

Dr. Young has served as State Chair for the Virginia Chapter of the ACS-COT, member of the Verification Review Committee (VRC) and Performance Improvement and Patient Safety Committee, and is currently a member of the National Committee on Trauma. He is past President of the Virginia Chapter of the ACS and has served on the Board of Directors of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST), and the Executive Committee of the Southeaster Surgical Congress. He is a co-creator and instructor in the Optimal Trauma Center Organization and Management Course sponsored by the ACS and the STN.

Dr. Young has published research in performance improvement, clinical trauma care, trauma systems, basic science of shock and lung injury, medical decision-making, and simulation. He has over 60 publications in these areas, and multiple book chapters. His current research focuses on enhancement of the training of medical students and residents through low fidelity simulation to improve performance and outcomes and decrease errors in clinical care.

Michele Ziglar, MSN, RN

Vice President of Trauma Services
Executive Management, National Group
Hospital Corporation of America (HCA)
Nashville, Tennessee

Michele received her Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro in 1994. She has dedicated her past 20 years of nursing to trauma program development at Level I Trauma Centers including the University of North Carolina Hospitals and Shands at the University of Florida. Currently, Michele is the Vice President of Trauma Services for HCA Healthcare serving trauma centers from Florida to Alaska, Prior to joining HCA, Michele was the Director of Trauma and Aeromedical Services at Shands at the University of Florida and was the immediate past President of the Association of Florida Trauma Coordinators (AFTC).

She is well published in the care of trauma patients and has presented at many national conferences. She is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Society of Trauma Nurses and was the Lead Editor for the Electronic Library of Trauma Lectures published by the Society of Trauma Nurses.

Sally Jo Zuspan, RN, MSN

Director, Data Coordinating Center
Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN)
University of Utah - Salt Lake City, Utah

Sally Jo Zuspan currently directs the data coordinating center for the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City Utah. She also has assisted with organizing other pediatric research networks over the past 8 years. The data coordinating center provides program assistance, data management, statistical support, and clinical project management to over 30 research projects involving pediatric emergency and critical care areas of research. Sally Jo has been instrumental in the successful initiation and completion of over 25 observational, retrospective studies or interventional trials. She has actively participated in the development of network policies, the establishment of network-wide quality performance measures, and trained investigators, physicians and research coordinators on numerous topics including Good Clinical Practice, regulatory requirements, and data quality.

In a former life, Sally Jo has been a Trauma Program manager, a Trauma Systems Consultant, pediatric educator, Trauma Nurse Clinical Specialist and an emergency department nurse. She has over 20 years’ experience in pediatric trauma, trauma systems and research. She was instrumental in developing trauma systems legislation in the state of Ohio, and successfully developed the first trauma program at a large Midwestern Children’s hospital. She has presented nationally on trauma systems, pediatric trauma care, multi-center research in pediatric emergency medical systems and has been an author on manuscripts related to pediatric trauma.