EMS Airway Contributors

Editor emeritus of JEMS, A.J. Heightman is a former EMS director and EMS operations director who has researched and specialized in MCI management training for 30 years.

Aaron is a clinical instructor in Creighton University’s Department of Paramedicine. He has over fifteen years of experience in various levels of emergency medicine. Aaron’s research and professional interests include prehospital airway management, bringing critical care level care to the prehospital environment and first responder mental health.

Rio Rancho Fire Rescue

Battalion Chief EMS Division

EMT-P

Aidan Milner, MD, worked as an EMT while in high school and college before studying medicine. Now he is an internal medicine resident  at Yale New Haven Hospital, and plans to pursue a career in cardiology with a focus on critical care.

Amber Chan, NREMT, is an EMS provider and published researcher with an academic background in behavioral neuroscience and business administration.  She is a research member of the EMS Pandemic Response Research Lab.

Andrew Merelman, BS, NRP, FP-C, is a critical care paramedic working in New Hampshire. His primary interests are airway management, point-of-care ultrasound, and resuscitation. He will be starting medical school in 2018. Contact him at [email protected] or via Twitter @amerelman.

Andrew Watson, NRP, BS, is a paramedic with Dorchester County (SC) EMS.

Ashraf Almahwasi, MSc, PhD, MIPEM, is a consultant and director of Medical Physics and Radiation Safety at the SFHM. He is a certified SCFHS TOT-facilitator, item author, surveyor and is an IAEA TTTRPOs trainer who provides training to postgraduate residents and radiation protection officers in several training centers. He is a board member and a designated institutional officer of the volunteer platform at the SMPS. He is a researcher in radiobiology and medical education.

Barnita Haldar, MD, PhD, is a physician scientist specializing in acute respiratory disease and prehospital medicine. She is the co-principal investigator of the EMS Pandemic Response Research Lab. 

Benjamin Diven, MD, has 36 years experienceas an EMS medical director and was previously an EMT in Phoenix, Arizona. He has been medical director for the Las Cruces Fire Department since 2015. This is his fourth medical journal publication.

Benjamin Podsiadlo, EMT-P, is the director of clinical integration for Armstrong Ambulance Service in Arlington, Massachusetts.

Bryan Bledsoe, DO, FACEP, FAEMS, is an emergency physician, researcher and EMS author. He’s professor of emergency medicine at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and an attending emergency physician at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas. He’s board certified in emergency medicine and EMS.

Chris Kroboth has been a career paramedic/firefighter for over 17 years and in EMS for over 23. He has been in prehospital and in-hospital education for the past 18 years. His last assignment before returning to operations was as the EMS training captain in charge of continuing education programs and certification. He is also affiliate faculty with the Virginia Commonwealth University Paramedic Program. He is the U.S. clinical education manager for iSimulate and also facilitates national conference clinical challenges to include EMS World, ENA and NTI.

Christian Ventura, NREMT, EMS-I, FHAMES, is an EMS clinician, lecturer, and scientific researcher with publications in cognitive neuroscience and EMS science. He is the author of The Emergency Medical Responder by Springer Nature, and Host of Evidence-Based EMS at JEMS. 

Dr. Christopher McLaughlin is a chief resident in the Department of General Surgery at Penn State Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA. He obtained his NRP though Good Fellowship Ambulance Company in West Chester, PA, his BS in Biochemistry from Boston College, in Boston, MA, and his MD from Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke, VA. His interests include trauma systems, rural EMS, trauma-induced coagulopathy, and prehospital management of chest trauma.

Clay Odell, BS, NRP, RN, is a paramedic-firefighter with Newport (NH) Fire-EMS, and a paramedic for New London Hospital EMS. He is a past state EMS bureau chief, state trauma system coordinator, EMS service chief, and a flight crew member at Dartmouth Hitchcock Advanced Response Team. Clay has been a paramedic since 1985, and a registered nurse since 1997.

Clifton Thompson, BSN, RN, CFRN, NREMT, is a critical care transport nurse in North Carolina. He is the current educator for AirCare Critical Care Transport at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital.

Coco Thomas, BSN, RN, EMT-B, is a medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is a former adult and pediatric emergency room nurse and EMT, pursuing a career in emergency medicine. 

Cody Winniford is a flight paramedic and base manager in Baltimore, MD. He has a passion for sharing his professional experience in EMS and management. Cody’s clinical and leadership development background spans both military and civilian settings and has served in several capacities as a leader and prehospital clinician. He specializes in air medical and critical care transport, as well as organizational development and leadership development. He is an active speaker on various leadership and clinical topics and is an established and successful educator for prehospital clinicians of all levels. He has a passion for human performance improvement and the mental health and performance aspects of prehospital care.

Cory Agler, NRP, FP-C, CCP-C, is a nationally registered paramedic and board certified flight and critical care paramedic. He works as a firefighter/paramedic in western Ohio and has experience in both 911 response and inter-facility transport. He is currently working toward a bachelor’s degree with a pre-medical track.

Cory Hromatko has 12 years’ experience in EMS, a Bachelor’s degree in the biological sciences, and an Associate’s degree in the applied sciences as a paramedic.

Craig Dues, DO, FACOEP, FACEP, is a board certified emergency physician working in rural western Ohio. He is the emergency department director at Mercer Health and president of Emergency Physicians Group, LLC. He provided prehospital care as an EMT for five years prior to attending medical school. He encourages evidenced based prehospital care and remains active in EMS education.

Chief, Division of Prehospital, Austere and Disaster Medicine Professor of Emergency Medicine, EMS and Anesthesiology, The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center

Rio Rancho Fire Rescue

Captain EMS Training

EMT-B

Dennis Edgerly, MEd, EMT-P, began his EMS career in 1987. He’s currently the EMS academy director for Arapahoe Community College. He can be reached at [email protected].

Dr. Jennifer Sedillo is an associate professor of Public Health at American Public University Systems. She earned her doctorate in public health from the University of South Florida. She teaches epidemiology and research methods graduate-level courses. 

Dr. Karen Schill, DNP, APN-C, FNP-BC, ENP-C, CEN, CFRN, NREMT-P, has more than twenty years of experience in the prehospital setting, ranging from basic life support, paramedicine, and air and ground critical care transport. She teaches prehospital courses with the Atlantic Mobile Health Training Center Dr. Schill spent twelve years as a bedside emergency nurse and continues to work as an advanced practice nurse in a Level 1 Trauma Center. She presently works as a full-time assistant professor clinical instructor in the Rutgers School of Nursing FNP in Acute Emergency Care program.

Hospital for Advanced Medicine and Surgery (HAMS)

Department of ER/Prehospital Care

Kathmandu, Nepal

JEMS Editor-in-Chief for Clarion Events Fire & Rescue Group. Servant Leader, Professional Educator, Author, and Textbook Contributor. Critical Care EMT- Paramedic and Nationally Registered Paramedic, with an Associate Degree in Emergency Medical Science, a Bachelor’s in Health Science and EMS Management, a Master’s Degree in Education and a Doctor of Education Degree in higher education leadership. Background includes EMS educator with over 20 years of experience in both on site and online programs, EMS shift supervisor, field training officer and team leader, over 20 years of field paramedic and six years of critical care transport experience along with seven years of military experience in a leadership position with rapid-deployments units.

Lieutenant R. Elliott Guinn is a critical care paramedic and has been involved in EMS for over 20 years. He has been with the Rio Rancho Fire Rescue for the past 14 years and is currently assigned as a senior “Medcom,” a small specially trained paramedic program responding to high acuity calls to over 100,000 people.

Exclusive feature content from thought leaders in airway management.

Eric M. Rottenberg, AAS, is a graduate of the Columbus Technical Institute with a paramedic degree. He has worked at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center since 1988, where he has studied CPR and intubation research. He has spent several years reviewing manuscripts for the American Journal of Emergency Medicine and received reviewer recognition in 2019 after completing his 80th review.

Evan D. Schmitz, MD is a board certified pulmonary and critical care physician and the inventor of the AIROD®.

Gina Farquharson, RRT-NPS, MBA, MS, CPPS is a registered respiratory therapist and paramedic instructor in Massachusetts and teaching capnography for almost 20 years.  She is currently a senior consultant for Capnography at Medtronic.

Glen Keating is an airway enthusiast from Columbus, Ohio. Glen is paramedic in charge of quality improvement for a suburban EMS system north of Columbus and spent 11 years as a respiratory therapist at a Level-One trauma center in Columbus. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in emergency medical care from Eastern Kentucky University and is an Ohio EMS Instructor with a special focus on airway and ventilation management. He is the owner of PreHospital Elements, LLC., an EMS education and quality improvement firm based in Ohio.

Greg Chapman, BS, RRT, CCEMT-P, is a faculty member of the International Prehospital Medicine Institute and Director of the Center for Prehospital Medicine at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Gregory K. Spratt, BS, RRT, CPFT is the Director of Market Development at Medtronic.

University of Tennessee Health Science Center, UTHSC Department of Emergency Medicine, Memphis, TN

Jake Weinstein is the chief learning officer at medicalednow.com, a continuing education company focused on EMS and nursing. He is a hospitalist NP in Denver, Medical Director for Revive IV Bars and adjunct faculty at University of Northern Colorado. His background includes flight medicine, cardiac surgery ICU and consulting services. Contact him at [email protected].

Jason Haag is the assistant chief of operations for Finger Lakes Ambulance and the owner of Medivation, LLC. He has more than 20 years of fire and EMS experience and management experience in EMS billing. He started as an EMT in 2003 and advanced to the paramedic level in 2006. In 2008, Jason studied at the University of Maryland Baltimore College to obtain a certification in critical care transport. Jason worked as a CCEMT-P since 2008 and has experience transporting critically ill patients utilizing ventilators, IV pumps, advanced pharmacology, and RSI. He was an EMS supervisor from 2010-2018. Jason successfully earned his CIC certification and teaches for many agencies across New York. He also speaks at conferences, hosts classes, and coordinates educational offerings. Jason continues his EMS advocacy through his active involvement with Finger Lakes Regional EMS Council, NY SEMSCO, Wayne County ALS, AHA instructing, NASEMSE and NAEMT. His involvement with Geneva Fire Department, Boy Scouts, Masons, Rotary, and Ducks Unlimited occupy his days after his daily family time with his wife Jami and son Gavin.

Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine

Associate Director, Prehospital and Disaster Medicine

University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Jeff Frankel is the managing editor of the Journal of Emergency Medical Services.

University of Tennessee Health Science Center, UTHSC Department of Emergency Medicine, Memphis, TN

Emergency Medicine

John Alexander, MS, NRP, CNA, is a paramedic with Lifeline Air and Ground Transport Service at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He is a retired fire and EMS captain from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department and has been a paramedic for over thirty years.

John Gilpin is a paramedic for REMSA, Buchanan County Ambulance, in Saint Joseph, Missouri. He has been a paramedic for 10 years and has certifications in flight paramedicine and critical care paramedicine.

Joseph P. Hopple, NRP, is the former education coordinator for Sussex County EMS and is currently the director of emergency services for Old Lycoming Township in Williamsport, Pa, where he also serves on the faculty of the Pennsylvania College of Technology Paramedic program.

Joshua S. Fu is the John D. Tickle Professor of Engineering and Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Inaugural Professor of the UT-ORNL Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, Joint Appointment Professor in Computational Earth Sciences Group in Computational Sciences and Engineering Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Judson Smith brings more than 20 years of experience in fire and EMS to his current role,  Deputy Chief of EMS for UC Health EMS in Colorado. He holds a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, numerous EMS teaching credentials and founded one of the first virtual online EMS training programs. Judson also holds numerous specialty paramedic and firefighter certifications. He has a background in both flight medicine and fire-based EMS. Judson also serves as an officer in an Air Force Reserves aeromedical evacuation squadron.

Kelly Grayson, NRP, CCP, is a critical care paramedic and educator in Louisiana.

Kelly Ward has a bachelor’s degree in emergency medicine from the University of Pittsburgh and is a practicing paramedic. She is currently in nursing school and hopes to combine her interests in critical care and prehospital emergency medicine by pursuing a career in flight nursing.

Dr. Kitae Kevin Park is a pulmonary and critical care physician. He obtained his medical degree at Saba University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in internal medicine at UNDNJ-NJMS, then went on to complete his fellowship at Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in pulmonary and critical care. He has served as medical director in multiple ICU programs in Southern California. Dr. Park continues to focus on delivery of healthcare in underserved areas.   

Lew has been involved in EMS since 1971, when he was initially certified as an EMT, and is also a former fire chief. He spent several of those years, often simultaneously, in both prehospital and hospital-based care, and remains active in paramedic training.

University of Tennessee Health Science Center, UTHSC Department of Emergency Medicine, Memphis, TN

Mark T. Dalton, AAS, BA, EMT-P, is a paramedic and the Director of Operations for Canton Rescue in Canton, NY. He also serves as a member of the North Country Regional Emergency Medical Services Council.

Martin Pelletier, BS, CCEMT-P, FP-C, is a paramedic for Brewster Ambulance in Massachusetts. He also works as a paramedic and SCT-3 provider for Canton Rescue in Canton, NY.

Marvin A. Wayne, MD, FACEP, FAAEM, FAHA, is the medical program director for Whatcom County EMS systems in Washington state. He’s also an attending physician in the ED at St. Joseph Medical Center, an associate clinical professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Washington, and is member of numerous local, state, national and international organizations on emergency medicine and EMS.

Mary Kamienski, PhD, FNP, ENP, FAEN, FAAN, is a professor and specialty director of the FNP in Emergency Care track in the Division of Advanced Nursing Practice in Rutgers School of Nursing. Dr. Kamienski has 46 years years of experience in nursing which has been primarily in emergency prehospital and hospital-based care. She served as an EMT in the years prior to becoming a nurse. She has been in academia full-time for sixteen years and maintains a faculty practice in an urgent care setting.

Dr. Matthew Chinn is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine in the EMS Division at the Medical College of Wisconsin.  He serves as the Assistant Medical Director for the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management – EMS Division and the Medical Director for the New Berlin and Tess Corners Fire Department. 

Matthew Kent, NRP, is paramedic in Western Pennsylvania who currently works for Valley Ambulance Authority. Matthew will be graduating from the University of Pittsburgh’s Emergency Medicine Program in April 2020.

Michael Berkenbush, MD, NRP, is an EMS Fellow and emergency physician at Atlantic Health - Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey. He is also a currently practicing paramedic, beginning his EMS and medical career as a volunteer EMT/firefighter, and subsequently has served as a paramedic in northern New Jersey and the Hudson Valley region of New York state.

Michael J. Barakey, CFO, is a 30-year fire service veteran and the chief of Suffolk (VA) Fire & Rescue. He is also a hazmat specialist; an instructor III; a nationally registered paramedic; and a neonatal/pediatric critical care paramedic for the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia. Barakey is the participating agency representative and former task force leader for the VA-TF2 urban search and rescue team and an exercise design/controller for Spec Rescue International. He has a master’s degree in public administration from Old Dominion University and graduated the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program in 2009. Barakey authored Critical Decision Making: Point-To-Point Leadership in Fire and Emergency Services through Fire Engineering Books and Videos, regularly contributes to Fire Engineering, and is an FDIC International preconference and classroom instructor.

Michael Schauf, RRT-NPS, has been a registered respiratory therapist at Albany Medical Center Hospital in New York since 1994. He covers all in-patient units, ICUs, the adult and pediatric Emergency Departments and is a member of the neonatal/pediatric transport team at this Level I Trauma and Level 3 NICU Center. Michael is the founder of Vent-Pro Training, teaching medics and nurses around the world how to manage mechanically ventilated patients during ground, rotor, and fixed-wing transports. He has been a flight respiratory therapist since 1998, currently working for AirMed and as a clinical education specialist for AMR. Michael authored the respiratory chapter of, “Critical Care Transport, 2nd edition,” published by Jones & Bartlett and is an adjunct instructor in the Respiratory Care Program at Hudson Valley Community College.

Mike McEvoy, PhD, NRP, RN, CCRN, is the EMS coordinator for Saratoga County, New York, and the professional development coordinator for Clifton Park and Halfmoon Ambulance. He is a nurse clinician in the adult and pediatric cardiac surgery intensive care units at Albany Medical Center, where he also teaches critical care medicine. McEvoy is the chief medical officer and firefighter/paramedic for West Crescent Fire Department in Clifton, New York. He is also the chair of the EMS Section board of directors for the International Association of Fire Chiefs and a member of the New York State Governor’s EMS Advisory Council. He is a lead author of the textbook Critical Care Transport, the “Informed” Pocket References (Jones & Bartlett), and the American Academy of Pediatrics textbook Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals (PEPP).

Nicholas Fatolitis, BSN, RN, CEN, CFRN, NRP, FP-C, is a registered nurse and paramedic in the Tampa Bay, FL region. He currently practices as both a flight paramedic for a rotor-based critical care flight team and an emergency department nurse. Nick is also a graduate student at the University of South Florida in an adult-gerontology acute-care nurse practitioner program and works as an adjunct faculty member in the emergency medical services education program at St. Petersburg College.

Patrick R. Sinclair, DO, is a graduate of Midwestern University - Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. He recently completed an EMS fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin. 

Peter Kahn, MD, MPH, NREMT, is an internal medicine resident at the Yale School of Medicine/Yale New Haven Hospital. His work focuses on public health and policy, with a particular interest in prehospital critical care.

Rawan Alghamdi, NRP, BSc EMS, is a paramedic working with the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA). She is a certified BLS instructor. She is completing her master’s degree in medical education at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia.

Raymond Dwyer III, BS, MICP, is the assistant manager of Clinical and Quality for Atlantic Mobile Health. He brings 28 years of EMS experience, with 24 years as a paramedic and an educator.

Richard Levitan, MD, FACEP, is an emergency physician with an interest in airway management. He teaches a monthly cadaver lab focusing on airway procedures and lectures worldwide. He has published many articles on airway and oxygenation techniques.

Rob Bozicevich, MPH, NRP, is an EMS educator and EMS academy manager in Georgia. He has been working and teaching in EMS for 16 years. 

University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Memphis, TN

Scott E Kansky, BS, FP-C, MICP, is the accreditation coordinator for Atlantic Mobile Health. He brings 30 years of experience as a paramedic and 15 years as a flight paramedic.

Stephen Wood, MS, ACNP-BS, is a nurse practitioner and works in emergency medicine at Steward Health System in Massachusetts. He’s a fellow at the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics and a contributor for the Petrie-Flom Center blog Bill of Health.

Steve Vernak, EMT-P, is a paramedic working in a private ambulance in Cleveland, Ohio. He expresses his experiences in life and EMS through paintings and music.

Steven C. LeCroy, MA, CRT, EMT-P, is a retired captain/paramedic from St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue, an adjunct instructor at St. Petersburg College and a 40-year respiratory therapist. He has also been an expert witness in over 100 EMS cases across the U.S.

Terry Riddle, BSN, BHS, FP-C, works for Parker County Hospital District EMS as a critical care paramedic and supervisor. He, along with a supportive team, engage in airway and critical care training, while also partnering with University of North Texas Health Science Center on prehospital medical research.

Thomas Engel is an EM/EMS physician. He is an Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and an assistant medical director for the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency a Management. He serves in the Army National Guard as a physician in the 54th SFAB. 

Thomas Krakeel, NRP, BS, is a paramedic crew chief and acting station supervisor for Dorchester County (SC) EMS.

Tristan Coomer is an experienced healthcare professional with a diverse skill set. He holds certifications as an advanced care paramedic, advanced care community paramedic, firefighter, educator and has the opportunity of sharing his experience and knowledge globally.

Troy Valente (pronounced "va-len-tee") was born and raised in California and has lived in Northern Colorado since 2001 with his wife (a NICU nurse) and two kids. Troy started his EMS career in 2002. becoming a paramedic in 2006. Prior to that, he attended Pepperdine University and The University of Northern Colorado, where he received a bachelor’s degree in exercise science with a sports medicine minor.

Feel free to reach out directly to Troy via email: [email protected].

Zachary Blickley, NRP, is a senior in the University of Pittsburgh’s Emergency Medicine Program and will be graduating in April 2020. He is also a Pennsylvania paramedic who currently works for Bucks County Rescue Squad, Tri-Hampton Rescue Squad and Valley Ambulance Authority.

For over 22 years, I have been serving as a paramedic at one of Israel’s national EMS organizations. I hold a bachelor’s degree in emergency medical services and am certified as a flight paramedic by the LIFE STAR program at Hartford Hospital, Connecticut.