Our Presenters

Patrick C Filkins, PharmD, BCPS, DABAT

Course Title

Trending in the Wrong Direction: An Explanation of Exposure Trends Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed not only the world but the frequency of many exposures and overdoses since its beginning. This lecture will describe the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and emergent management of various exposures which have seen an uptick in reporting to the poison center since the start of the pandemic. 

Speaker Bio

Dr. Filkins is a graduate of the University of Saint Joseph School of Pharmacy in Hartford, Connecticut. Following graduation, he completed his PGY-1 pharmacotherapy residency at Grady Health System and clinical toxicology fellowship at the Georgia Poison Center. He is currently board certified in toxicology and pharmacotherapy and is working as the Operations Manager for the Georgia Poison Center and Emergency Medicine Pharmacist at Grady Memorial Hospital. His current research interests include rural access to medication-assisted therapy for opioid use disorder, management of crotalid envenomations, utilization of cyproheptadine in serotonin toxicity, cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, and the use of phenobarbital in the management of alcohol withdrawal. When not involved in all things tox, he is an avid runner and proud dog dad to his Goldendoodle Mae.

Course Title

Basic EMS Legal Knowledge: Saving Lives and Careers

In 2002, my medical director express the need to me for additional training in the legal aspects of EMS. Since that date, this has become my passion after seeing extensive problems with EMS personnel dealing with patient refusals, psychiatric patients, DNRs and medical power of attorney issues, and dealings with law enforcement. This lecture is developed to give insight into these arenas and develop critical thinking skills when confronted with these situations. It is the goal of this class to give EMS personnel clarity on how to deal with legal decisions, and how to document properly how these decisions were reached.

Dave Bledsoe, NREMT-P, RN, LNC

Speaker Bio

I have been a paramedic since 1979.  I am retired from the Orlando Fire Department with which I spent 24 years. My last 4 years were as EMS Education and QA Officer.  I have been employed by and managed other agencies since. I obtained my RN prior to my retirement from Orlando Fire Department.  I obtained my training as a Legal Nurse Consultant from the University of Central Florida.  I am the author of “The Practical Legal Guide For The Field Paramedic”. I am also contributing author to “Nancy Caroline:  Emergency Care In The Streets” 8th and 9th edition for legal and documentation chapters.

Anthony D. Chamblee, NRP, FP-C, CCP-C, C-NPT

Course Titles

Stuck in the Middle With You: Prolonged Entrapment

This discussion will emphasize the importance of scene size-up and safety, pathophysiological concerns, management considerations, and continuum of care for providers and patients in prolonged entrapment situations. 

Speaker Bio

Anthony currently serves the Metro Atlanta area as a Critical Care Flight Paramedic, a role he has filled for the past ten years. He has also provided care as a Paramedic in ground EMS in rural, suburban, and urban environments. In addition, he has learned aspects of the continuum of care through being part of an ICU team. He is passionate about sharing his successes and mistakes to enable his fellow clinicians to learn from them. 

Douglas Hexel - Medical Specialist, NY-TF2

Course Title

Death by Rescue: Managing Crush Injuries

The most important component of Technical Rescue is the rescue. Rescue implies the removal of a LIVE victim, which can only be accomplished with a built-in, comprehensive medical program. In many cases, lack of a medical component and prompt, advanced patient care will result in adverse effects and/or death. While all programs stress the highly technical component of scene stabilization and victim disentanglement, only some programs also stress the vital patient care and packaging needed to maximize patient outcome. This course will focus on “bridging the gap” between Rescue and Medical in complex technical rescue situations to avoid the proverbial “death by rescue.”

Stop the Hype! Debunking the Myth of Fentanyl Exposures

​It seems like every week, there’s news of a first responder overdosing as a result of casual exposure to fentanyl. These casual exposures usually consist of handling a bag containing the drug or brushing powdered drug off of hands or uniform. This course uses strictly evidence-based medicine to evaluate and qualify these alleged overdoses on their scientific merits. Based on known absorption rates, we’ll discuss the likelihood of encountering enough to overdose.

Speaker Bio

Douglas Hexel has been in emergency services since 2004; working for private, commercial, and municipal agencies throughout New York. He is a firefighter/paramedic for the City of Schenectady, NY, Fire Department, urban search and rescue medical specialist for NY-TF2, paramedic instructor at the State University of New York at Cobleskill, State fire instructor at the New York State Academy of Fire Science, and EMS supervisor/Police Academy instructor at the Albany County Sheriff’s Office EMS Division. Hexel is a New York State Certified Instructor Coordinator (CIC) and holds Technician Level Certifications in Rope, Confined Space, Trench, Swiftwater, and Structural Collapse Rescue.

Course Title

Safe Haven Law, Issues Surrounding Infant Abandonment, Protocols and Procedures for Safe Haven Providers

​This training ensures that all safe haven provider staff will:

  • Be proficiently informed of the law and be better equipped should a mother invoke the Safe Haven Law and relinquish her infant at a site  

  • Be able to detail appropriate procedures and protocols in which to follow in case of a relinquishment

  • Be able to explain serious circumstances surrounding the issue of abandonment with the goal of changing the personal perspective of mothers who are considering this option

Speaker Bio

DBS/ECE Early Childhood Education; M.Ed School Counseling; Retired Georgia Educator with 30 years experience; Worked as director of training with The Hope Box since 2019

Dana Hardin - Director of Training, THE HOPE BOX, INC.

Course Title

Ukraine and Back

Speaker Bio

Adirenne received her Bachelor of Science from The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in 2007. 

Her 16+ years of experience include labor and delivery, perioperative services (including OR 1st assist), pain management, primary and urgent care, and recently tactical medicine. 

Course Title

Trauma in pregnancy is the leading cause of nonobstetric-related death in mothers

Trauma in pregnancy is the leading cause of nonobstetric-related death in mothers. We will review physiologic changes in pregnancy, prehospital care, and the multi-discipline approach/trauma care in pregnancy to improve the overall survival of the mother and fetus. With evidence-based medicine and practices, we'll discuss clinical cases to broaden our knowledge and support the lecture.

Speaker Bio

 Jason D. Sciaretta, MD, FACS, has been practicing trauma/acute care surgery for 10 years. He is currently the Acute Care Surgery (ACS) Fellowship Director for Emory University School of Medicine at Grady, the Director of ACS Research at Grady, and Chair of the Trauma Advisory Council at Grady.

Jason Haag

Course Title

Write Your Own Eulogy: What Will You Be Remembered For?

What kind of legacy are you leaving behind?  Every person we encounter, patient or coworker, will have an impression of us.  Those whom we are mentoring or leading will have lasting impressions of us and what we do will help teach them.  These impressions or lessons can be good or bad depending on what we do.  Let’s discuss how to leave positive lessons and impressions in our wake.

The Dark Side of Patient Refusals

We all get excited when our patient doesn’t want to go to the hospital – it’s a shorter, easier chart, right?  Wrong!  Come join us as we discuss patient refusals, what patient contact is, and more to ensure your patient, your agency, and you remain protected.

Speaker Bio

 Jason is a well-traveled and engaging speaker with 20 years of fire and EMS experience.  Jason has served as an EMS leader with the highest Assistant Chief rank and has experience in EMS billing.  Jason is an EMS Instructor and Fire Instructor and continuously advocates for improvement in the industry.

Andrea Sjaardema Zickmund FP-C, NREMT-P, EMS Educator

Course Title

Bizarre Case Studies

A review of bizarre case studies that the presenter has actually experienced that will bring to light the importance of thinking outside of the box and not getting stuck in tunnel vision when dealing with complicated calls that are not textbook scenarios.  This lecture will discuss the importance of patient assessment and prioritizing treatment plans when multiple medical and trauma issues exist together.  

Crash Test Dummies & Football Players

Sport’s injuries are a regular occurrence in EMS, but with the increase of sport-related concussions and the lifelong impact concussions can have and sudden cardiac arrest of healthy athletes on the field, it’s imperative to be aware of how to treat these life and death injuries. 

Speaker Bio

Andrea Sjaardema Zickmund FP-C/ NREMT-P/FF has been working in EMS for 18 yrs. She has worked at every level from EMT to Flight Paramedic.  She is known as the black cloud in all the busy 911 systems she has worked, as a lead paramedic.  She has been teaching in EMS programs since 2007.   She has worked in the HEMS and fixed-wing environment, and she currently works for Franciscan EMS as the Critical Care EMS Educator and critical care paramedic on the ground service. She also works for Laporte County EMS as a Paramedic. She owns her own CPR instruction business and is an expert content author for Target/Vector Solutions, building online learning courses.  Andrea has a passion for teaching and working as a paramedic. 

Amy Eisenhauer

Course Title

I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead: Sleep Loss & Fatigue in EMS

Discussion on how fatigue effects responders in their ability to cope, drive, handle calls.

Speaker Bio

Amy has more than 25 years of EMS experience having served in multiple operational, supervisory, managerial, and executive roles in a variety of clinical and educational settings within EMS. She currently serves as an EMS program manager in New York. Amy has authored articles in several EMS trade journals and contributed to first responder texts on mental health and wellness for EMS providers. She is a nationally recognized speaker and has made presentations at various EMS and public safety conferences.

Dave Brenner

Course Title

Preventing Invisible Wounds

Attendees will develop an understanding of the psychological trauma often inflicted on our patients. The patients we treat in the pre-hospital setting often recover from their physical injuries but may carry the psychological trauma of their experience with them forever. Attendees will learn specific interventions (the eSCAPe protocol) to use on every patient encounter that tend to mitigate this reaction.

Sepsis - Suspect and Save Lives

This overview of The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3) is vectored for the EMS provider. Following a historical look at sepsis, these recent assessment guidelines along with treatment strategies are presented in a very interactive format. The new pediatric guidelines can also be included if time permits.

Travis Perry

Course Title

Review Demographics of Burn Injuries, the Initial Evaluation, Management and Overview of the Burn Wound Closure

John Todaro BA, NRP, RN, TNS, NCEE, CHSE, CHSOS

Course Title

Where Have Johnny & Roy Gone

Upon completion of this presentation, the student will be able to:

  • Discuss the history of the TV show EMERGENCY and how it helped develop the public image of EMS

  • Discuss how perception affects the public view of EMS

  • Explain the 7 rules for career success

The Use of Standardized Patients in EMS Education

Upon completion of this presentation, the student will be able to:

  • Define the term Standardized Patient

  • Explain the advantages of using Standardized Patients in EMS education

  • Discuss how standardized patients can be used to teach and assess EMS students

Differential Diagnosis in the Prehospital Setting

Upon completion of the is presentation students will be able to:

  • Discuss the concept of differential diagnosis

  • Explain the four “R”s” of differential diagnosis

  • Explain the concept of the differential diagnosis vortex

  • What is a Differential Diagnosis?

Kelly Joiner, OEMST Deputy Director & Dipti Patel, OEMST EMS Data Manager

Course Title

Georgia’s v3.5 PCR Transition

This session will cover Georgia's v3.5 PCR transition, education on new PCR fields (elements) within Georgia's ePCR software vendors, definitions of the fields (elements), how to utilize the fields (elements) when documenting, understanding of the current fields (elements) not changing, education of current issues across the state, and examples of how the PCR data is used for the EMS agency and at the state level. 

Allen Walworth FP-C, NREPT-P

Course Title

Pediatric Drowning and Post Resuscitation Management Considerations

Objectives:

  • Discuss common pediatric drowning scenarios and some physiologic implications of near and total submersion events.

  • Discuss the treatment and transport considerations for EMS/First Responders to include resuscitation and post resuscitative care considerations for the pediatric drowning patient.

  • Presentation and group discussion of a pediatric drowning case review

Speaker Bio

Flight and critical care transport paramedic for 18 years with over 23 years total in EMS. Allen has over a decade of pediatric and neonatal critical care transport experience with the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Transport Team and is still active in the community-based services flight sector. He is passionate about clinical education and working with other EMS/Hospital professionals in an effort to help provide the best pediatric care possible.

Dr. Karl Steinichen

Course Title

OB Emergencies & Delivery in the Field

Talk on non-traumatic OB emergencies in the field, with presenting complaints to 

1.     determine likely differential

2.     support needed with an eye toward the physiologic particulars of pregnancy that need consideration

3.     information to alert receiving team including attendees 

4.     treatment in the field where appropriate and how it interfaces with your usual practices.

The hope is to discuss the things we see and presumably, you'd be called for in pregnant and recently post-partum patients to assist where they would be seen and whom to alert. I have an interest in pregnant physiology, and how it changes the criteria used to evaluate and treat in the field.

Speaker Bio

Karl Steinichen finished his residency in OBGYN and began practice at Kennestone in 1984; Boarded in OBGYN 1986; Fellow of ACOG; Private practice in OBGYN until 2002, retired from practice until 2006; Returned to same practice 2006, active since, practice primarily OB/laborist since that time. Currently faculty position in GME program as laborist with some general call.

Ruth S. Hwu, MD, FAAP, FACEP

Course Title

Pediatric Trauma

The objectives of the pediatric trauma lecture is to review the general approach of trauma but highlight the anatomic differences and the various physiologic responses to trauma that is special in children.  The lecture will also cover how patterns of injury are different in children and how that may change the approach.

Speaker Bio

Ruth Hwu, MD is a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician who works at both CHOA-Egleston and Hughes Spalding.  Her areas of interest are EMS, pediatric trauma, and also simulation education.

Holly Sangster BS, RRT-ACCS

Course Title

Shortness of Breath for EMTs: Reasons to be a SOB

An overview of dyspnea, causes, and treatment options for EMS professionals. 

Speaker Bio

Education Resource Therapist

Reena Blanco, MD

Course Title

Pediatric Respiratory Emergencies

Objectives

  • Compare survival from cardiac vs. respiratory arrest

  • Review respiratory physiology in children

  • Review differences between respiratory distress and failure

  • How to manage specific upper and lower airway disease processes

Speaker Bio

Reena Blanco is a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician serving as the Medical Director of the Egleston Emergency Department at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Level I ACS-certified trauma center for pediatric care. She completed her medical degree at the Leonard Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami.  Reena completed her residency in pediatrics and her fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at Emory University. She joined the Emory faculty in 2013 and is now an Assistant Professor at Emory University in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Her academic interests include quality improvement focused on patient safety and operational flow in the emergency department for medical and trauma patients

Adrienne B Clark BSN, RN

Jason D. Sciarretta MD, FACS Grady Health System