Mary Kay Bader, RN, MSN, CCNS, CNRN, CCRN, SCRN, FAHA, FNCS
Mary Kay Bader has 38 years of experience with a focus in neuro/ICU. She holds CCRN, CNRN, SCRN & CCNS certifications. She has functioned as ICU nurse, educator, faculty, & CNS. She has held clinical and joint faculty positions at two universities. She is employed as a Neuro/ICU CNS working with the team to develop protocols for Neuro/ICU patient populations. She has lectured nationally and internationally on many neuro and critical care topics and has published 37 articles and four books.
Stephen Barnes, MD
Stephen Barnes, MD, is a professor and chief of the division of acute care surgery at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. Before joining the faculty in MU's Hugh E. Stephenson Jr., MD, Department of Surgery in 2008, Dr. Barnes served as a major in the United States Air Force Medical Corps, where he directed the Critical Air Transport Advanced Training Program at the U.S. Air Force Center for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills at the University Hospital in Cincinnati. In 2006, he served in Iraq as Chief of Critical Care and Medical Director of the Intensive Care Unit at the 332nd Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad Air Base. Dr. Barnes received his medical degree from the University of Alabama in Birmingham in 1997. He completed residency training followed by fellowships in both trauma surgery and critical care at the University of Kentucky. He also received advanced laparoscopic and gastrointestinal surgery training at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Barnes attained board certification from the American Board of Surgery for general surgery in 2003 and for critical care in 2004.
Dwana Bass, MSN, RN
Dwana Bass graduated as a Registered nurse in 2005 and begin her career with Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Her experience includes medical intensive care staff nurse, leadership, and nurse education. Recently, she received her Masters of Science in Nursing specializing in Public Health from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Her current role with Henry Ford Hospital’s Trauma Department as an Injury Prevention Coordinator has allowed her the opportunity to continue educating nurses as well as community members. She also serves as part-time nurse faculty for both Wayne State University and Oakland University in Michigan. Dwana has been an STN member for approximately 3 years and currently serve as the Chairperson for the Geriatric SIG Subcommittee – Developing a Geriatric Trauma Program.
Cynthia Blank-Reid, RN, MSN, CEN
Cindy has been the Trauma Clinical Nurse Specialist at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA for the past 13 years. It is an accredited Level I Trauma Center by the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation and an accredited American Burn Association Burn Center. She belongs to various trauma and nursing organizations including the Society of Trauma Nurses where she has served as the education committee chair, a director at large, treasurer and is the current president-elect.
Joseph Blansfield, MS, NP, TCRN
Joseph Blansfield has a BS from the Univ of Conn and a MS from Boston Univ. He is an Adult Nurse Practitioner. He has 40 years experience at Boston Medical Center. Since 1992 he's been Trauma Program Manager for the Dept of Surgery. He's a retired Colonel, U.S.Army Reserve with 26 years of service. He was Chief Nurse of the 399th CSH in Iraq in 2006-07. He earned the Bronze Star Medal and was inducted into the Order of Military Medical Merit. He was on the ENA, 7th ed.TNCC revision team the inaugural Exam Construction and Review Committee for the TCRN (Trauma Certified Registered Nurse) credential.
Kai Bortz, MSN, RN-BC, CMSRN, CNL
Kai Bortz has spent the past 13 years in various roles within the trauma continuum, including bedside nursing, quality specialist, patient care coordinator, and director of patient care services. She served as an instructor for the Trauma Nurse Course on Geriatric Trauma and facilitator for the monthly Geriatric Trauma Conference. She is certified in Gerontology Nursing. Her presentations on the topic of geriatric trauma include: the Trauma Care Continuum in 2014, the Temple Trauma Symposium in 2014, Society of Trauma Nurses Oral Abstract 2015, Society of Trauma Nurses 2016, NICHE Conference 2016, and the Michigan Trauma Coalition 2016. She was a poster presenter on "Pressure Ulcer Prevention in Geriatric Trauma Patients" at STN 2015. She served as facilitator for the development and implementation of the NICHE rollout to trauma nurses, geriatric trauma education and process improvement initiatives, geriatric rounding, geriatric trauma protocol development, geriatric trauma research, and geriatric trauma program development. Her Master’s capstone project was "Improvement in Geriatric Trauma Outcomes". As of 2015, she was appointed Chair of the Geriatric Special Interest Group for the national organization, Society of Trauma Nurses. She was the oral abstract winner for the Society of Trauma Nurses in 2015, 2015 Literary Excellence Award winner, and has served as a reviewer for the Journal of Trauma Nursing. She was the LVHN Quality and Research Award winner, 2016, and her article “Creating a Geriatric-Focused Model of Care in Trauma with Geriatric Education” was published in The Journal of Trauma Nursing.
Diana Clapp, BSN, RN, CCRN
Diana began her career in the Medical field as an EMS provider then attended the University of Maryland, obtaining her BSN in 2003. She followed her dream to work at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in 2006 as a nurse in the Trauma Resuscitation Unit; in 2014, she transitioned to the Quality Improvement Coordinator and EMS liaison. She remains active in Disaster management and education in her new role. She is excited to back at the podium at STN. Diana spends her free time working on her DNP, throwing balls for her lab, and raising money for the Alzheimer’s Association in Honor of mom.
Bruce Crookes, MD FACS, EAST President
Dr. Crookes was raised in northern New Jersey, and received his undergraduate degree in Biophysics from the University of Michigan. He underwent his medical education at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He subsequently completed his residency in General Surgery at Abington Memorial Hospital in Abington, Pennsylvania. He then completed a Trauma and Surgical Care Fellowship at the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. After completing his fellowship, Dr. Crookes practiced at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, where he served as the Trauma Medical Director and the Division Chief of the Division of Trauma, Burns, and Critical Care.Dr. Crookes is board certified in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Surgery, and is a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and the American Association of the Surgery of Trauma. His research interests include endpoints of resuscitation, traumatic brain injury, and trauma outcomes. His special surgical interests include surgical approaches to traumatic injury, critical care of the traumatically injured, complex abdominal wall reconstruction, and hernia repairs.
Stephanie Devore, BSN, RN
Stephanie Devore, RN, BSN began her nursing career in northern Michigan in 1986. After travel nursing for many years working in a variety of specialties (neuro, ortho, oncology, oral surgery, general med/surg), Stephanie settled in central Kentucky. After working in the ICU and ED, Stephanie became a coordinator for the local organ donor program. She also has experience in flight nursing, infection control and hospital safety. Four years ago, she transitioned back into trauma field as the adult trauma coordinator at University of Kentucky Healthcare. In her role, she is responsible for PI initiatives, protocols, and general oversite of their Level 1 Adult Trauma program. In March of this year, Stephanie presented her work on Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment at the Society of Trauma Nurses Annual Meeting and had a poster on this as well at the Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) Annual Meeting. She is currently the chair of the Geriatric SIG subcommittee on Developing Guidelines.
Maria Durand, MSN, RN, FNP-C, PNP
Maria Durand is the Trauma Nurse Practitioner at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. She attended Azusa Pacific University and received her Post Master Certificate as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in 2016. She received her MSN as a Family Nurse Practitioner, School Nurse Services Credential in 2011. She received her BSN/BA Psychology in 1995. She has served as Adjunct Faculty at Azusa Pacific University for graduate nursing students from 2011-present, and Nurse Practitioner: Orthopedic Institute for Children from 2011-2015; Orthopedic Clinic RN: Cedars Sinai Medical Center 2002-2007; School RN: 2007-2011; PACU Nurse: CHLA 1998-2011; and Floor RN: CHLA 1995-1998.
Oscar Guillamondegui, MD, MPH
Oscar Guillamondegui is Professor of Surgery at Vanderbilt University, Vice Chair of Quality for the Section of Surgical Sciences and serves as the Surgeon champion for Vanderbilt NSQIP, and Trauma Medical Director. His focus is on health services research and outcomes in trauma and emergency surgery with special interest in TBI.
Debbie Harrell, MSN, RN, NE-BC
Debbie Harrell, MSN, RN, NE-BC, has worked at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Cincinnati for more than 30 years; three years as a staff nurse in acute care, eight years as clinical coordinator in acute care, and 16 as director of acute care. Debbie is currently Director of Professional Relations at the Cincinnati Shriners Hospital. She has participated in burn care research and developed teaching tools and lectures about lighter safety, burn prevention and burn care.
Michele Herndon, BSN
Michele Herndon is a certified pediatric emergency nurse and has worked at St. Louis Children’s Hospital since 2005. She has worked in the Emergency Department, Ambulatory Procedure Center, and has been with Trauma Services as a Nurse Coordinator since 2012. Michele provides trauma education to St. Louis Children’s Hospital staff and also provides outreach and education to transferring hospitals and EMS. After experiencing a lengthy illness and many hospitalizations with her teenage son, she became passionate about the care of the teen patient.
Maranda Jackson-Parkin, PhD, RN, CRNP-BC, CCNS, CCRN
Maranda Jackson-Parkin is an RN, Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist. Her nursing background is in trauma, neurotrauma and she has practiced in the ED and ICU. She has over 20 years of nursing experience. Currently, she holds an academic position at the University of Maryland and maintains a clinical practice at a Medstar hospital.
Amy Koestner, MSN, RN
Amy Koestner is the Trauma Program Manager at Spectrum Health, a level 1 Trauma Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Amy has 20 years in the role of trauma program manager. Her involvement in STN includes participation as a faculty member for the Optimal Trauma Center Organization & Management Course, STN chair liaison to the Committee on Trauma, and nurse leader for the ACS-COT PIPS collaboration initiative. She is a nurse reviewer for state designation organizations and the American College of Surgeons VRC.
Tiffany LeCroy, MSN, RN, FNP-C, ACNS-BC, CRRN
Tiffany LeCroy is a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse employed by Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia; and she currently serves as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Brain Injury Program. She has over 22 years’ experience specializing in rehabilitation. In her current role, she oversees the orientation and education of clinical nursing staff, as well as develops and presents educational materials for patients and caregivers at Shepherd Center. She frequently provides brain injury presentations to acute care hospital staff, local university nursing students, and at national nursing conferences. She is a co-author for The Association of Rehabilitation Nurses “The Specialty Practice of Rehabilitation Nursing: A Core Curriculum” (7th Ed.); Traumatic Injuries Chapter 23. She has also been appointed by the Association of Rehabilitation Nursing to serve as the Senior Reviewer for the Elsevier Rehabilitation Nursing Skills collection. Tiffany is board certified as Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist and Family Nurse Practitioner.
R. Todd Maxson, MD, FACS
Dr. Robert Maxson is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and the Trauma Medical Director for Arkansas Children's Hospital. Dr. Maxson received his M.D. from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and completed a surgical residency at UAMS in 1996. Dr. Maxson went on to complete fellowships in Pediatric Surgery at Arkansas Children's Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital. Dr. Maxson was instrumental in building the Level I pediatric trauma systems at both Dell Children's Hospital in Austin and Children's Medical Center of Dallas. Dr. Maxson joined the faculty at Arkansas Children's Hospital in 2009.Dr. Maxson has co-authored over 30 articles and 2 book chapters and has received multiple awards for research and teaching. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Pediatric Surgical Association, The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Trauma Society, the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American Public Health Association, The Southwestern Surgical Congress, American Medical Association, the Texas Medical Association, the Travis County Medical Society, and the American College of Physician Executives.
Jonathan Messing, MSN, ACNP-BC, TCRN, CCRN
Jonathan Messing is a nurse practitioner with trauma services at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC. He is an active member of the STN-EAST Task Force for Advanced Practitioners and a proponent of strong PA-NP-MD collaborative efforts. His priority remains clinical care, but also oversees GW’s first AP residency program for new to practice PAs and NPs. He received his BSN from Villanova University and his MSN from The University of Pennsylvania.
Kathryn Moore, PhD, DNP, APRN-BC, FCCM
Kate Moore is an Associate Professor at Emory University where she is involved with simulation and teaching. Dr. Moore earned both a PhD and DNP in nursing. A retired Colonel, serving in the Army Nurse Corps, her primary research interest is volume resuscitation in trauma, hypothermia in trauma and improving access to trauma care. Her educational research includes measuring clinical competency, integration simulation in the nursing curriculum and the impact of simulation for disaster planning.
Todd Nickoles, RN, BSN, MBA
Todd Nickoles is the Trauma Program Manager at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, a Level 1 pediatric trauma center. He was previously the Nurse Manager of Pediatric Trauma and Injury Prevention at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, a level 1 pediatric trauma center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in nursing from Grand Valley State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Ferris State University. He has twelve years of clinical experience with trauma, including six years in pediatric trauma programs. His interests within pediatric trauma include trauma team improvement and reliability, measurement-driven performance improvement, and research.Joan Pirrung, MSN, RN, ACNS-BC
Trauma Program Manager, Christiana Care Health System, Newark, DEJoan has worked with the trauma population for the last 20 years at the bedside in the ICU followed by her current role as trauma program manager. She has been in the role for 11 years and has worked in an ACS verified Level 1 trauma center for 13 years. A major part of her role is to manage and actively participate in PI. This includes case review, co-chairing PI committee meetings and assisting in loop closure.
Kristen Ray, RN, MSN
Kristen Ray received her BSN from Florida State University, she started her career working in an adult ED, at cardiac and stroke hospital in Jacksonville FL. Then continued on to UF & Shand’s Jacksonville working in the Trauma/ surgical ICU. Moving to Baltimore, MD she worked for R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center & worked to receive her MSN from Walden University. Moving on to the NJ Trauma Center at University Hospital, in Newark, Kristen was the Assistant Trauma Register Coordinator. Currently she is the Clinical Nurse Educator for Trauma at INOVA Trauma Center in Fairfax, Virginia.
Amanda Rist, BSN, RN
Amanda Rist is the Injury Prevention and Outreach Coordinator at the Trauma Program Office at the University of Kentucky A. B. Chandler Medical Center. She obtained her Associates Degree in Nursing at the Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky and her Bachelors of Science in Nursing at the University of Kentucky, Lexington. She has clinical experience in medical and post-op surgical nursing and trauma critical care nursing. She is the 2016 recipient of the Lexington, KY area STAR Award for her work with the Brain Injury Alliance of Kentucky. She is certified in TNCC and currently serves as the Kentucky State Chapter Director for ThinkFirst Kentucky. She is also serves as Board Chair representing state chapter directors nationwide for the ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation. She serves on the committee that developed the ThinkFirst for Falls Program and curriculum. She is a member of the Society of Trauma Nursing and serves as co-chair for the Geriatric Special Interest Group: Injury Prevention/Falls.
Bryce Robinson, MD, MS, FACS, FCCM
Dr. Bryce Robinson is an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington and the Associate Medical Director for Critical Care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle Washington. Dr. Robinson is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Critical Care Medicine. He serves as the Chair of the Practice Management Guidelines Section for the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma and is the author of multiple guidelines using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) methodology.Elizabeth Seislove, MSN RN
Elizabeth Seislove is currently the Assistant Vice President for Trauma Services with the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) in Nashville, TN. Her responsibilities include assisting HCA verified, upgrading or inaugural trauma programs with accreditation processes, standards of optimal care along with research and evidenced practice throughout the network. Prior to this position, she was the Director of the Trauma Program at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, PA, a Regional Level I Adult Trauma Center, a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center and an ABA accredited Burn Center. Preceding the Director position she was an ICU staff nurse in the Shock Trauma Unit, ICU Educator/Advanced practice clinician, followed by the Pediatric Trauma Coordinator, Program Manager then Director. She has served on several local and national boards of directors including the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation, past president of the Society of Trauma Nurses and member of the EAST Foundation BOD. She has presented locally, regionally, nationally and internationally on various trauma topics.
BSN: Widener University, Chester, PA 1980 – 1984
MSN: Villanova University, Villanova, PA 1995 – 1999
Richard Sidwell, MD, FACS
Dr. Richard Sidwell is a board certified surgeon who provides comprehensive evaluation and care of the injured patient. He is currently the Chief of Region 7 for the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and the Chair of the Rural Trauma subcommittee. Dr. Sidwell led the effort for the most recent revision of the Rural Trauma Team Development Course.
Lynn Gerber Smith, RN, MS
Lynn worked at the University Of Maryland Medical Center for 39 years. For 37 of those years Lynn worked at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in the Trauma Resuscitation Unit, as Senior Clinical Nurse II, focusing on education. Lynn has her Masters Degree in Nursing Education and enjoys traveling across the US and the UK to speak on Trauma and Pregnancy, trauma resuscitation topics, and interactive trauma games. She has presented in 40 states and 4 countries. Lynn has more than 15 publications, the most recent in a British pre-hospital text.Lynn continues to actively lecture on trauma nursing topics around the country.
Lisa Tofil
Lisa Tofil, Partner, Holland & Knight LLPMs represents a number of health care organizations, with significant expertise in hospital and health system financing, trauma centers and systems, air medical transport, emergency medical services and the 340B Drug Discount Program. She is an experienced advocate on numerous other healthcare issues and programs, including graduate medical education, biomedical research, transplantation, health resources issues, as well as public records and open meetings laws. Ms. Tofil works with clients on policy development, devising legislative and regulatory strategies, and intervening as necessary to draft and secure legislative or regulatory changes that advance client interests. In previous roles, she served as in‐house counsel to two large health systems, building their government relations functions and executing strategic government relations plans.