EMS Update 2022

All speakers in alphabetical order:

Ariel Aballay, MD, FACS has been the medical director of the burn center at AHN-West Penn Hospital for 10 years. He is a member of the Burn Prevention Committee at the American Burn Association and has served as member of the International Outreach committee and Ethics committee in the past. He is National Faculty of the ABLS educational course. He has presented in numerous National and International conferences.

David Barton, MD, FAWM is an attending physician with UPMC and an emergency medicine research fellow at the University of Pittsburgh. My research interests are in pathophysiology and treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Additional sub-specialty interests are in wilderness medicine and prehospital emergency medical services.

Justin Beal, PHRN, NRP is a EMS Education Specialist with UPMC Prehospital Care. Justin comes with prehospital experience, working as a ground EMS Provider as well as a flight medic/nurse, and in-hospital experience as a Emergency Room RN and Manager.

Daniel Bledsoe, MD, MBA is the system EMS Medical Director and Emergency Physician with UPMC Pinnacle with extensive experience in emergency medicine and EMS. He has written nine books, including "The Trauma Manual," now in its third edition.

Charlie Borowicz is the Transgender Health Project Manager for Allegheny Health Network’s Center for Inclusion Health. Charlie provides training and education across the healthcare system, emphasizing the need for transgender-inclusive care at all sites. They review policies and procedures, as well as make recommendations for medical record upgrades. They assist Forbes Hospital in achieving their training goals for the Healthcare Equality Index, an annual measure of healthcare inclusivity of LGBTQ patients and staff. Charlie also functions as a care navigator for transgender and non-binary patients who receive services through AHN.

Emily Brant, MD is an Assistant Professor of Critical Care and Emergency Medicine at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. As a Pitt EM residency alum, I am proud of the opportunities I had to work alongside City of Pittsburgh EMS and STAT Medevac flight providers. I am now an intensivist in the UPMC Presbyterian Transplant ICU. My research interests include early identification and treatment of sepsis during the prehospital and emergency care intervals.

Scott Burgess is a 35-year veteran of the Nashville Fire department. Currently he is a Captain/Paramedic assigned to a downtown engine company. His previous assignments include a technical rescue unit, ALS transport unit, marine unit, and the department's training academy as an instructor. Scott is also an instructor for the Department of Homeland Security. He teaches EMS and hazardous materials at the DHS training facility in Anniston, Alabama. On Christmas Day he was riding as an acting district chief.

Angelica Cercone, MD is a third year Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and she is currently completing a prehospital focused track as part of her fellowship. Her love of prehospital medicine started when she became an EMT in high school and volunteered with a local ambulance service while also working as an EMS communications specialist. She then went on to pursue medical school at Penn State College of Medicine and pediatric residency at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. Since becoming a fellow, she has been involved in prehospital education, clinical experiences, QI projects and research, as well as disaster preparedness. She is extremely excited to join a motivated and highly accomplished group as part of the Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Steering Committee who shares the same goal of enhancing pediatric care within the prehospital setting. After completing her current fellowship, she will become the first Pediatric trained fellow to complete an EMS fellowship through the University of Pittsburgh.

Dominic Cercone, MD is a fellow at the UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. He attended the University of Maryland/Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and completed his residency at the University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital.

John Detherage III, MD, is currently a PGY-1 Emergency Medicine resident at Allegheny General Hospital. I completed my undergraduate coursework at the University of Cincinnati where I graduated Summa Cum Laude, with distinguished honors, and with a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and a minor in Medical Sciences. I completed my Doctor of Medicine degree at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine.

Kyle Duff, MD is a Clinician with Central Outreach Wellness Center. He graduated with honors from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2015.

Raquel Forsythe, MD is the Director of Trauma at UPMC Presbyterian, Director of Education in Trauma Surgery and Assistant Professor of Surgery and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.

Nick George, MD is a PGY-3 chief resident in the UPMC Emergency Medicine program interested in all things resuscitation, EMS, and HEMS. Prior to medical school, he spent 6 years as a FF/EMT in New Jersey. In addition to his ED time, Dr. George works as a flight physician with STAT MedEvac and serves as assistant medical director of Fayette EMS. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, running, eating ice cream, and supporting Arsenal (English Premier League soccer team).

James Green has worked in health care for 24 years as a clinician, educator and an EMS provider. Currently serving as the Director of EMS Education and Training at Harrisburg Area Community College, a part-time Flight Paramedic with STAT MedEvac and a critical care instructor for IA Med, Jim teaches exactly as he practices, with a passion to help others. He began in health care in 1997 as a Doctor of Chiropractic and shortly after the events of 9/11 transitioned to a career in Emergency Medical Services. Jim is committed to continuously developing himself as a critical care paramedic and with his unique experience he enjoys creatively inspiring those around him in EMS as an educator. Jim is also the founder and director of Mission Ready, a program that is dedicated to first responder professional development and promoting excellence in the field.

Frank Guyette, MD is a Professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh; attending physician at UPMC Presbyterian and medical director of STAT MedEvac, UPMC's critical care transport network.

Mohamed Hagahmed, MD, MPH is the Associate Medical Director for The Center for Emergency Medicine and a Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Richard Kaufman, MBA, NRP is the Regional Education Coordinator for EMS West and is an EMS Instructor Trainer and an EVDT instructor. Rich is clinically active with the UPMC Advanced Response Team.

Matthew Keener, MD is board certified in both general and child psychiatry and CEO/Chief Medical Officer of Blackbird Health. Blackbird Health is a clinical neuroscience based telepsychiatry company focused on youth and adolescent care.

Jeffrey Kelly, BS, EMT-P has over 30 years in emergency services, the last 15 in EMS management. His vast experience of managing EMS organizations provides an in-depth look into both field level, and management level issues.

Jason Kodat, DO, Paramedic is the EMS Medical Director for Priority Care Ambulance and the Emergency Department Medical Director at UPMC Cole.

Douglas Kupas, MD, FAEMS, FACEP is a board-certified emergency physician subspecializing in emergency medical services. His research interests include CPR quality. Dr. Kupas earned his medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University and completed his residency at Geisinger Medical Center. He is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He is also the Commonwealth EMS Medical Director.

David LaCovey is the EMS Specialist for UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. He has been involved in EMS for over 45 years and an EMS educator of pediatric topics for 29 years

Todd Leiss is the Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Coordinator in the Traffic Engineering and Operations Department for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC). Prior to becoming the PTC TIM Coordinator, Mr. Leiss worked as an Operations Center Duty Officer for more than 15 years in the PTC Traffic Operations Center. Prior to his tenure at the PTC he worked as an emergency dispatcher at the Derry Township Police Department and at Lebanon County 911. Todd is a former volunteer firefighter, emergency medical technician and hazardous material team member. Todd is a 2018 graduate of the I-95 Corridor Coalition Senior Leadership Operations Academy, a 2019 graduate of the I-95 Corridor Coalition Freight Academy and was named the 2018 ITS-Pennsylvania Person of the Year, the 2019 Cumberland Valley Volunteer Fireman’s Past President Joseph Bukowski Responder Safety Award for Highway Safety award winner and the 2019 ITS-Pennsylvania Project of the Year winner for the Pennsylvania SHRP2 Traffic Incident Management E-Learning Course.

Sandra Lopez, MD is the current AHN EMS fellow. She is a native of South Florida and attended Florida International University where she majored in biological sciences. She worked at Florida International until moving to Baltimore to attend medical school and complete her emergency medicine residency at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Alex Marcelewski is the Medical Officer for Holiday Park VFD in Plum, PA for over eight years where he oversees the QRS operations. In addition Alex is a state certified EMS Instructor and Adjunct with CCAC teaching EMT & EMR Classes. Additionally he is a part time EMT with Plum EMS where is he is also one of their CPR Instructors when not assigned to a ambulance crew.

Chris Martin-Gill, MD serves as Chief of the Division of EMS, EMS Fellowship Director, and is Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He has been a nationally registered paramedic for over 20 years and is a certified Flight paramedic. He serves as Associate Medical Director for STAT MedEvac and UPMC Prehospital Care.

Tyler McCardell, MD, NRAEMT is a PGY-1 Emergency Medicine resident at Allegheny General Hospital. His background in EMS began in 2014 as a volunteer EMT and later expanded to the Advanced EMT level. Tyler previously served as the EMS Chief at Wakefield Ambulance Association, Lead BLS Instructor for Emergency Training Academy, AHA Training Center Faculty for WellSpan Ephrata Hospital, and member of the EHS Federation regional working group on Intermediate ALS.

Asbel Montes former lobbyist with Acadian Ambulance in LA and partner in Solutions Group.

Vince Mosesso, MD is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Medical Director of Prehospital Care at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He began his career as a Paramedic and remains active in EMS as a certified Prehospital EMS Physician. Current other roles include Associate Medical Director for Pittsburgh EMS, core faculty for the UPMC EMS Fellowship Program, and Airway Management Physician for the National Football League. His research has focused on prehospital care and sudden cardiac arrest, including the deployment of automated external defibrillators. He has published numerous scientific manuscripts and textbook chapters. He served on the initial EMS Medicine Examination Task Force and Sub-board of the American Board of Emergency Medicine, which developed the inaugural board certification exam for the new subspecialty of EMS Medicine. He was the co-founder and Medical Director of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association. Dr Mosesso has served in many volunteer positions with the American Heart Association, including nationally on the Emergency Care Committee and locally on the Board of Directors. He also serves as Medical Director for the National Association of EMTs (NAEMT) Advanced Medical Life Support program and is the NAEMT representative on the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) Oversight Board.

Philip Nawrocki, MD is the EMS Medical Director for Allegheny General Hospital, and additionally serves as Associate Medical Director for Allegheny Health Network's Critical Care Transport and LifeFlight. He completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Allegheny General Hospital (2014) and a fellowship in EMS at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2018).

Chadd Nesbit, MD, PhD is the System EMS medical director for Allegheny Health Network and the Program Director for the AHN EMS fellowship. He is interested in education of EMS providers and the role of physicians in the prehospital setting.

Andrew Nowalk, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Clinical Director in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Pediatrics at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. A 1999 graduate of the MD PhD at the School of Medicine, he completed Pediatric residency and Infectious Disease fellowship training at Children’s before joining the faculty of the School of Medicine in 2005. He maintains clinical practice and an active research program in Lyme disease, and serves as Co-Program Director of the Pediatric Residency Program. He has participated in data science research in diverse areas, including management and diagnosis of the febrile (and hypothermic) infant.

Megan Panapa, MD is a third year resident physician from Allegheny General Hospital. She completed her medical school in Oregon and moved to Pittsburgh to complete her medical education.

Andrew Peitzman, MD is the Mark M. Ravitch Professor of Surgery and Vice Chairman at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He also serves as Chief of the Division of General Surgery. Dr. Peitzman attended medical school at the University of Pittsburgh and completed his residency there. During that time, he spent two years in basic science research at New York Hospital Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Peitzman has 159 peer-reviewed publications, and 80 book chapters.

Allan Philp, MD, FACS, FCCM is the Trauma Medical Director for AHN, a former military surgeon, and firearm enthusiast.

Anthony Pizon, MD received his medical degree from the University of Toledo School of Medicine in 2001. He then completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in 2004 and his Medical Toxicology Fellowship at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona in 2006. Dr. Pizon is currently a Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Medical Toxicology at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine. He serves as Chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology and Director of the Medical Toxicology Fellowship at UPMC. He is also Assistant Medical Director of both the Pittsburgh and West Virginia Poison Centers. Yet, most importantly, he is blessed with amazing wife, Caryn, and four wonderful children (Benjamin, Elizabeth, Gabriela, and Seraphina).

Ben Reynolds, PA-C is the Chief Advanced Practice Officer of the UPMC Office of Advanced Practice Providers. Reynolds is a practicing physician assistant who works in trauma and general surgery.

Aaron Rhone, PhD, MPA is the Interim Director of the Pennsylvania Department of Health Bureau of EMSC. Dr. Rhone is also part of the faculty at Columbia Southern University in the EMS Administration program.

Ward Richardson, MD is a pediatric surgeon and is certified in both general surgery and pediatric surgery through the American Board of Surgery. He is director of the Benedium Pediatric Trauma Program and is assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center followed by his fellowship at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Jared Ross, DO, NRP is an Emergency Physician with over 20 years of experience as an EMT, paramedic, firefighter and EMS educator. Dr Ross serves as a tactical physician for St Ann Police department SRT and medical director for the Henry Ford College Paramedic program. He was previously assistant medical director for the Detroit Fire Department EMS. Dr Ross is actively involved in Emergency Medicine and EMS research and has presented at numerous local, state, and national conferences.

Ron Roth, MD is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. He serves as a Medical Command physician in the UPMC Communications Center. Dr. Roth is board certified in Emergency Medicine and the sub-specialty of Emergency Medical Services.

Sheila Roth, PhD is a professor and the Director of the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at Carlow University. Her areas of expertise are crisis intervention and emotional trauma, particularly pertaining to public safety personnel. Dr. Roth is a licensed clinical social worker and a certified EMT in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Roth served as the program counselor for the Center for Emergency Medicine of Southwestern Pennsylvania (Paramedic Program) from 1992- 2021. She is a member of the Pittsburgh Critical incident Stress Management Team and serves on their advisory board. Dr. Roth has worked for the past three years with multiple public safety entities to assit with development and to offer education to their Peer Support Teams. Dr. Roth has presented and published in the areas of public safety stress, EMS work and family connections, end of life issues, and crisis management. More recently she has joined the City of Pittsburgh, Office of Community Health and Safety as the Continuum of Support Manager.

Tracy Rozzi at Genentech; is a Therapeutic Area Manager for Western Pennsylvania.

Kyle Schmucker, MD, FAAP is a pediatric emergency medical fellow at the children's hospital of Pittsburgh. His interests are in in pediatric prehospital care and community outreach.

Joshua Schneider, BS, NRP is the Overdose Prevention Coordinator for the City of Pittsburgh's Office of Community Health and Safety. Josh works with partners across the Allegheny County to implement harm reduction-centered programs, develop policy, and improve data infrastructure. Josh is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh Emergency Medicine Program (BS), works as a paramedic at Valley Ambulance Authority, and serves as a Public Health Advisor for the National Disaster Medical System.

Wesley Semple, Jr., BS, NRP, CMTE is the Manager of Prehospital Operations for the Allegheny Health Network Prehospital Response Program where he handles management and operations of 6 paramedic response units and the Medical Special Operations Group. Mr. Semple is a Nationally Registered Paramedic that has also been affiliated with Ross/West View EMSA since 2001. Additionally, Mr. Semple has been assigned to the North Hills Special Response Team as a Tactical Paramedic since 2010. Mr. Semple started his public safety career in 2000 with the Berkeley Hills Fire Company and spent 5 years as Fire Chief. Mr. Semple holds a BS in Emergency Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh. He also is a Critical Care Paramedic, Certified Fire Officer, Certified Medical Transport Executive along with numerous Tactical Certifications including being an Active Shooter Instructor. He is also an adjunct instructor for the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy and 3 Community Colleges in Western Pennsylvania.

Ryan Senica, MHA, FP-C, NRP has been in EMS for 18 years. I spent most of my Prehospital Career with North Huntingdon EMS/Rescue where I served as an Operations Supervisor. I transitioned my career to STAT MedEvac starting out as a Flight Paramedic, followed by Quality Improvement Coordinator, and currently as a Regional Medical Manager. I also work as an assistant EMT instructor for Westmoreland County Community College. I have a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Emergency Medical Services and a Master's degree in Healthcare Administration.

Heather Sharar is the Executive Director of the Ambulance Association of Pennsylvania.

Todd Shipley is a police officer and firearms instructor in Munhall, PA and an active paramedic. He also owns and is a photographer with 9orange Photography.

Benjamin Shopland, NRP, FP-C, is the Medical Manager at UPMC In Home Urgent Care Plus and a Senior Professional Flight Paramedic with STAT MedEvac.

Brielle Stanton, MD is a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. She is originally from Upstate New York and completed her residency in Pediatrics at Yale New Haven’s Children’s Hospital in Connecticut. She enjoys travel, hiking, yoga, and spending time with family.

Ivan Tarkin, MD is an Orthopedic Surgery Specialist in Pittsburgh, PA and has over 22 years of experience in the medical field. He graduated from SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine medical school in 1999. He is affiliated with medical facilities UPMC Mercy and UPMC Presbyterian.

Simon Taxel, NRP, BA is a Crew Chief and public safety diver with the Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS, a medical specialist on Pennsylvania USAR Strike Team 1, a contributing author for a variety of EMS platforms, a public speaker, and a harm reduction advocate.

Jonah Thompson, BA, NRP, CP-C is the Mobile Integrated Health Operations Manager at Allegheny Health Network. He has been a fulltime Community Paramedic since 2013 and is currently serving as the CP representative to the IAFCCP board of directors and the chair of the CAMTS Mobile Integrated Health programs standards committee.

Owen Traynor, MD is the EMS Medical Director at St. Clair Hospital and the Director of the Center for Emergency Medicine Paramedic training program.

Rickquel Tripp, MD, MPH is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, EMS faculty, and Medical Director of 4 different EMS agencies: Penn Hills, Lower Valley, SouthEast Regional, and Foxwall. She has chaired the Networking Committee of the Physician Inclusion Council of Pitt and UPMC (PICUP) for 3 years and now serves as the first Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion of UPMC Graduate Medical Education and Vice Chair of Diversity, Inclusion, & Health Equity for Department of Emergency Medicine. She also is the Co-Chair of UPP EM D, E, & I Committee and Vice Chair of NAEMSP D & I Task Force. She was raised in Upper St. Clair, PA and began her academic journey across the East coast and Midwest after high school. She completed her emergency medicine residency at the University of Chicago and EMS Fellowship at UPMC in 2017. In addition to Rikki being a Commander in the US Navy Reserves and her previous service as a flight surgeon while on active duty, she is an exceptional leader, mentor, and educator within the UPMC/Pitt community.

Tiffany Vargo is the Director of Prehospital Care Transport at Allegheny Health Network where she is responsible for directing Canonsburg Ambulance Service, prehospital care transport and prehospital response. As a community paramedic, she has worked with patients to find sustainable ways to overcome their barriers and reach goals. With over 15 years of EMS experience, Tiffany’s previous roles include mobile integrated health supervisor, EMS supervisor and QA specialist. Interested in the physical and psychological components that make us human, she has earned a Master’s in Forensic Psychology and a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology. She is passionate about preventing EMS provider burnout and psychological distress.

Nicholas Von Foerster, MD is an EMS Fellow at UPMC, ED Physician at UPMC Passavant, Assistant Medical Director for SouthEast Regional EMS and City of Pittsburgh EMS, and a Flight Physician with STAT Medevac.

Richard J. Wadas, MD, FACEP is the Regional Medical Director for the EMS West regional council. He is also Executive Vice Chair - Community Emergency Medicine at UPMC and Sr. Medical Director – Center for Community Hospitalist Medicine at UPMC.

Philip Walker, MD is one of the EMS Fellows at UPMC. He completed residency at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, TN, and medical school at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He started in EMS as an EMT and firefighter on the main line outside of Philadelphia.

Lenny Weiss, MD is Assistant Professor on faculty in the Division of Emergency Medical Services, University of Pittsburgh. He serves as an Assistant Medical Director with STAT Medevac and City of Pittsburgh EMS. Dr. Weiss is the Medical Director of Pittsburgh Police SWAT, Carnegie Mellon University EMS, and directs the Prehospital Physician Response program at the University of Pittsburgh Emergency Medicine Residency.

Jenny Ziembicki, MD is the Medical Director of the Burn Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Mercy Hospital, Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Burns.