The Society of Critical Care Medicine offers on-site ICU review, reporting and coaching for hospitals interested in improvement through collaboration with peers. Multiprofessional members of the Society have come forward to share their expertise and knowledge representing a range of hospitals from academic institutions to community centers. SCCM coaches are from surgical, medical, trauma, and neurological ICUs in both pediatric and adult care settings. They are highly experienced in operational, clinical and quality systems analysis. While onsite they provide new perspectives, fresh ideas, and extend the support needed to make long lasting change. For more information on this service call +1-847-493-6403 or email lharmon@sccm.org. International engagements are available.

      - NEW: MOBILITY COACHING -

Paragon is now offering single day site visits with a team of experts to help your ICU get started with early mobility and exercise particularly in ventilated patients. Teams will include physical/occupational therapists and a critical care pharmacist or physician to assist with assessment of your pain/agitation/delirium protocols. Onsite we will provide:

• Introductory program to outline inclusion and exclusion criteria, staffing and procedures
• Review of potential enhancements to your current use of pain and sedation medications along with assessment and recommendations for your unit's sleep policies
• Discussion of metrics development to track effectiveness and outcomes
• In-unit demonstrations for the entire multiprofessional team
• Instructional materials/protocols/order sets that can be customized by your institution
• e-Documents or a binder of relevant scientific literature to share with leadership and your team
• Posters for use in your unit

The cost is $7500 plus travel expense which may include one overnight stay to facilitate a full day onsite.  Contact Lori Harmon at 847-493-6403 or lharmon@sccm.org to learn more. International engagements are available.

COMMIT - TRANSFORM - IMPROVE (video link)

SCCM Paragon Coaches

NURSES
Ascenzi, Judith A. RN, MSN
Byrum, C. Diane RN, MSN, CCRN, FCCM, CCNS
Darwin, Sarah L. MSN, CCRN
Jones, Susan K. B. MS, RN, APN, CCNS
Kelso, Lynn A. MSN, RN, APRN-BC, FCCM
Lindberg, Joanne M. CCRN, MSN, RN, MN
Ogilvie, Carrie C. CCRN, MS, RN
Schorr, Christa A. RN, MSN
Thompson-Brazill, Kelly MSN, ACNP, RN, CCRN
Tuggle, Deborah J. RN, MSN, CCNS
Wadas, Theresa M. MSN, FNP, ACNP, CCRN
Williams, Donna M. RN, MS, CCRN

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS
Esbrook, Cheryl, OTRL

PHARMACISTS
Batterton, Troy E. PharmD, FCCM
Farrington, Elizabeth, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS
Kane-Gill, Sandra L. PharmD, FCCM, MSc
Ohlinger, Martin J. PharmD, BCPS

PHYSICAL THERAPISTS
Pawlik, Amy, MPT

PHYSICIANS
Berkowitz, Ivor MD, FCCM
Brock, William A. MD, FCCM
DiGiovine, Bruno MD, MPH
Douglas, Ivor S. MD, FCCP
Falimirski, Mark E. MD FACS
Howell, Michael D. MD, MPH (Immediate Past Chair Paragon Committee)
Irazuzta, Jose E. MD, FCCM (Pediatrics)
Jaffar, Muhammad MD, FCCM, FCCP
Kane, Jason, MD, MS, FAAP
LeBas, Stuart J., MD
Lin, John C. MD
Lombardozzi, Kristine A.K. MD, FACS
Lowrie, Lia H. MD (Pediatrics)
Luber, John M. MD
Maldonado, Ivan L. MD, FCCM
Maxwell, Donald K. DO
Stockwell, Jana A. MD, FCCM (Pediatrics)
Subramanian, Sanjay MD

Respiratory Therapists
Bell-Hughes, Margo A. RRT
Hargett, Ken D. RRT, BS, RCP, NPS, FAARC
Harmon, Lori A. RRT, MBA
Kriegel, Patti J. RRT

Judith A. Ascenzi, RN, MSN Clinical Nurse Specialist Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Johns Hopkins Hospital Baltimore, Maryland

Judy Ascenzi is the Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Judy has extensive experience in pediatric critical care nursing, having served in various critical care positions over the last 20 years. Judy has been an active member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses; serving as local chapter treasurer, speaker at annual National Teaching Institute and award/poster panel reviewer. For the past 2 years, Judy has been a manuscript reviewer for the Critical Care Nurse Journal. She has led and participated in many pediatric critical care improvement projects including; pressure ulcer prevention, ventilator associated pneumonia, glycemic control and safe medication delivery. Judy has been actively involved in the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) Quality Transformation Collaborative related to catheter associated blood stream infections in pediatric intensive care units since October of 2006. She is working to spread the collaborative’s “bundles” to other pediatric floors throughout Johns Hopkins. In November of 2010, Judy completed Lean Sigma Green Belt training and is actively working on a project related reducing/eliminating blood stream infections in PICU patients by reducing central line entry. Judy is a graduate of the University of Delaware and Johns Hopkins University Schools of Nursing with a passionate commitment to life-long learning and professional growth. Ms. Ascenzi is serving as a reviewer for the Paragon initiative at Great Ormond Hospital for Children in London, England.

Back to Top

C. Diane Byrum, RN, MSN, CCRN, FCCM, CCNS Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville Huntersville, North Carolina Past SCCM Paragon Chair

Ms. Byrum is a critical care Clinical Nurse Specialist at Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville, in Huntersville, North Carolina. Ms. Byrum served as faculty in 2006 - 2008 in the Surviving Sepsis Campaign. Previous to joining Presbyterian Hospital, Huntersville, Ms Byrum served as a CNS at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte and was an acute/critical care Clinical Nurse Specialist and Outcomes Manager for trauma services at the Carolinas Medical Center. She has been awarded a variety of honors including the 2008 Circle of Excellence Mentoring award from AACN, Great 100 Nurses in North Carolina award 2007, and the Belinda Puetz Award for Creativity and Innovation in Nursing Staff Development 2003, among others. Ms. Byrum is a Fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine and served as Chairperson in 2009 for the Paragon Critical Care Quality Implementation Committee. Ms. Byrum has spent the majority of her career as a mentor, teacher, and advocate for nurses. Diane served as nursing coach for quality improvement initiatives at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit, Michigan.

Sarah L. Darwin, MSN, CCRN Director of Safety and Performance Excellence Sentara Healthcare Norfolk, Virginia

Sarah Darwin is Director of Safety and Performance Excellence at the Sentara Health System in Virginia. Ms. Darwin was previously the Clinical Director of critical care  nursing at Norfolk General Hospital and the System Director of the eICU service. She has worked in health care for more than 30 years. Ms. Darwin has served  in many positions during her tenure with Sentara including Staff Nurse, Head Nurse and Clinical Nurse Specialist.  Ms. Darwin earned her Six Sigma Green Belt leading a project to reduce ventilator length of stay and was responsible for implementation of rapid response teams across six of the seven hospitals within Sentara Healthcare.  She serves on the professional advisory group for the School of Clinical Pastoral Education and has received the CEO's award for excellence. Ms. Darwin has been an outstanding champion for the Surviving Sepsis Campaign at Sentara system-wide supporting  teams to integrate the medical/surgical wards. She has been responsible for assisting with the development of Paragon having served as the nurse coach for three of the pilot hospitals as a valued member of the SCCM Paragon Committee. Ms. Darwin received an SCCM Presidential citation at the 38th annual SCCM Congress for her outstanding contribution to the Society in the development of Paragon. Coaching engagements included Providence Alaska Medical Center, Sentara Obici Hospital and Lakeland Regional Medical Center.

Susan K. B. Jones, MS, RN, APN, CCNS-P, CCRN Deputy Director Joanna Briggs Institute of Oklahoma Clinical Nurse Specialist/Clinical Research INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Susie Jones is currently a pediatric acute care clinical nurse specialist and clinical researcher at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center and is clinical faculty for the clinical nurse specialist program at the University Of Oklahoma College Of Nursing. Susie’s previous positions include a faculty appointment at the University Of Oklahoma College Of Medicine – Pediatric Surgery section, clinical specialist in the pediatric intensive care unit at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, and 15 years working in both adult and pediatric intensive care and as a pediatric/adult flight nurse. Susie is currently responsible for evidence based practice implementation and research development throughout her organization. Susie’s commitment is not limited to her own organization. She is a statewide leader in developing and implementing evidence based initiatives to improve the quality of patient care throughout her state. This work and other led to Susie receiving the 2006 Nursing Research Award from the Oklahoma Nurses Association and in 2008 was awarded the Clinical Nurse Specialist of the Year from the National Association of Clinical Nurses Specialists. Susie continues to be an integral part of the quality initiatives within her organization as well as being a contributing member and writer of her organizations successful work toward Magnet hospital designation. Susie has been a member of SCCM since 1997. Susie currently serves on the SCCM Pediatric Fundamentals of Critical Care Support, the Paragon Critical Care Quality Implementation committee and the Undergraduate Education committee for which she 2010 chair. She is a PICU coach for Brooke Army Medical Center.

Back to Top

Lynn A. Kelso, MSN, RN, APRN-BC, FCCM Assistant Professor University of Kentucky College of Nursing APRN University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center Lexington, Kentucky

Ms. Kelso is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing in Lexington, Kentucky, and has a clinical appointment at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center with the Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine. Other clinical experience includes cardiothoracic surgery and gastroenterology. Prior to coming to Kentucky, Ms. Kelso was a staff nurse and then ACNP with the liver transplant service at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Ms. Kelso graduated Summa cum laude from West Virginia University earning a BSN and holds a MSN from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, as a critical care Clinical Nurse Specialist. She has a post-masters certificate, specializing as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner from the University of Pittsburgh. Ms. Kelso has served on a variety of committees and panels at SCCM and currently serves on the Paragon Critical Care Quality Implementation Committee. She has delivered extensive education on sepsis, shock, and liver failure. She is a Fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine and will be inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners this summer. Ms. Kelso has been a member of the SCCM since 2002 and served as a coach on the St. John Hospital and Medical Center Paragon project.

Joanne M. Lindberg, RN MN CCRN Trauma Program Manager MultiCare Health System Tacoma, Washington

Joanne Lindberg RN, MN, CCRN has been in healthcare for more than 20 years with an emphasis in Critical Care. Ms. Lindberg has focused her career in the areas of patient care management, clinical operations, program development and performance and quality improvement. She was also responsible for developing and implementing the Intensivist program for Franciscan Health System. She has organized technology evaluation, assessment of evidence-based outcomes, and implementation of numerous multi-professional projects. Ms. Lindberg has been involved in designing data collection tools, technology oversight and resource utilization, as well as clinical pathway design, patient care management, physician order and protocol development, and staff training. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Pacific Lutheran University, and Master of Nursing degree from the University of Washington. Ms. Lindberg previously served as a Quality Management Consultant for MultiCare Health System in Tacoma, Washington and now she holds the position of Trauma Program Manager.

Carrie C Ogilvie, MSN, DNP(c), CNS-BC, CCRN Director of Nursing, Critical Care, Trauma and Palliative Care Co-Director: Center for Advancing Quality of Life Lakeland Regional Medical Center, Lakeland, Florida

Ms. Ogilvie is currently the Director of Nursing for Critical Care, Trauma and Palliative Care at Lakeland Regional Medical Center (LRMC) in Lakeland Florida. Carrie has extensive experience in critical care nursing, having served in various critical care positions over the last 30 years. Carrie has led the interdisciplinary ICU team in several quality improvement projects, including tight glucose control, early goal directed therapy for sepsis and the creation of a rapid response team. The team has received national recognition for their work on these projects. Carrie received her Bachelor and Masters of Science in Nursing from Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. She is currently completing her doctoral studies from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah focusing her research on palliative care in the ICU. She was instrumental in the development and opening of an Intensive Palliative Care Unit at LRMC. Ms. Ogilvie's hospital was a Paragon pilot site and now she will take that experience with her in her role as a Paragon coach.

Christa Schorr, RN, MSN, FCCM Program Manager for Quality Improvement and Clinical Research Databases-Department of Medicine Cooper University Hospital Camden, New Jersey

Christa Schorr has a background in cardiology and critical care. An active SCCM member, she has served as a manuscript reviewer for Critical Care Medicine since 2004. Currently, she is responsible for Cooper’s quality and clinical research databases within the Division of Critical Care and Department of Medicine. Ms. Schorr has worked as a staff nurse, clinical/research nurse, data coordinator and now as Program Manager for QA and Research. Ms. Schorr has been a champion of sepsis, UTI, CLBSI and VAP prevention at Cooper leading several quality and patient centered care committees. She was also a co-leader to Cooper’s AACN awards, Excellence in Collaboration Multidisciplinary May 2008 and Beacon Award - ICU & CCU Awards granted October 2008. Ms. Schorr was a contributor to the development of the internationally utilized Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) Chart Database tools functioning as a national faculty for regional training as well as the North American SSC Summits and continues to be a valued and important resource for SSC users.

Kelly Thompson-Brazill, MSN, ACNP, RN, CCRN Nurse Practitioner Cardiothoracic Surgery Wake Med Health & Hospitals, Raleigh Campus Raleigh, North Carolina

Kelly Thompson-Brazill received her BSN from the University of Scranton (PA). She has a variety of staff nursing experience ranging from cardiac, medical, and neuro to surgical critical care. She earned an MSN in Acute and Critical Care from Duke University, Durham, NC, in 2002. As a nurse practitioner, Kelly spent six years (including two years as the lead NP) with Trauma and Surgical Critical Care at University Health Systems of North Carolina/Pitt County Memorial Hospital (PCMH) Greenville, NC. While at Pitt, Kelly was heavily involved in the performance improvement program for trauma and surgical critical care. She was the recipient of an American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) grant that allowed her and her colleagues to decrease the incidence of ventilator associated pneumonia in the SICU by 29%. This model is currently used in all of the adult ICUs at PCMH. She also participated in a number of other quality improvement and program development projects, as well. She has been a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Advanced Practice Work-Group and a number of review panels delineating the educational preparation, scope and standards for ACNP practice. She is currently a nurse practitioner in cardiothoracic surgery at Wake Med Health & Hospitals, Raleigh, NC. Ms. Brazill is a coach for the AtlantiCare Paragon initiative.

Deborah J. Tuggle, MN, APRN, CCNS, FCCM Clinical Nurse Specialist Critical Care Curriculum Louisville, Kentucky & Central Baptist Hospital Lexington, Kentucky

Deborah Tuggle, MN, APRN, CCNS, FCCM is a Clinical Nurse Specialist with over 30 years of experience. She is a published author, national speaker and chapter leader in the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) as well as an active member and committee chairperson for the SCCM. As founder of the continuing education and consultation company, Critical Care Curriculum, Ms. Tuggle has been instrumental in enriching patient care at hospitals around the nation. Her work promotes many best practice initiatives including the AACN Practice Alerts, Surviving Sepsis Campaign interventions, IHI infection prevention bundles, hypothermia in cardiac arrest protocols and more. She has developed learning opportunities for nurses and ancillary staff including bedside skill training for monitoring accuracy and successful rescue responses for patients in crisis. Her consultation with hospitals on critical care competency programs has brought them in alignment with regulatory expectations and promoted greater confidence and attainment of CCRN and PCCN credentials. Ms. Tuggle is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and the University of Washington Schools of Nursing and employed as a CNS at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky.  Ms. Tuggle is a regular participant or presenter at many national conferences. Ms. Tuggle is a coach for the San Juan Regional Medical Paragon initiative.

Back to Top

Theresa M. Wadas, MSN, FNP, ACNP, CCRN Acute Nurse Practitioner University of Alabama Birmingham, Alabama

Ms. Wadas is a clinical instructor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and continues to work in cardiology and critical care services as an acute care nurse practitioner. She has also worked in various advanced practice roles, which include unit director for cardiovascular surgery, cardiovascular clinical nurse specialist, and outcomes manager. Her clinical expertise encompasses both surgical and medical critical care services with successful quality improvement endeavors implemented within service lines as well as hospital wide. She has worked in regional as well as statewide quality improvement efforts in cardiovascular and critical care. She is board certified as a family and acute care nurse practitioner, is actively involved in the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and is a member of the Paragon Critical Care Quality Committee. Ms. Wadas is a coach for the AtlantiCare Paragon initiative.

Back to Top

Donna M. Williams, RN, MS, CCRN Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, Massachusetts

Ms. Williams has practiced as a CNS in multiple critical care settings including medical, surgical and trauma intensive care units. Currently she is the cardiology clinical nurse specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Recent quality improvement projects have included elimination of VAP, glucose control in the MICUs, sedation protocol development and implementation, inpatient code STEMI, clinical pathway development and therapeutic hypothermia in post cardiac arrest and traumatic head injury patients. Ms. Williams is faculty for the Boston Med –Flight based FCCC. She serves on the Greater Boston Chapter AACN Board of Directors. She also serves on the AHA Greater Boston Professional Education conference planning committee, 2008 conference chair. Recent consultant work has included the New York State Department of Health, Cardiac Services Program Quality Improvement Workgroup Best Practices Hospital Survey Team 2007 and Harvard Medical International; University Hospital of Dubai evidence based practice intensive care unit design. Ms. Williams is a coach for the San Juan Regional Medical Center Paragon initiative.

Troy E. Batterton, PharmD, FCCM Critical Care Pharmacist Co-Director Pharmacy Residency Program Lakeland Regional Medical Center Lakeland, Florida

Troy Batterton, PharmD, is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist for the four intensive care units at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in Lakeland, Florida. After finishing his degree at the University of Florida, Dr. Batterton went on to complete a specialty residency in pain management at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. His career started at Lakeland Regional in 1995 as the Clinical Pharmacist for the CardioVascular Thoracic-Trauma Unit (CVTTU), before he moved to critical care in 2002. Dr. Batterton has been involved in numerous initiatives and projects involving critical care, authoring a chapter on Palliative Care in the ICU for ASHP, and presenting at local, state and national meetings. His duties also include precepting, as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice for the University of Florida, and Co-Director of the PGY2 Critical Care Pharmacy Residency at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. Dr. Batterton has been a tireless advocate for sepsis care at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. The team has attained and sustained some of the highest compliance rates in North America for certain components of the sepsis resuscitation bundles. Having participated in the Paragon pilot at Lakeland, Dr. Batterton will take that experience with him as he now serves as a quality implementation coach for other hospitals. Currently Dr. Batterton is a coach for the Brooke Army Medical Center PICU project.

Sandra L. Kane-Gill, PharmD, MSc, FCCM Critical Care Patient Safety Officer University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 2012 Chair, Paragon Committee

Dr. Sandra Kane-Gill is an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Pharmacy and Critical Care Specialist in the Center for Pharmaco-informatics and Outcomes Research. At the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), she is the Critical Patient Safety Officer for the Department of Pharmacy. She is also an active member of the ventilator associated pneumonia and sedation team and adverse drug event committee at UPMC. Dr. Kane-Gill’s work includes the evaluations of medications and acute illnesses from clinical outcomes and economic perspectives. Dr. Kane-Gill has published multiple manuscripts and provided invited lectures addressing the development of medication safety surveillance systems designed to prevent medication errors and adverse drug events in the intensive care unit. The goal of Dr. Kane-Gill’s work is to improve the quality of care provided to critically ill patients through safe medication use.

Martin J. Ohlinger, PharmD, BCPS Assistant Professor of Pharmacy University of Toledo Critical Care Pharmacy Specialist University of Toledo Medical Center Toledo, Ohio

Martin J. Ohlinger, PharmD, BCPS, has been associated with the University of Toledo for 8 years: as adjunct faculty member, visiting assistant professor, and, currently, as Clinical Lecturer in the College of Pharmacy and a critical care pharmacy specialist at the University of Toledo Medical Center (UTMC). He is also the residency program director of the PGY2 Critical Care Specialty Pharmacy Residency at UTMC. Dr. Ohlinger received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia and completed his graduate training in pharmacy at the Medical College of Virginia. His post-graduate training focused on critical care and emergency medicine at Detroit Receiving Hospital and Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. After coming to Toledo, he practiced as a critical care specialist at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center for 4 years before moving to the University of Toledo full time, now maintaining a clinical practice in surgical critical care at UTMC. Dr. Ohlinger has served as a coach for the Paragon project at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit, Michigan as well as the AtlantiCare Paragon initiative. 

Back to Top

Amy Pawlik, PT, DPT, CCS Senior Physical Therapist University of Chicago Medical Center Chicago, Illinois

Amy Pawlik earned a doctorate in Physical Therapy from Rosalind Franklin University and is a board-certified specialist in cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy.  She is a senior physical therapist at the University of Chicago Medical Center and is the program coordinator for cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation.  Amy was previously an adjunct professor at Governors State University teaching cardiopulmonary physical therapy.  She has spent the majority of her career treating patients with critical illness and has extensive experience in medical and surgical ICUs.  Amy has presented at multiple national and international conferences including the American Physical Therapy Association, the American Occupational Therapy Association, and the American Thoracic Society as well as many local physical therapy programs.   Her research emphasis is on early therapy involvement in the medical ICU with articles published in journals including The Lancet and Critical Care Medicine.  Amy has also contributed to a textbook chapter on cardiopulmonary physical therapy in acute care.

Back to Top

Ivor Berkowitz, MD, FCCM Medical Director, PICU and ECMO Johns Hopkins Hospital Baltimore, MD

Dr. Ivor Berkowitz, a board certified pediatrician, anesthesiologist and pediatric intensivist, is the Medical Director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and ECMO program at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore MD. His research interests have been eclectic and he has published studies of the physiology of optimizing cerebral and myocardial blood flow during CPR in animal models and of the control of the cerebrovascular circulation in bacterial meningitis. Dr Berkowitz has authored many textbook chapters on a wide range of ICU topics. He has been a member of the Bioethics Committee of the Johns Hopkins Hospital and has researched and published investigations and reviews of topics involved in end of life care. In the PICU, Dr. Berkowitz is a founding member of the Safety Working Group and has been involved in projects to reduce sound pollution and improve communication in the PICU. He has been a Johns Hopkins co leader in the NACHRI project to reduce blood stream infections in the ICU. This work was published in the journal “Pediatrics” in 2009. Dr Berkowitz was a member of the 2009 ELSO Task Force on Infectious Diseases. He is a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the Association of University Anesthesiologists as well as several Johns Hopkins Committees including the Emergency Mass Critical Care Committee and the Organ Donor Council. Dr. Berkowitz is serving as a reviewer for the Great Ormond Hospital for Children's Paragon initiative in London, England.

Back to Top

William A. Brock, MD, CPE, FCCM, FCCP, FACP SCCM Past Chair, Paragon

Dr. Brock has been an SCCM member since 1989 and a Fellow in the American College of Critical Care Medicine since 1995. Over the past 18 years, Dr. Brock has volunteered to lead in a variety of roles, including service on the ICU-REPORT Task Force (1998 present), the International Chapter & Affiliate Committee (1998-2002), and the FCCS Steering Committee (1998-2006). He served as President of the Southeast Regional Chapter of SCCM and coordinated many of the first FCCS courses as a National Course Consultant and local faculty and helped to coordinate the first joint SCCM/AACN application of the FCCS course through NTI. Dr. Brock was actively involved in launching the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) initiative in Virginia serving as regional faculty, as well as Network Chair of the Hampton Roads SSC initiative, a 10-hospital, 300-ICU-bed consortium. He served as Faculty for the Excellence and Safety in Critical Care Conference and two SCCM Annual Congresses addressing Quality and Safety in Critical Care. He also coordinated the ACCM Town Hall meeting on Evidence Based Medicine in 2006. Dr. Brock is past Chair of the Paragon Committee and received a Presidential citation at the 38th annual SCCM Congress for his role in the development of the program. Dr. Brock's commitment to advance excellence in critical care through quality improvement is evident as he became the first physician coach for three Paragon pilot sites in Alaska, Florida, and Virginia. He is currently serving as a coach for the AtlantiCare Paragon initiative. Dr. Brock has held Chief Quality Officer, Medical Director and Intensivist positions during his career in critical care medicine.

Back to Top

 

Bruno DiGiovine, MD, MPH 2012 Vice Chair, Paragon Committee

Bruno DiGiovine, MD, MHP is the Associate Chair and Chief Medical & Quality Officer for the Department of Internal Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan.  Dr. DiGiovine is also the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Quality for the Wayne State University Physician Group.  He is a board-certified Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician and has directed multiple improvement activities in his role as Medical ICU Director at Detroit receiving Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.  He also has been actively involved in hospital-wide initiatives to establish a Rapid Response System and improve sepsis care.  He previously chaired the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Learning & Innovation Community on Reducing Mortality and co-chaired the Improving Outcomes for High-Risk and Critically Ill Patients Community.  He is also a member of the Michigan Hospital Association Keystone Advisory Committee and has been a member of the Michigan ICU Keystone Advisory Committee since its inception.  Bruno received his undergraduate training at Harvard University, his MD degree at Northwestern University, and his MPH at the University of Michigan.  He currently serves the Society of Critical Care Medicine as a member of the Quality and Patient Safety Committee and the Benchmarking Committee in addition to his role as Vice-chair of the Paragon Quality Improvement Committee.

Back to Top

Ivor S. Douglas, MD Chief, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Director Medical Intensive Care Associate Professor Medicine University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Denver Health Medical Center Denver, Colorado

Ivor S. Douglas, MD, is Chief of the Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Medicine at Denver Health Medical Center and the Director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and the co-chair of the medical center’s critical care committee. Dr. Douglas completed medical school in South Africa and Internal Medicine Residency training in London, Great Britain. He moved to the University of Chicago in 1994 and completed pulmonary and critical care fellowship training and achieved Board Certification. Dr. Douglas is a funded principle investigator for ongoing investigations in several aspects of clinical critical care, including acute lung injury, sepsis, metabolic disturbances in critical illness, ventilator-associated pneumonia, the contribution of alcohol intoxication and withdrawal in critical illness, and therapeutic strategies for sedation and delirium in the critically ill. Dr. Douglas is co-principle investigator for the NIH-funded Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network and for the Acute Lung Injury Genomics Specialized Center for Clinical Research (SCCOR Subcontract). He serves on the Editorial Board of the ACCP journal, CHEST. As ICU Director, Dr. Douglas has provided innovative leadership for the multidisciplinary academic critical care program. In addition to championing the implementation of computerized provider order entry (CPOE) at DHMC, Dr. Douglas oversees quality performance improvement for the ICU, including monthly outcomes and quality improvement conferences. Dr. Douglas has received house staff teaching awards at the University of Chicago, Columbia University, and UCHSC. He represents the SCCM at the National Hospital Quality Alliance and is currently the chair of the SCCN Quality and Safety Committee. He also serves on the American Thoracic Society’s Healthcare Policy Committee. Dr. Douglas served as team leader for the Presbyterian Hospital Paragon project.

Back to Top

Mark E. Falimirski, MD, FACS, FCCM Associate Professor of Surgery Medical Director of Surgical Intensive Care Unit Program Director, Surgical Critical Care Residency Indiana University Hospital/Wishard Hospital Indianapolis, Indiana

Mark Falimirski, MD completed his medical school and surgical residency training at Rush Presbyterian St Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago. He continued his training in surgical critical care at UT at Southwestern in Dallas. Dr. Falimirski serves medical director of the Indiana University Surgical Intensive Care Unit rated with one of the highest case mix indexes in the country an was charged with the responsibility of creating an intensive care service. He established a critical care residency program spanning three medical centers in the Indiana University System. He has reorganized the critical care administrative process at IU Hospital and has improved mortality outcomes significantly over the past three years. Dr. Falimirski has been integrally involved in implementation of the new electronic medical record system including bedside charting and physician order entry. Most recently, he has been involved in quality improvement initiatives including strategies to decrease infectious and respiratory-based complications. He is the newly appointed Chair of the Mortality Review Committee investigating etiology of unexpected deaths within the hospital environment in an effort to improve potential system based processes. He has served nationally on two Society of Critical Care Committees; Fundamental Critical Care Support Committee and Undergraduate Medical Education Committee. Dr Falimirski still maintains a full time clinical practice in trauma, emergency and general surgery as well as Intensivist. His research interests are primarily in Trauma/Critical Care. Dr. Falimirski is currently serving as a coach for the AtlantiCare Paragon initiative.

Back to Top

Michael D. Howell, MD, MPH Director of Critical Care Quality, Silverman Institute for Health Care Quality and Safety Associate Director of Medical Critical Care Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, Massachusetts Past Chair, SCCM Paragon Committee

Dr. Michael Howell’s clinical, administrative, teaching, and research activities align around the care of critically ill and injured patients. He is the Associate Director of Medical Critical Care in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and also serves as the Director of Critical Care Quality in the Silverman Institute for Health Care Quality and Safety. The Critical Care Quality division helps align and implement quality and safety priorities across all of the nine adult intensive care units and five physician specialties that provide critical care at the BIDMC. Before entering medicine, Dr. Howell consulted in materials purchasing workflow analysis and automation for the company that built most of the space shuttle. This longstanding interest in putting the right person in the right place at the right time flowed naturally into his current research focus on how standardized identification and treatments for time-sensitive and error-prone diseases affect patient care, with a particular interest in protocols which rapidly alter provider staffing. Recent areas of focus include rapid response teams, protocol-based sepsis care, and ventilator-associated pneumonia reduction, many of which have been supported by key clinical informatics interventions. As a result of this work, Dr. Howell has been selected for several national/international consensus groups and panels. He serves on the Guidelines Revision Committee of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, moderated the Rapid Response Team Lessons Learned session at the 2007 Society of Critical Care Medicine’s Annual Congress, and served as faculty at the Institute of Healthcare Improvement’s National Forum in December 2007. He has also served on the American Heart Association’s Consensus Conference on Outcomes for Resuscitation Science and the Second Rapid Response System Afferent Limb Consensus Conference, both in May 2008. At BIDMC, he has been selected as a member of the Patient Safety Core Faculty and has also won several named awards, including the sixth annual Robert M. Melzer Leadership Award. Dr. Howell has been a SCCM member since 2002 and currently is serving on the Physician/Patient Ratio Task Force and as Chair of the Paragon Committee. Dr. Howell is team leader for the Paragon project at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit, MI.

Back to Top

Jose E. Irazuzta, MD, FCCM Professor of Pediatrics University of Florida, Jacksonville

Dr. Jose Irazuzta's clinical, research, teaching and administrative activities have focused in the care of the pediatric critically ill patient. Former Medical Director of several multidisciplinary PICU's he spearheaded the development of pediatric regional transport system, pediatric sedation service and collaborative research groups. He completed his medical degree in Argentina, with training in the University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg France, University of Louisville, KY and University of Harvard, Boston MA. Having been immersed in different cultures, practiced in private and public institutions, resource limited areas and quaternary medical centers brought him an understanding on how to reconcile the needs from marketing and customer satisfaction without compromising education, research and administration. He participated in designing inter-hospital agreements, multi-institutional and industry sponsor research. He has an appreciation of what families and different professions including nursing, respiratory therapist, pharmacist, nutritionist, clergy and others can bring to the table to create multidisciplinary teams with bottom-up strategies. Recent area of focus includes hospital implementation of time-sensitive, goal-oriented therapies and pediatric neuro-intensive care. Dr Irazuzta has won several teaching, clinical and research awards and has been an SCCM member since 1990 and currently chairs the MKCCAP pediatric committee.

Back to Top

Muhammad Jaffar, MD, FCCM, FCCP
Associate Professor Anesthesiology and Surgery
Anesthesiology Residency Program Co-Director
Associate Director SICU, UAMS, Medical Director SICU, VA UAMS
College of Medicine, Dept. of Anesthesiology
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, Arkansas

Dr. Jaffar, born and raised in Pakistan completed his Medical School at UTESA University, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Dr. Jaffar completed his residency training in Anesthesiology at Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y. and then transferred to Cleveland Clinic Foundation for Critical Care Fellowship. Dr Jaffar is Board Certified in Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. He is a Fellow of American College of Critical Care Medicine and American College of Chest Physicians. He has been a member of SCCM since 1994 and is an active section, committee and regional chapter member. Dr. Jaffar has received certification in Medical Quality (CMQ) from American Board of Medical Quality and has participated in quality and safety programs at many levels at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and Veterans Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. Dr. Jaffar has been Chair of Critical Care Committee at UAMS and Veterans Hospital. He is also Chair of patient safety committee at UAMS. Dr. Jaffar is an active member of Care Improvement Council and a member of Hospital Medical Board at UAMS. Dr. Jaffar has been an active member of FCCS program committee and FCCS Quality Improvement Committee. He has been a Course Director and Consultant and in this role he has conducted many FCCS courses at UAMS.

Back to Top

Jason M. Kane, MD, MS, FAAP, ASQ CSSBB Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Rush University Medical Center Chicago, Illinois

Dr. Jason Kane is one of a select few physicians who has successfully completed Northwestern University’s Institute for Healthcare Studies Master of Science degree in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety, the first program of its kind in the nation.  While an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Children’s Memorial Hospital, Dr. Kane was instrumental in the development of quality improvement programs focused on the resuscitation efforts during pediatric cardiac and respiratory arrest within and outside of the PICU.   Dr. Kane also led a team of clinicians in the development and implementation of a clinical transition protocol for patients admitted to the cardiac ICU following congenital heart surgery.  Since joining the faculty at Rush University Medical Center in 2010, Dr. Kane has been active in many University and hospital-wide patient safety and quality initiatives.  In addition, Dr. Kane facilitates Crew Resource Management training for the medical center and is part of a select team of clinicians that perform administrative patient-safety rounds on the in-patient units at Rush University Medical Center. He recently completed certification by the American Society for Quality and is now a Six Sigma Black Belt.

Back to Top

Stuart J. LeBas, MD, FCCP Medical Director, Adult ICU Christus Schumpert Shreveport, Louisiana

Dr. LeBas completed a fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care in 1997 at LSUMC-Shreveport. Dr. Lebas has had private practice experience as a Hospitalist, Intensivist, and Medical Director in several ICUs over the past decade. In 2004, Dr. LeBas led a hospital transition to an Intensivist run ICU, becoming director in 2007--while simultaneously completing coursework in the MBA program at the Frost School of Business, Centenary College of Louisiana with particular interest in strategy. Dr. LeBas is the founding member of The Intensivist Group, LLC, and currently is an attending Intensivist and operates a multidisciplinary adult critical care unit. He has had additional management experience as the VP of Medical Affairs for Dubuis Health Systems (Houston, TX), and participated in national advocacy for the Long-Term Acute Care Hospital Industry. Dr. LeBas is interested in assisting and coaching hospitals and physicians in transitions to Intensivist led critical care units, as well as developing local strategies to facilitate the transition. Dr. Lebas is currently serving as a coach for the San Juan Regional Medical Center Paragon initiative.

Back to Top

 

John C. Lin, MD Service Chief, Respiratory Failure/Sepsis Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine St. Louis Children's Hospital St. Louis, MO 63110

Dr. John Lin is Chief for the respiratory failure / sepsis service in the PICU at St. Louis Children’s Hospital (SLCH) and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Washington University in St. Louis.  At SLCH, he is the physician co-chair for the Resuscitation Committee and is involved in the ongoing implementation of a Rapid Response Team system to include a family activated arm.  Prior to arriving at SLCH, Dr. Lin was the Chief of Pediatric Critical Care for the San Antonio Military Medical Center at Wilford Hall and Brooke Army Medical Centers.  While there, he spearheaded a comprehensive assessment of PICU capability and requirements within the military health care system in San Antonio, leading a multidisciplinary team composed of nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, dietitians, and specialty and subspecialty physicians.  He led development of multiple clinical practice guidelines for hospital wide implementation including emergency department, pediatric clinic, pediatric inpatient, and pediatric ICU.  This effort included consultation from Paragon and gave Dr. Lin a unique perspective from the receiving side of the Paragon team.   Dr. Lin has been a SCCM member since 2002.

Back to Top

Kristine A.K. Lombardozzi, MD, FACS Director Surgical and Medical Critical Care Spartanburg Regional Medical Center Spartanburg, South Carolina

Dr. Lombardozzi completed medical school at the University of Minnesota and general surgery training at Methodist Hospital of Indiana/Indiana University. She received her critical care training at Orlando Regional Medical Center. She is a board certified general surgeon and surgical Intensivist. She has been a member of SCCM since 2001 and is an active section, committee and state chapter member. Dr. Lombardozzi has participated in quality and safety programs on many levels at her community-based teaching hospital. She is the chair of both the critical care committee and the critical care case review committee. She is the physician representative on both the Surgical/Trauma and Medical ICU Quality and Performance Improvement Committees. She is a course director for FCCS. Dr. Lombardozzi is the physician champion for the CVC care bundle application, implementation of sedation cessation and spontaneous breathing trials, RRT development, glucose control in the ICU and the ICU medication safety project.

Back to Top

Lia H. Lowrie, MD Chief, Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Associate Professor of Pediatrics Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Cleveland, Ohio

Dr. Lia Lowrie is Chief of the Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. Her interest in multidisciplinary team building and the link between hospital operations and quality care has evolved through her work as Medical Director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Program at RB&C and chairing the RB&C committee for Pediatric Resuscitation since 1993. Development of a successful Pediatric Rapid Response Team at RB&C lead to membership on the Steering Committee for the Ohio Children’s Hospitals Association (OCHA) Quality Improvement Collaborative that has focused on decreasing pediatric cardiopulmonary arrest events across Ohio’s Children’s Hospitals through rapid response team development and maintenance. Dr. Lowrie’s involvement continues with OCHA’s helping to provide input for public reporting standards of pediatric care quality outcomes for all hospitals that provide pediatric care across the state. Dr. Lowrie is also the Chair of the Pediatric Steering Committee for Electronic Health Record Implementation and Maintenance at the academic medical center. As such she is leading the development of the special pediatric aspects important to quality care of the health system-wide implementation of a complete electronic health record. Dr. Lowrie is also a founding board member of the Society for Pediatric Sedation, a newly formed professional society dedicated to multidisciplinary care delivery of safe and effective procedural sedation for children. She has been a SCCM member since 1990 and has served on the Pediatric Section Committee on Patient Safety.

Back to Top

John M. Luber, MD Chair, Research Center Advisory Board Director, Cardiac Surgery Northwest Cardiovascular Associates Tacoma, Washington

Dr. John Luber was educated in the Los Angeles Public School System as a 3rd generation Angelino. He attended Stanford University, where he developed a special interest in Population Biology, working with Dr. Paul Erhlich, graduating with an AB in the Special Programs in the Humanities. From Stanford, he moved to Tulane University School of Medicine, matriculating with an MD in 1973. His Internship and Residencies in Surgery and Thoracic Surgery were completed at Oregon Health Sciences University. Dr. Luber finished a Post Grad Fellowship at Harvard and Boston Children’s in 1982 and assumed the Chairmanship of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at Schneider Children’s Hospital in New York, where he was Assistant Professor of Surgery at State University of New York, Stonybrook. From there he served as Director of Cardiac Surgery at Emmanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon and then on to The Cleveland Clinic. He left Cleveland to take a position at Albany Medical College, in 1993, where he was Associate Professor of Surgery and eventually Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery. In 1998 he moved back West and has served as Director of Cardiac Surgery in the Franciscan Health System, Tacoma, Washington and now as Chair of the Franciscan Research Center Advisory Board. He has developed a special and longstanding interest in Optimizing Critical Care delivery for the surgical patient as well as lecturing widely on hypertension and lipid management

Back to Top

Iván L. Maldonado, MD, FACS, FCCM Director Acute Surgery Team Surgical Critical Care Attending Maimonides Medical Center Department of Surgery Brooklyn, New York

Dr. Maldonado is currently the Director of Acute Surgery at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. He pursued his Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the Jersey Shore Medical Center and Cooper Hospital located in Neptune and Camden New Jersey respectively. Dr. Maldonado is a member of the American Society of Quality, the American Society of Quality Health Care Forum, and the Six Sigma Forum. Within the JSUMC Dr. Maldonado was an active member of the Surgical Review Committee. From 2001 – 2005 he served as the Chairperson for the Surgical Intensive Care Unit Committee.

Back to Top

Donald K. Maxwell, DO, FCCP Medical Director, Critical Care Banner Desert Medical Center Mesa, Arizona

Donald K. Maxwell, is the Medical Director of Critical Care at Banner Desert. He is the vice-chair of the Critical Care Service Committee and a staff Intensivist in the adult ICU. He does additional work in Banner iCare Intensive Care (eICU), and has completing a Masters in Medical Management at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, LA. He is board certified in Critical Care Medicine and Internal Medicine. Dr. Maxwell actively participates in over 15 hospital and health system committees focusing on ICU quality improvement initiatives. He currently is co-chairing the Banner Health Sepsis Subcommittee and chairs the Southwest Critical Care Collaborative, both of whose focus are to enhance the care of septic patients in Arizona. He also has been serving on the FCCS Committee and has been an SCCM member since 2000. Enhancing multidisciplinary team education (FCCS Courses) and multidisciplinary collaboration in critical care are additional interests. Outside his career endeavors, he enjoys travel, hiking, and movies.

Back to Top

Jana A. Stockwell, MD, FAAP, FCCM Director, Critical Care Medicine Director, PICU Quality Emory University School of Medicine Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston Atlanta, Georgia

Dr. Jana Stockwell is the Chief of Critical Care Medicine at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) at Egleston, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine, and has served as Co-Director of Children’s Sedation Services. At CHOA, she has participated in many aspects of the Quality program, including the Quality Committee of the Board of Directors, Quality Cabinet, PICU Quality Committee and the Blood Stream Infection (BSI) and Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) reduction projects. She authored the article, “Nosocomial infections in the PICU: affecting the impact of safety and outcome” which was published in the journal Pediatric Critical Care Medicine in 2007. Dr. Stockwell has been a SCCM member since 1994, and is a Fellow in the American College of Critical Care Medicine; she serves on the SCCM Paragon Committee and the Fundamentals of Disaster Management Subcommittee. Dr. Stockwell is serving as a coach for the Paragon initiative at Brooke Army Medical Center.

Back to Top

Sanjay Subramanian, MD Staff Intensivist The Everett Clinic, Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, Washington

Dr Sanjay Subramanian, a full time practicing Intensivist, was trained in Critical Care Medicine at The University of Pittsburgh and The Mayo Clinic. As part of a team of physicians that provides 24/7 ICU coverage, Dr Subramanian has a deep insight into the operational challenges in the Critical Care environment. He is a member of the Critical Care Affinity group for Providence Health System that is currently involved in strategic planning for delivery of Critical Care services as well as implementation of quality initiatives across the system. His areas of interest include optimization of work flow and staffing ratios, outcomes assessment and reporting, protocol and care pathway development and eICU. He has been responsible for development and implementation of a Ventilator Weaning protocol and CRRT protocol at his institution. Additionally, he serves as a Medical director for an outpatient COPD disease management program. He has authored textbook chapters, review articles and research papers in peer reviewed journals such as Kidney International, Intensive Care Medicine and Critical Care Clinics.

Back to Top

Margo A. Bell-Hughes Registered Respiratory Therapist Special Projects Therapist Forsyth Medical Center Winston Salem, North Carolina

Margo Bell-Hughes is a Registered Respiratory Therapist with 18 years of experience leading and coaching Respiratory Therapists in the care of the critically ill patient. Currently Ms. Bell-Hughes is a Special Projects Therapist at a 1,000 bed hospital in North Carolina. She oversees The Joint Commission regulatory compliance for her department and is a team member actively working towards obtaining one of the few Joint Commission pulmonary certifications in the state of North Carolina. She maintains advanced practice certifications and demonstrates a strong commitment to excellence as a valued clinical resource advisor to ICU team members. Ms. Bell-Hughes has been both a team leader and a member in a multitude of ICU projects over the years in Hawaii, Washington State, and North Carolina. She brings strong clinical expertise and diverse respiratory care knowledge to the Paragon team. Ms. Bell-Hughes is a BLS/ACLS instructor and active in her state respiratory care society.

Back to Top

Ken D. Hargett, BS, RRT, RCP, NPS, FAARC Director, Respiratory Care The Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas Assistant Professor, Respiratory Care University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, Texas

Ken Hargett is currently Director of Respiratory Care Services and Pulmonary Diagnostic Laboratory at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. He also serves as Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Mr. Hargett has over 30 years experience in Critical Care and management of Respiratory Care Departments. He received his BS degree in Respiratory Care from Georgia State University in 1976. Mr. Hargett has been a member of the American Association of Respiratory Care since 1974 and became a Fellow of the AARC in 2006. He has been a member of SCCM since 1994. Over the years Mr. Hargett has lead numerous Performance Improvement teams for his department. He has participated on Performance Improvement Committees at his institution, including the CV Surgery CMPI, Medicine CMPI and Critical Care CMPI. He has developed and implemented projects that include VAP reduction, Vent Bundle compliance, Spontaneous Breathing Trials, Shortening Ventilator LOS and Protocol Implementation.

Back to Top

Lori A. Harmon, RRT, MBA Certified Improvement Advisor Paragon Critical Care Program Manager Society of Critical Care Medicine Mount Prospect, Illinois

Ms. Harmon is currently the Paragon Critical Care Quality Implementation Program Manager and staff partner for the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC). Prior to joining SCCM, Ms. Harmon was Program Director and Department Chair for Respiratory Therapy at Baker College’s Auburn Hills Campus in Michigan. Clinical concentrations in respiratory care practice were critical care, pulmonary rehabilitation, and diagnostics. Ms. Harmon served as program manager at the American Lung Association of Southeast Michigan for adult lung health and environmental air initiatives and was a project team leader for the pediatric asthma community education programs and Camp Superkids. Ms. Harmon has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Shepherd University in West Virginia, and an MBA from the Baker College Center for Graduate Studies in Michigan. In 2009, Ms. Harmon completed an improvement advisor certification program through the Iowa Health System. It is the first hospital system in the United States approved by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to offer a certificate of completion for demonstrating leadership skills in hospital quality improvement initiatives. Ms. Harmon also holds a patient safety certificate through the Quality Colloquium and completed the Johns Hopkins Lean Sigma Green Belt Certification course in 2010.

Back to Top

Patti J. Kriegel, RRT Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Patti J. Kriegel is a Registered Respiratory Therapists and Supervisor at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC. She is clinically involved with the Level I Adult and Pediatric Trauma Emergency Rooms and the Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Team. Current research studies include Excited Delirium (ExD) and the comparison of arterial blood versus capillary blood. Patti is also very involved with numerous Six Sigma committees to improve processes throughout the hospital. Patti is serving as a coach for the Paragon initiative at Brook Army Medical Center.

Back to Top