2022 Texas EMS Conference Speakers

Lions and Tigers and Sick Kids – Oh My!

Co-Presenter: EMS Innovation in Texas: A Look to the Future and Across the State

Co-Presenter: Revenge of the Nerds, 2022 Edition

Co-Presenter: EMS and Opioid Harm Reduction

Heidi Abraham, MD, FAEMS, is the deputy medical director for Austin/Travis County EMS and for the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the EMS medical director for New Braunfels Fire Department.  She continues to work clinically in the ER in addition to EMS field response.  Dr. Abraham is double board certified in emergency Medicine and emergency medical services, and has been active at the state and national level with EMS, currently serving as the chair of the EMS medical director’s committee for the Governor’s EMS and Trauma Advisory Council.

Co-Presenter: All the Small Things – Tiny Movements Between Life and Death

Jennifer Achay, BS, NRP, FcEHS, is a recognized anatomist and lecturer. She is currently the laboratory director at the Centre for Emergency Health Sciences. Additionally, Mrs. Achay coordinates, and directly contributes, to her departments robust research wing, and multidisciplinary procedural courses. Jennifer further has patient care responsibilities within the Office of Clinical Direction (pre-hospital emergency medical services) and the Acacia Medical Mission (a low income, gap clinical service) which are both within the Healthcare, Innovations and Sciences Centre. Mrs. Achay is completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Incarnate Word with her sights on medical school. Lastly, she remains passionate about her work in research and medicine and additionally maintains her paramedic and firefighting certifications.

Rural EMS Documentation

Three Common Mistakes EMS Makes Trying to Get Quality Crew Documentation

Maggie Adams, BBA, is the president of EMS Financial Services, with over 25 years of experience as a business owner and reimbursement and compliance consultant. Known for a practical approach and winning presentation style, Maggie has worked with medical transportation providers and billing companies of all kinds to provide auditing services, assess their billing for best practices and support their billing and documentation training efforts. Maggie is a Cum Laude graduate of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

All the Small Things – Tiny Movements Between Life and Death

What “We” Forget to Mention – The Frank Reality of Providing Today’s Emergency Care

Scotty Bolleter, BS, EMT-P, FcEHS, is a respected paramedic, well-known lecturer, published researcher and inventor. He is responsible for the Office of Clinical Direction and chairs the Centre for Emergency Health Sciences in Spring Branch, Texas. Bolleter currently manages the clinical aspects of BSBEMS operations and the Centre’s multidisciplinary education and research facility. He has been involved in emergency medicine for over 30 years and has numerous patents in emergent, oncologic and orthopedic medicine. He has directed global education, coordinated research and worked on regulatory clearances for numerous medical devices and procedures. Bolleter’s resume includes ground, flight, faculty, supervisory and developmental rolls across Texas and around the world. His presentations, publications and accomplishments can be found in magazines, journals, textbooks and videos. Awards include the Texas EMS Person and Educator of the Year; the Utah EMS Associates Humanitarian Award, and recognition from the Texas Commissioner of Health for his work in pediatrics.

Bicycles, Bats, Balls and Trauma Calls

Diabetes, “No Sweet Tea for Me!”

Managing Extreme Gun Shot Wounds

Ken Bouvier, NREMT-Paramedic, Professional Speaker,is known nationally and internationally as a professional EMS speaker. He began his fire and EMS career in 1975 and served as fire chief for Monsanto from 1975-2012. Bouvier started at New Orleans EMS in 1989, as an EMT-paramedic and in 2012 became deputy chief of operations until retirement in March 2019. He served as EMS Commander of New Orleans major events including Mardi Gras and two Super Bowls. Bouvier is the recipient of the 1989 National EMT of the Year award, 2008 Rocco V. Morando Lifetime Achievement award, and 2019-Louisiana EMS Lifetime Achievement award.  He served as the NAEMT president from 2004-2006. Bouvier has an extensive fire and EMS educational background and has made written contributions in 14 EMS textbooks. He presently serves on the EMS World Editorial Advisory Board. Since retirement, he continues to educate fire and EMS and actively volunteers at the Westwego Fire Department.

Co-Presenter: Prehospital Whole Blood – The San Antonio Experience

Bill Bullock, EMT-P, is an EMS field supervisor and the lead architect of the regional whole blood program for the San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD). He is an expert in blood cold-chain management and was primarily responsible for vetting all equipment used by SAFD.

When It’s Time to Leave the Party

Why Does it Hurt so Bad (Why is This Still a “Thing?”)

Dana Clarke, RN, BSN, LP, is an RN and paramedic, currently residing in Georgia, where she moved in 2020 to be closer to her parents. Dana has served as a flight nurse, paramedic and clinical educator, as well as full time and adjunct EMS faculty. Dana Lives by the mantra “practice what you preach.” Although her expectations are high, she believes that an educator should ALWAYS give what he/she expects.

Big Burn, Small Town: Managing Patients with Significant Burns in Rural America

Clayton Collins, BSN, RN, CPN, is the clinical education coordinator at Shriners Children’s Texas. He started his nursing career as a PICU nurse before becoming the hospital educator at Shriners. Clayton shares his knowledge of managing patients with burn injuries with providers locally and around the world.

Co-Presenter: EMS Innovation in Texas: A Look to the Future and Across the State

Angela Cornelius, MD, FACEP, FAEMS, is an associate medical director for the Office of the Medical Director with the Metropolitan Area EMS Authority in Fort Worth where her primary responsibilities are the Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH), Hospital at Home, and Medications for Opiate Use Disorder (MOUD) programs. She is an associate professor of emergency medicine (EM) with TCU/UNTHSC and LSU Shreveport who practices at John Peter Smith Hospital as core faculty for the Fort Worth EM Residency. She is boarded in EM, family medicine, and EMS. She has been active in disaster medicine and EMS for over 10 years and currently serves as Chair of the American College of Emergency Physicians Disaster Preparedness and Response committee and Chair-elect of the Air Medical section.

Co-Presenter: Stop Gambling With Recruitment: Ten “All in” Strategies to Step-Up Your Recruitment Game

Sarah Cuccia, Captain Professional Development, is a licensed paramedic with Montgomery County Hospital District in Conroe, Texas. She has been in prehospital emergency medicine for 12 years, 10 of those years with MCHD. Sarah’s role in the organization is recruiting, onboarding new employees, and providing internal employees with a pathway for promotion. Over the last decade, Sarah has continuously volunteered her time and experience in many different roles within the organization. Her willingness to openly communicate makes her an asset to her peers, the organization, and the residents of Montgomery County.

Co-Presenter: The Right Place at the Right Time – Transporting Directly to Inpatient Mental Health

Xavier De La Rosa, HCESD11 MHC Chief Clinical Officer, provided direction to the clinical team at ESD11 Mobile Healthcare as they prioritized, constructed, and initiated the “911 direct to inpatient psychiatric hospital” protocol upon service inception in September 2021.

Managing Undifferentiated Agitation: A Case for Implementing Droperidol in Your EMS System

Robert Dickson, MD, FACEP, FAEMS, is an emergency and EMS physician practicing in the Houston area. He is active in research and lecturing on EM and EMS topics including management of the agitated patient. Dickson has a background in both law enforcement and EMS and is currently the medical director for a large EMS agency in Southeast Texas.

Shaken Not Stirred

Thwacks, Whacks, Cracks and Smacks

When the Baba Yaga Comes a Calling: Traumatic Penetration Injuries

Chris Ebright, BEd, NRP, is the lead instructor for The University of Toledo EMS program in Toledo, Ohio, where he provides all aspects of primary EMS education in-house, as well as continuing education for numerous EMS services in Northwest Ohio. Chris has been a nationally registered paramedic for 27 years, providing primary EMS response and critical care transportation. He has educated hundreds of first responders, EMT’s, paramedics, and nurses with his trademark whiteboard sessions, including students from the Cayman Islands, India, and Australia. Chris is also a recurring article contributor to the Limmer Education website, and has been a featured presenter at numerous local, state, and national EMS conferences over the past 15 years. Chris holds a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Toledo and can be contacted at c.ebrightnremtp@gmail.com or www.christopherebright.com.

In the Drink: Understanding Alcoholism for EMS Providers

Navigating the Labyrinth: EMS Response to Hoarding Situations

Amy Eisenhauer, EMT, is a presenter at EMS conferences nationwide, raising awareness on topics such as provider wellness, response to hoarding events, and career development for EMS professionals. She has served as a volunteer and career provider since 1995. Amy has taken on challenging roles as an EMS educator, course content developer, and currently manages state EMS programs in New York. Eisenhauer is a contributing author for several publications such as In Public Safety, JEMS, EMS1, and EMS World Magazine and hosts an interactive blog on EMS at TheEMSsiren.com, committed to improving the EMS community as a whole.

Cowboy Up and Die: Rodeo Trauma

Mile-Hi Moments: They are Why We Play the Game

PTSD: A Case Study of the Silent Journey

Reuben Farnsworth, BS, CCP-C, CP-C, LP, NRP, has spent the last 20 years in EMS, holding positions from EMT-Basic on a rig, to executive project manager for an international expeditionary medicine company. Reuben is currently the clinical/operational coordinator for Delta County Ambulance, where he oversees all aspects of community paramedicine and ET3 implementation. Reuben is a frequent speaker at conferences all over the US and is known for his ability to make learning fun, while breaking down complex topics into understandable portions. Reuben can be reached at rockstareducation@gmail.com. You can also follow him on Facebook for updates from the RockStar Medic.

Suck on This: Inhaled Analgesia

Towering Inferno

Tamsin Fuller, BSc, MInstP, MWES, is currently working for the emergency services in London. She also volunteers as an emergency responder for the London Ambulance Service and has served as an EMT for St John Ambulance for 11 years. Fuller has a degree in physics and is currently working on her master’s in computing.

Big People, Broken Hearts

Tony Garcia, APRN, ACNP, FNP, CFRN, LP, brings almost 40 years of experience in emergency services and healthcare. He is currently an ACNP intensivist for the UTSW department of anesthesiology, division of critical care and a flight nurse with CareFlite. He operates by two simple rules for life: Embrace the suck and don’t let the swiss cheese holes align.

Co-Presneter:Escape Room: Hospital Emergency Response Team

Kevin Gehrig, Assistant Chief, EMT-I, EMT Instructor, has 43 years as an EMT-I, EMS instructor, and firefighter. He has been a U.S. Coast Guard EMT, Pennsylvania EMT, and currently drives a school bus for Georgetown ISD. Gehrig has served with the Red Cross in shelters and in other capacities, including Disaster Services Truck Driver. Kevin is currently an assistant chief and EMT-I for the Weir Volunteer Fire Department.

Co-Presenter: Heart of Stone: A Tale of Hyperkalemia, Digoxin Toxicity, and Calcium Administration

Douglas George, MD, is currently an assistant professor at The University of Vermont Lanier College of Medicine and a prehospital and emergency attending physician at The University of Vermont Health Network. Dr. George serves as a flight physician and an associate medical director for The University of Vermont Healthnet critical care transport team. Additionally, he is the associated district medical advisor for Vermont EMS District 3 and is an operational physician/medical director for Vermont’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Force-1.  Dr. George is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, and he completed his residency training in emergency medicine at Boston Medical Center.  After residency, Dr. George trained as an EMS and flight fellow physician at The University of New Mexico.

Co-Presenter: Escape Room: Hospital Emergency Response Team

Jessica Gilmour, EMT, FF,

When the Heat is on: Hyperthermic Emergencies

Michael Gooch, DNP, APRN, CCP, is board certified as an acute care, family, and emergency nurse practitioner. He is also board certified as an emergency, flight, transport, and trauma nurse. He has over 25 years of emergency and transport medicine experience. He is an assistant professor of nursing with Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, as well as faculty with the Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia. At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, he practices as an emergency and flight nurse practitioner. He has completed over 1,500 patient transports during his tenure with Vanderbilt LifeFlight. Michael is a nationally recognized speaker and published author regarding varied emergency and transport medicine topics. He serves as an APRN liaison to the board of directors for ASTNA and is a member of ENA’s advanced practice advisory council. He also serves as a column editor for the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal.

Critical Care 101: How Not to Kill Your Patient with Your Ventilator Settings

The Wrong Way to Accessorize: Ventricular Pre-Excitation Pathways

Steven “Kelly” Grayson, AGS, NRP, CCP, is a critical care paramedic with Acadian Ambulance in southwest Louisiana and has been an EMS educator for twenty-five years. He is the owner and founder of MEDIC Training Solutions, an EMS training and consulting firm. He is an award-winning columnist for EMS1.com and EMS World Magazine, and an author of several books.

The Shooting has Stopped. Now What?

Garland Gross, MPA, EMT-B, is a district coordinator for the Texas Division of Emergency Management stationed in San Antonio. He has responded to three mass casualty incidents while in that position. Tony has been a member of the Alamo Area Incident Management team, the Alamo Regional Command Center and is a 30-year Air Force veteran.

Five Musts for Rural/Frontier EMS

Greg Henington, BBA, MBA, LP, has been in the Big Bend area over 30 years and is currently the EMS chief for Terlingua Fire and EMS. Henington has taught numerous classes and been very successful in maintaining a productive EMS service.

What Do You See? – Human Trafficking in America

Suh Hughart, EMT-P, EMS Instructor, has worked in different sectors of EMS including private, hospital-based, and 911. She is currently a full-time field paramedic and EMS educator for San Marcos Hays County EMS. Additionally, Suh is a member of the Central Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking and works as a faculty member at the Centre for Emergency Health Sciences. Hughart has presented at both state and national EMS conferences and her articles on human trafficking have been published in JEMS.

Death in Custody and the Safe Use of Ketamine for Chemical Sedation

Lazarus Phenomenon: When the Dead Awaken

Syncope vs. Sudden Death: Distinguishing Benign from Deadly Causes of Syncope

Eric Jaeger, RSI Paramedic, EMS Educator, Attorney, works at Exeter Hospital in Exeter, NH on the hospital’s ALS paramedic intercept team and in the emergency department. Eric lectures extensively on EMS topics and has served on the State of NH EMS protocol committee for over 15 years. He holds a BS in computer science from MIT and a law degree from Boston College Law School.

The ABCs of a Community Paramedicine Program

Amy Jarosek, LP, CHW, is a native Texan and has been a paramedic for 24 years. She has been with Williamson County EMS for 20 years and has been part of the CHP team since 2014. In 2019 she became the program lead. Her passion is in providing care to underserved communities and helping other providers and programs develop to do the same.

Emergency Assessment and Treatment of Patients with Autism Specturm Disorder (ASD)

Brandon Joines, MSN, RN, CFRN, CEN,TCRN, LP, has been in emergency care for over 17 years. He worked as a fire fighter and paramedic until obtaining his RN in 2012. Joines worked in a level one trauma center for 5 years before accepting a position to be a flight nurse. During his first year of nursing school his son was diagnosed with ASD. While furthering his education he noted a lack of training for patients with ASD, and this inspired him to develop a baseline for EMS and emergency clinicians to better serve this particular population.

Co-Presenter: EMS Innovation in Texas: A Look to the Future and Across the State

Emily Kidd, MD, FAEMS, is board certified in emergency medicine and EMS, and has been practicing emergency medicine for over 21 years and pre-hospital (EMS) medicine for over 17 years. She served as an assistant medical director for the Houston Fire Department and as an assistant medical director and interim medical director for the San Antonio Fire Department. Since 2016, she has served as the Texas medical director for Acadian Ambulance Service. Dr. Kidd is also very actively involved in disaster and emergency management at the local, regional, state, and national levels. She was involved in field response and medical direction during hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike, and Harvey as well as the H1N1 pandemic, Ebola crisis, West, Texas explosion, and of course the COVID pandemic and recent ice storms. Dr. Kidd held a position on FEMA’s National Advisory Council for 6 years, has sat on the Governor’s EMS and Trauma Advisory Council Disaster Committee for over 14 years, and serves as the state medical director for the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force. She currently serves as the President for the Texas Chapter of the National Association of EMS Physicians and was recently appointed by Governor Abbott to a position on the state’s Private Sector Advisory Council.

EMS Care at the End-of-Life

Skillful Communication During Field Termination of Resuscitation

Who Needs a Trauma Center?: The Science Behind the New Field Trauma Triage Guidelines

Doug Kupas, MD, EMT-P, FAEMS,is an EMS physician and emergency physician with Geisinger Health System in Central Pennsylvania, where he serves at the EMS medical director for Geisinger EMS, the system director of the resuscitation program, and the co-director of mobile integrated healthcare. He has also served as the Commonwealth EMS medical director for the Pennsylvania Department of Health since 2000. He has been a paramedic for decades and continues to do field response. His interests include EMS patient and clinician safety, resuscitation, field termination of resuscitation, and compassionate care at the end of life.

Implementing VAN Scoring and LVO Alerts – Experiences from City of Austin and Travis County EMS and System

Mentoring in EMS – More Than a Professional Role

William Leggio, EdD, NRP, is staff and a paramedic with the office of the chief medical officer for the city of Austin. He is a recognized EMS leader and scholar. This includes peer-reviewed publications and serving EMS learners as an educator focused on developing clinicians and future leaders. He currently serves as vice president of the National Association of EMS Educators and is involved in multiple national committees whose work relates to education and the workforce.

Don’t Eat That! Button Batteries and Magnets are NOT Food!

Erin Lincoln, MD, MS, EMT-P, has been in EMS since 2003, when she took an EMT-B class in college. She has been involved in many aspects of EMS, including 5 years in a busy 911 EMS system as a paramedic, several years part time and 3 years full time teaching paramedicine in a community college setting. Erin then decided to attend medical school, completing her residency in emergency medicine in 2022 and is currently an EMS fellow with UT Southwestern in Dallas.

Co-Presenter: High Risk Delivery in the Field

Jamianne Lopez (Jami), BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, grew up in Hilo, Hawaii and moved to Oklahoma for college tennis, and to pursue her nursing degree. After graduation, she moved to Texas where she began her career in high risk OB/labor and delivery with HCA/ Medical City Dallas hospital. She has spent 24 years specializing in high risk obstetrics, with the last 10 being in maternal transport. Jami likes to think of her job as a “mobile Labor and Delivery”. Her passion in life is appreciating every day, and every person and experience she has. She loves to spend time with friends, family, and her dog Carter and she is completely obsessed with golf and plays as often as she is able.

Beyond SPICES & Beers: Geriatrics in the Field

Diffusing Fear in Crisis

Not for Sale! The Healthcare Workers’ Role in Preventing Human Trafficking

Carrie Manke, DNP, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CEN, is an advanced practice nurse with over 10 years of experience in the nursing field. She has spent most of her career in the emergency department and functioned as a sexual assault nurse examiner. She obtained her Doctor of Nursing practice degree in 2017 and worked as an ED clinical nurse specialist (CNS). As a CNS, Dr. Manke focused on process and quality improvement to positively impact patient outcomes through evidence-based practice. Dr. Manke is an author, motivational speaker, and coach, specializing in helping individuals find freedom from their pain and experience life to the fullest. She is a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence and speaks openly about her experiences to help others break through their past, overcome obstacles, and find empowerment in healing. Special interests include change management, compounding trauma, suicide prevention, healing PTSD, and reaching under-served populations through medical mission work.

Ojos Locos – Evaluating the Impaired Patient

Rick Maricle, BAAS, NRP, FP-C, is the EMS Chair of the Texas Operational Canine Care Committee and captain of EMS training and education at Bexar County ESD#2 in San Antonio, TX. Rick has been in EMS since 2005 and has specialized experience in law enforcement, K9 medicine, critical care transport, and initial EMS education. He has been recently appointed to the National Association of Veterinary EMS – curriculum task force focused on national standardization of operational K9 medicine for EMS. Maricle holds a bachelor’s degree in fire emergency services administration from Texas A&M – San Antonio and maintains certification as a flight paramedic and instructor in multiple NAEMT and AHA disciplines.

Co-Presenter: 5 Musts for Rural/Frontier EMS

Eddie Martin, EMT-P, is the director for Crockett County EMS and has severed in that role for 15 years. He is very familiar with rules and regulations of EMS and is the current chair of the GETAC EMS committee.

National Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training Program

David McDonald, Traffic Management Incident Coordinator, retired from the Austin Police Department where he served for 25 years. During his career he worked in many different units: patrol, gang unit, motorcycle unit, community outreach, and spent his last 7.5 years working in the traffic unit.  Prior to joining the Austin Police Department, David served in the Marine Corps. David now serves the citizens of Texas and is the Statewide Traffic Incident Management Coordinator for the Texas Department of Transportation. He leads the statewide TIM efforts working closely with regional TIM coordinators and facilitates multiple training classes. David enjoys being around those responders who keep us safe day and night.

Co-Presenter: Big Burn, Small Town: Managing Patients with Significant Burns in Rural America

Gene McGowen, BS, RN, is a registered nurse with 40 years of experience in the management of patients with burn injuries. Gene has multiple roles at Shriners Children’s Texas, including flight nurse and ICU charge nurse. He has a storied history in caring for patients with burn injuries, first as a medic serving in the United States Army and later through his work as a nurse in the civilian world. McGowen teaches providers globally in the management of patients with burn injury and safe medical transport.

Co-Presenter: Building Resiliency with Facility Dogs

Brandon Miller, EMS Relations Manager, has been actively involved in EMS for 20 years and the fire service for over 15. He has a passion for emergency services and disaster response and has had the privilege of serving as the first Texas Emergency Medical Task Force Coordinator in Region 8.

EMS and Opioid Harm Reduction

David Miramontes, MD, FACEP, FAEMS, LP, started as a volunteer firefighter-EMT while still in high school and went on to the level of EMT-II, registered nurse (he worked a total of ten years as a registered nurse in ER and ICU), Mobile Intensive Care nurse, and then received his BS in physiology at UC Davis. He attended the Medical College of Ohio and emergency medicine residency at the St Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo Ohio, where he also was a Lifeflight physician. He served as the Pre-hospital EMS director at St Vincent Mercy Medical Center and provided medical direction for the City of Toledo Fire Department and 18 rural and suburban EMS agencies. He was the assistant fire chief and medical director for District of Columbia Fire Department (Wash. DC) from 2011-14 and currently serves at EMS medical director for the San Antonio Fire Department.

Brief Resolved Unexplained Event (BRUE)

Epiglottitis or Croup? A Case-based Approach in a Young Child

Kenneth Navarro, PhD(C), serves as chief of EMS education development in the department of emergency medicine at UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He also serves as a content consultant for various project teams at the American Heart Association and as a chapter coauthor for the AHA Guidelines 2020. Navarro is a medical and education volunteer who specializes in teaching basic and advanced resuscitation courses in developing countries around the world.

Solving the Volunteer Crisis – Or at Least Addressing It

The Basics of Negligence for EMS

Wes Ogilvie, MPA, JD, LP, NRP, CP-C, is an attorney licensed to practice in Texas and is also a Texas licensed and nationally registered paramedic. Wes maintains a full-time practice as an attorney in state government and is active in EMS as a field provider, educator, and advocate for volunteer EMS.  His EMS experience has extended from Central Texas to the Gulf Coast in a variety of settings from rural to urban, both transporting and in a first response capacity.

How COVID 19 has Changed EMS 22

Medical Interactive! All New Game Show Review

Stethoscopy Lab: An Ears on Experience

Can You Ventilate? Hands-On Ventilation Workshop

Bob Page, MEd, NRP, CCP, NCEE, CHSE, CHSOS, is an internationally known speaker, instructor, author and paramedic. He is recognized for his energetic, humorous and motivational style.  Bob takes ordinarily dry and hard to teach topics and transforms them into a fun, learning experience. Bob Is the State CEU Educator for the Virginia Office of EMS, bringing high fidelity simulation throughout the commonwealth. He holds a master’s degree in adult education. Bob has been an instructor for almost 4 decades teaching a variety of adult education courses from customer service to advanced medical care. He is a certified healthcare simulation educator and operations specialist. He has presented over 3000 seminars worldwide. He was recognized by his peers in Missouri as Missouri’s “Most Creative Educator” in 2009 and was awarded the Legends That Walk Among us Award from NAEMSE is 2012.

Recognizing the Serial Killers – How to Think Worst First

The Right Place at the Right Time – Transporting Directly to Inpatient Mental Health

Casey Patrick, MD, FAEMS, grew up in Williamsburg, KY and following his undergraduate studies, Patrick received his MD from The University of Kentucky College of Medicine in 2004. In 2007, he completed residency training in emergency medicine at Indiana University. Currently, Dr. Patrick is the medical director for Harris County ESD11 Mobile Healthcare and assistant medical director for the Montgomery County Hospital District EMS service. His EMS educational focus is on innovative paramedic teaching via the MCHD Paramedic Podcast. Dr. Patrick’s clinical EMS research involves using bolus intravenous nitroglycerin for acute pulmonary edema and the prehospital utility of esmolol in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Crisis Situational Leadership for When Failure is Not an Option

Jason Pickett, MD, FACEP, FAEMS, is chief deputy medical director for Austin and is an affiliate faculty member in the department of surgery and perioperative care at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin and is the assistant program director for the EMS fellowship. He provides clinical oversight for Austin/Travis County EMS, Austin Fire Department, and Texas DPS. Dr. Pickett is a member of the Guidelines and Practice Committee for the National Association of EMS Physicians and is also a member of the Guidelines Committee for the Committee on Tactical Emergency Casualty Care. He is the tactical EMS chair for the National Tactical Officer’s Association. Dr. Pickett is Board Certified in emergency medicine and emergency medical services. Prior to his position in Austin, Dr. Pickett was the director of the Center for Prehospital and Operational Medicine at Wright State University. He is currently a battalion surgeon in the Army National Guard.

Tactical Car Casualty Care: Medicine Across the Barrier…or, From the Back Seat

EMS Medical Director Cage Match

Taylor Ratcliff, MD, FACEP, FAEMS, EMT-LP, is the division director of prehospital medicine for the Baylor Scott & White Central Texas division and is the Baylor Scott & White emergency management system medical director. He is the EMS medical director for the cities of Belton, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove and Waco, in addition to first responders in Bell and McLennan counties. Taylor is also an assistant medical director for PHI Texas and STAR Flight. In addition, he provides medical direction for the Temple College Health Professions EMS program and Bell and McLennan County emergency medical dispatch programs. Ratcliff serves as the physician medical director for the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force, region 7 team that encompasses the Central Texas area. Dr. Ratcliff serves on the Texas Governor’s Emergency and Trauma Advisory Council (GETAC) as the EMS education member.

What a Rural EMS Provider SHOULD be

David Robison, B.Sci., EMT-P, has been involved in Texas EMS since 1982, as a paramedic since 1992 and also as an EMS instructor. He holds a Bachelor of Science in human anatomy and physiology from Saba University School of Medicine and has studied at Texas Christian University, University of Texas – Arlington and various junior colleges. Robison currently owns and operates Groveton EMS – a frontier, rural, economically disadvantaged county community ambulance service.

From The Journal of Iatrogenic Medicine

The First Five Minutes

Gary Saffer, MPA, NRP, retired after working for Boston EMS for almost 35 years. During that time he served in a wide variety of field, communications, supervisory, and administrative positions. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology, a Master of Public Administration, and has been a Nationally Registered Paramedic since 1990. Since retiring, he has used his experience and education in both the EMS education and quality improvement fields.

Are We Safer? A One Year Review of EMS Safety Policy

Sharief Savahl, TCOLE Police Officer, EMT-B, is a 25-year career police officer, EMT and instructor in many disciplines. His experience in EMS and law enforcement offers a unique perspective of the safety concerns of both agencies. He has served as training coordinator, TCOLE instructor, FTO, ER tech, SWAT commander, Healthcare Academy instructor, husband and father to three amazing adults.

Are We Safer? A One Year Review of EMS Safety Policy

Shirlinda Savahl, LP, BS, NREMTP, 2022 marks 27 years of continuous EMS employment for Shirlinda Savahl. Her degree in higher education is used daily in her position as a training captain and Healthcare Academy executive director. Shirlinda has served as a SWAT medic, FTO, ER tech, educator, NREMT examiner and DSHS program director. Although her proudest achievement is her husband and three adult children, all fellow public servants.

“Medication Lists? The Hospital Knows What I Take!” How Medication Lists tells the Patient’s Medical History

“The Weight and Age of Life” What it Means to be a Bariatric and Geriatric Patient

Jules Scadden, Paramedic, Director of EMS, has been involved in EMS for over 29 years and currently serves as the director of EMS for Dysart Ambulance Service, a blended volunteer/paid ambulance service in central Iowa. Jules also serves as co-chair on the Iowa EMS-C Advisory Council, the service director representative on the Iowa Quality Assurance, president of the Tama County EMS Association and is vice-chair of the National Volunteer Fire Council-EMS/Rescue Section. She is an EMS educator and presenter at regional, state, and national EMS conferences and a reviewer and writer of EMS educational materials.

EMS Employment Issues: Quirky Labor Laws Related to EMS

When Patients Say No: EMS Liability for Refusals

Mark Smith, JD, MBA, has been a practicing attorney in Texas since 1999. He first became involved in representing ESDs when he became outside general counsel in 2003 for Harris County ESD No. 1 – large EMS-only district in northern Harris County. In 2007, Harris County ESD1 hired Mark as full-time in-house counsel where he served as vice president of Administration and General Counsel. In 2013, Mark moved back to private practice, where his practice primarily focuses on representing Harris County Emergency Corps and many other EMS and fire providers. Mark is a native Texan and attended Texas A&M University for his undergraduate and MBA degrees. He received his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

Co-Presenter: Recognizing the Serial Killers – How to Think Worst First

Clayton Smith, LP, graduated from Texas A&M University in 2014 with a BS in allied health. He then obtained paramedic certification and began his career at Fayette County EMS. Clayton worked as a flight paramedic for a brief time before joining MCHD where he has spent the past 3 years, rising to the level of EMS Captain.

Is Your Trauma Center ED in compliance with Pediatric Readiness? There’s Still Time!

Sally Snow, BSN, RN, CPEN, FAEN, has 40+ years of emergency and trauma nursing experience and has been an active participant in the EMS for Children program at the state and national level for decades. She is a member of the National Pediatric Readiness Project Steering Committee and a co-author of the AAP/ACEP/ENA “Pediatric Readiness in the Emergency Department” joint policy statement. She is a lead facilitator for the Texas EMSC Voluntary Pediatric Readiness Program. She spent over 25 years building a level II ACS verified pediatric trauma program at Cook Children’s Medical Center. She served many years as a member and chair of the GETAC Pediatric Committee.

Co-Presenter: Immunizations are Lifesavers! Protect Your Team, Communities, and Families from Vaccine Preventable Diseases

Denise Starkey, MPH, MA, is the DSHS Adult and Influenza Immunization Program manager. Here she leads a team on improving adult immunization rates in Texas as well as the Adult Safety Net (ASN) Program partnering with the DSHS PHR Adult Immunization coordinators, Local Health Departments, and stakeholders. She also led the Hurricane Recovery Crisis Cooperative Agreement (Crisis CoAg) First Responder and Cold Chain projects, Adult Influenza Vaccine Initiative (AIVI), and the COVID-19 Vaccine Program provider enrollment team. Her academic career includes a master’s in public health (MPH), concentrating on health promotion and disease prevention, and a Master of Arts (MA), concentrating on biocultural and medical anthropology from California State University, Fullerton.

The Golden Rule of Leadership

Timothy Stevenson, DVM, PhD, DACVM, DACVPM-Epidemiology, has served as the assistant director of Meat Safety Assurance at DSHS since 2018. Prior to joining DSHS, Dr. Stevenson served in the Army Veterinary Corps for 29 years, retiring at the rank of Colonel. He has a broad range of experience in health and public health programs in the Army. He developed and implemented programs, inspection systems and laboratory support to ensure a safe food supply for the Department of Defense worldwide. He also served as the commander of a military public health region from Texas to Florida, responsible for the health of military working dogs and other animals, industrial and environmental hygiene, entomology and public health.

Adult Abuse: What Does it Look Like & What Is Our Responsibility

Jennifer Stout, NRP, LP, has been a paramedic for 10 years at both super rural and urban EMS services, and has taught both initial and continuing education for 7 years. She promotes continuous learning and advancing emergency medicine by serving as affiliate faculty for NAEMT. Stout has also served on the Education Committee for the Texas Governor’s EMS and Trauma Advisory Council.

Co-Presenter: Zebras of teh Heart: Case Studies on Cardiology

Alan Taylor, MD, FACC, FACP, has been a board-certified cardiologist for many years specializing in the emergent treatment of acutely ill cardiac patients. He is often asked to speak at medical schools, nursing programs, and to many local EMS providers. Taylor is a well-respected member of the medical community and often recognized for his volunteer efforts. Dr. Taylor is the medical director for the NCTTRAC cardiac committee and co-chair of AHA Mission Lifeline.

The Right Stuff: Critical Thinking Application

U Can’t Touch This: How NOT to Screw up a Crime Scene

Janet Taylor, CFRN, CEN, CCEMT-P, after graduating from nursing school in 1998, Janet worked in various departments through the hospital gaining knowledge and experience in ICU, obstetrics and ER.    Janet has been a flight nurse since 2004 and now works full time for Golden Valley EMS as a nurse in a paramedic role. She enjoys teaching part time for EMS conferences across the country and for local paramedic programs. She also writes modules for various online forums. You can see where she will be heading next at www.emsteacher.com. You can also reach her at janettaylor6@icloud.com.

Care And Keeping Of Your EMS Escapee

Fiona Thomas, MBA, LP, a recipient of the 2016 Nicholas Rosecrans Award and the 2017 Central Texas EMT of the Year for her work in first responder suicide prevention, Fiona Thomas has over 20 years’ experience as a paramedic and first responder in Central Texas. She is a founder and president of The Code Green Campaign, a nonprofit providing education and resources for suicide prevention, substance misuse, and mental wellness for public safety personnel. She has a master’s in business administration and a BSc. in emergency and disaster management.

Co-Presenter: Building Resiliency with Facility Dogs

Frankie Trifilio, EMS Relations Manager Methodist Healthcare System, is a seasoned public safety professional with roots in emergency management. A critical thinker and captivating instructor capturing audiences through collaborative and interactive techniques since 2006. Frankie is an EMS professional and by nature a contingency planner who brings creativity and originality to the team. With a natural ability to transform concepts and ideas into real-world applications, Trifilio is dedicated to enhancing the way we improve patient care, use technology to plan, expand response capabilities, and recover from man-made and natural disasters.

EMS Innovation in Texas: A Look to the Future and Across the State

Gerad Troutman, MD, MBA, FACEP, FAEMS, is the national medical director of Innovative Practices for Global Medical Response. He is an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, TX and serves as a mentor to the Texas Tech Innovations Hub. He is a past president of the Texas College of Emergency Physicians and currently serves on the Governor’s EMS & Trauma Advisory Council of Texas.

EMS Safety: Past, Present & Future

Five Ways to Ruin Your Frontline Leaders

Macara Trusty, MS, LP, SHRM-SCP, has over 27 years of EMS experience, including many years of teaching and leadership. She currently serves as a project manager for the South Region with Global Medical Response. Macara holds a master’s degree in management and leadership, and maintains other certifications in EMS, Project+, and Society of Human Resource Management -Senior Certified Professional. Macara also serves as the chair of the EMS Education Committee for the Texas Governor’s EMS and Trauma Advisory Council (GETAC). She has led collaborative and cross-functional teams toward innovative solutions that improve the quality of emergency medical service delivery, clinical education/training, and employee culture across the country. Macara also serves NAEMT as a director for Region IV on the NAEMT Board of Directors, education coordinator for Texas, chair of the Lighthouse Leadership Committee, and as a member of the education committee.

Co-Presenter: National Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Responder Training Program

Nicole Tyler, CPST-P, EMT-B, ICP-I, started her TxDOT career in 2014 as a maintenance support technician serving four maintenance sections in the Childress District. In November 2015, she took the position as office manager for Childress’ Fleet Operations Division (FOD), where she served as the safety point of contact and on the State’s FOD Safety Committee. In December 2018, she moved to her current role as a traffic safety specialist in TRF’s Behavioral Traffic Safety Section (BTS). As the Childress District traffic safety specialist, she promotes traffic safety initiatives to all ages, from the ‘not-here-yet’ baby to the distinguished mature driver and manages several federally funded traffic safety grants from across the state. In 2019, Nicole added TxDOT Statewide EMS program area manager to her roles where she is striving to improve EMS availability, response, care, and support provided to motor vehicle trauma victims to increase survivability. In 2021, Nicole became a Traffic Incident Management instructor to train first responders of all disciplines. Nicole lives in Childress, Texas where she resides with her husband and four children.

At Risk Patients: Looking into the World of Autoimmune Conditions

Breathing Life into Our Primary Assessments

Rebecca Valentine, BS, Paramedic, NCEE, MA I/C, drawing from 30 years of EMS service and education, Becky presents EMS best practices locally, nationally, and internationally. She strives to strengthen the skills and knowledge of other EMS professionals within each community by the continuing pursuit of EMS excellence for students, providers, and educators.

Introduction to the Texas Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program

Sam Vance, MHA, LP, as a resourceful and team-oriented manager, Sam has over 13 years of experience in strategic planning, project management, and quality improvement, as well as 35 years of experience in emergency medical and fire services. He has been recognized for exceptional ability to develop and manage synergistic healthcare alliances through sound financial analyses, strategy development, and cooperative relationship building between executive management and staff from different cultures, functions, and organizations. Sam has a master’s degree in healthcare administration with a public health focus and is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.

Co-Presenter: Implementing VAN Scoring and LVO Alerts – Experiences from City of Austin and Travis County EMS and System

Ashley Voss-Liebig, RN, BSN, CCRN, is well known for her many contributions to local and national EMS practice and delivery. She is currently the division chief of clinical performance and education for Travis County Emergency Services.

What You Didn’t Learn About the ABC’s

Bryan Walker, EMT-P, EMS Instructor, is a firefighter/paramedic and EMS instructor for the City of Helotes. Bryan has been a nationally registered paramedic since 2013 and has a one-of-a-kind passion for off the wall EMS and fire instruction. His high energy and rapid-fire approach to teaching keeps students engaged and fosters a deeper understanding of learning objectives. He has worked in both urban and rural fire and EMS systems during his career and is an adjunct instructor for EMS University.

Prehospital Whole Blood – The San Antonio Experience

Top Five EMS Research and Quality Improvement Abstracts of 2022

Co-Presenter: EMS and Opioid Harm Reduction

David Wampler, PhD, LP, FAEMS, has been in EMS for more than 30 years and is currently a professor of emergency health sciences at UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. His primary role is director of clinical research for the Office of the Medical Director and is a clinical training officer for the San Antonio Fire Department.

Co-Presenter: Stop Gambling with Recruitment: Ten “All in” Strategies to Step-Up Your Recruitment Game

Misti Willingham, Public Information Officer, is a communications and social media manager, award-winning journalist, broadcast news producer and video production editor with more than a decade of experience working in the media. She has expertise in internal and external communications strategies, press releases, video production and creative writing. Willingham also provides insight into the inner workings of a newsroom and provides guidance on how to gain and maintain a positive working relationship with the media. Highlights of Misti’s media career include 24-hour coverage of Hurricane Ike, a one-hour special commemorating the opening of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, and continuous coverage of various flooding events in Houston. Misti was awarded the Texas Associated Press Award for Best Daytime Newscast in 2013. Misti has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Texas State University’s School of Journalism.

Don’t Get Caught With Your MAST Pants Down and Other Novel Trauma Treatment Tactics in San Antonio

CJ Winckler, MD, LP, serves as the deputy medical director for the San Antonio Fire Department and is an associate clinical professor at the University of Texas San Antonio Health Science Center in both the Department of Emergency Health Sciences and the Department of Emergency Medicine. He provides daily clinical supervision, via on-scene medical direction, online medical direction, and performance improvement processes to over 1700 SAFD providers. Dr. Winckler provides medical direction for the novel prehospital trauma programs at SAFD.  He is currently working to prove, or disprove: MAST pants in trauma patients, whole blood, thoracostomies, thoracotomies, amputations performed by paramedics, and many other advanced techniques that his paramedic colleagues deploy prehospital.

Do You Like Lawsuits? The Top Six Things to Do If You Want to Get Sued – And How to Avoid Them!

Making Lemonade Out of Lemons:  How COVID-19 Developed Our EMS Leadership Potential

“Unimpeded By Progress” – 7 Traditions That are Holding us Back

Stephen Wirth, EMS Attorney, Paramedic, is a founding partner of Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, LLC, which represents EMS agencies throughout the United States, and a co-founder of NAAC, the National Academy of Ambulance Compliance. In a distinguished public safety career that spans over four decades, Steve has worked in virtually every facet of EMS and was one of central Pennsylvania’s first paramedics.  Steve is a dynamic and sought-after speaker at EMS conferences nationwide and has authored numerous articles and book chapters on a wide range of EMS leadership and EMS law topics.

Zebras of the Heart: Case Studies in Cardiology

Karen Yates, MSN, RN, RN-BC, CEN, EMT-P, is a nursing clinical coordinator at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center. She is the chest pain coordinator and EMS liaison. Karen serves on the GETAC cardiac committee, is chair-elect of the NCTTRAC cardiac committee, and participates on AHA Mission LifeLine. Karen has over thirty-eight years of experience in pre-hospital and hospital management of the acutely ill and injured patient. She has worked as a ground and fixed wing paramedic and RN. Karen has worked for Methodist Health System for thirty-four years, working in a variety of positions. Yates speaks at a variety of nursing and EMS conferences. She also owns and operates a continuing education company and is active as a volunteer with the Dallas Area Crisis Response Team and Mental Health for Heroes.

Best Practices for Mitigating Ambulance Off-Load Delays

EMS Transformation Update – What’s Promising? What’s Threatening?

Matt Zavadsky, MS-HSA, NREMT, is the chief transformation officer for MedStar Mobile Healthcare in Fort Worth, TX. He has helped guide the implementation and financial sustainability of numerous innovative programs with healthcare partners that have transformed MedStar fully as a Mobile Integrated Healthcare provider. Most recently, he has led the negotiations with multiple third-party payers to change the basic economic model for EMS to better align patient, provider and payer focus on patient centered care as opposed to simply payment for ambulance transport. Matt is also the immediate past president of the National Association of EMTs and chairs their EMS economics committee. He has recently worked with CMS/CMMI to help facilitate recent new payment models such as Emergency Triage, Treat and Transport (ET3) model and Medicare waivers for Treatment in Place during the pandemic. He has a master’s degree in healthcare administration, with a Graduate Certificate in healthcare data management.