Our Team and Experts

Our Team and Experts have been working in patient safety for years.  TMIT Global, our founding organization at www.SafetyLeaders.org and www.GlobalPatientSafetyForum.org  has operated the longest running and largest patient safety community of practice in the world where most of our team and experts have served.  Now in 2023, we are well into our second decade of delivering monthly webinars, producing broadcast films, and undertaking safety R&D.  New team members including college leaders, Emergency Medical Technicians, and Lifeguards.

William Adcox, MBA
Chief of Police and Chief Security Officer
MD Anderson Cancer Center and
The University of Texas Health Science Center
Houston, TX

Chief William H. Adcox is a national leader in threat solutions development and threat safety science. It was his advisory input to the team that allowed them to expand their focus to the top seven causes of death of otherwise healthy people which is now the target of the Med Tac program. Without his mentorship, there would be no Med Tac program as it exists today. His continuous support of the Med Tac team is substantial, and he is a key contributor on national education programs and R&D with healthcare safety leaders. 

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The Med Tac Law Enforcement program has been pioneered by Chief Adcox at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. The Pete Conrad Global Patient Safety Award recognizes these individual contributions to the Med Tac Program and his leadership service to the team.  With 37 years in municipal and campus policing, he serves as the Chief of Police and CSO at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and The University of Texas Health Science Center. He has hundreds of team members keeping more than 20,000 caregivers, educators, and students safe. Chief Adcox holds an MBA degree from UTEP and is a graduate of the PERF’s Senior Management Institute for Police and the Wharton School ASIS Program for Security Executives. He is the recipient of the IACLEA’s 2013 Award for Administrative Excellence and was named by Security Magazine as one of the “Most Influential People in Security 2013.” The agency received the IHSS Foundation’s prestigious 2015 Lindberg Bell Distinguished Program Award. Nationally, Chief Adcox received the Campus Safety 2015 Director of the Year Award in Healthcare; and locally he received the Texas Police Chiefs Association’s 2015 Leadership Award. He is a founder and health security lead for the Global Emerging Threats Community of Practice launched with major Medical Centers. Chief Adcox is the law enforcement and security lead for the Coronavirus Care Community of Practice for critical infrastructure worker families and families in the general public launched by the Med Tac Global Bystander Rescue program to deal with the Coronavirus crisis.  Chief Adcox serves regularly as a speaker and reactor during global webinar programs run by TMIT Global.

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Vicki King, MSCJ
Former Assistant Chief of Police
University of Texas Police at Houston

Former Assistant Chief of Police, Vicki King, is a leading expert in the science of threat management and mitigation. Her special contribution to Med Tac has been in a number of areas including focus on de-escalation of threats before something harmful happens. She is a rising star in threat safety science. During her 30-year career, she served 27 years with the Houston Police Department, rising to the rank of Assistant Chief and earning a master’s degree in Criminal Justice.  In 2023 she is providing expertise in the best practices that can reduce harm from emerging threats such as workplace violence. She is regularly one of our speakers in great demand.

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As Chief of Detectives, Tactical Support Commander, and Director of Forensic Services, she oversaw some of HPD’s highest-profile cases, including serial homicides, corruption, domestic violence, sexual assaults, and gangland slayings. After retiring from HPD, Vicki King served as an emissary to the Saudi Royal family; as an adjunct professor for the University of Houston system; and as Chief of Police for the City of La Marque. During her tenure at MD Anderson and UT-Health headed their Threat Assessment Unit. In her role, she worked with multidisciplinary teams to identify and mitigate risks. Vicki King was a lead security advisor for medical centers in the Coronavirus Care Community of Practice launched by the Med Tac Global Bystander Rescue program to deal with the Coronavirus crisis.  She is an expert in workplace violence and will co-lead collaborative efforts with Chief Adcox in the TMIT Global Emerging Threats Community of Practice throughout 2023 now that she has retired to pursue academic interests.

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David M. Morris, PH.D., J.D.
President
Morris & McDaniel, Inc.

David M. Morris, PH.D., J.D., has both a Ph.D. in Psychology and a Juris Doctorate.  He is board certified Forensic Psychologist, licensed Industrial Organizational Psychologist and an attorney with training at the World Court at The Hague in international law.  His firm, Morris & McDaniel, has worked with the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Department of Defense in establishing early screening programs to increase the effectiveness of vetting candidates seeking law enforcement and security positions as well as general workforce jobs.

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He developed and implemented the programs used to select entry level candidates in Iraq for four years.  He spent three years on the ground in Iraq in order to assure the effectiveness of the program.  The program was translated into multiple languages and proved to be effective in addressing the issues facing the country.  Morris & McDaniel is considered to be the premier firm for addressing the human element in security and in creating improved personnel selection in all jobs.  Dr. Morris has advised and established hiring and promotional programs for some of the largest Police Departments in the U.S.  Dr. Morris’ work in this area has spanned over thirty years and includes work in the following industries:  Oil and Gas, Hospitality, Financial, Transportations, Healthcare, Government Security, and Police Services.  His research and real world experience clearly shows that strategically designed screening procedures can quickly, effectively and inexpensively screen candidates for security positions and for non-secure positions alike at an early stage before more extensive investments are made by the employer in the candidate.

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Paul Cross, MBA
Assistant Chief of Police
Uniformed Police Operations
The University of Texas Police
Houston, TX

Paul Cross joined The University of Texas Police at Houston in 2018 as the Assistant Chief over Uniformed Police Operations. Paul has 37 years of law enforcement experience.

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Paul’s  experience stems from 24 years of service with the El Paso Police Department (EPPD) where he retired in 2008 as the Assistant Chief for the Office of Operations. During his career, he supervised over 80 homicide investigations, hundreds of sexual assault and robbery investigations, and served as the department’s Emergency Management Coordinator for the city’s Emergency Operations Center. Beginning in 2009, Paul worked for the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office where he oversaw the Criminal Investigations Bureau and ran the Jail Annex as an Assistant Chief before retiring from there in 2018 and joining the University of Texas Houston Police. Paul has an MBA and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and is a former President of the FBI National Academy Associates of Texas.

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John Little
Health Ministry
Saddleback Church
Lake Forest, CA

John Little joined the Los Angeles Fire Department in 1972 and worked as a Firefighter, Paramedic and Arson Investigator until he retired in 2011.  As a firefighter/paramedic, John worked high incident areas of the city and was assigned as a scuba diver and to air operations.  Once assigned to the Arson Counter Terrorism Section, John investigated over 5,000 fire scenes to determine the origin and cause of the fires.  Johns professional work career also included testifying as an expert witness in municipal, superior and federal courts. 

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For several years, John was detailed to the United States Treasury, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).  Due to his expertise in the area of fire investigation, John was assigned to the High Impact team.  The High Impact Team was tasked with conducting immediate follow-ups in high profile cases and cases where the circumstances dictated if suspect(s) were not taken into custody immediately, there would be serious risk to the life of the victim(s) or a serious threat to the community. John was always the top producer of investigations and arrests.

John served as a reserve police officer with Los Angele Police Department from 1982 to 2004.  During his time with the LAPD, John was assigned the following details: Hollywood Patrol, Fugitive Task Force, Criminal Conspiracy Section, Robbery/Homicide, Chief Protection Detail, and the Metropolitan Division.

After his retirement from the LAFD, John became an instructor with Saddleback memorial Hospital, working in the Profession Development Unit, instructing basic and advanced cardiac life support.  John also volunteers his time with Saddleback Church as a CPR/First aid instructor, healthcare ministry, high school ministry and dignitary protection for Pastor Rick Warren.

John has been married to his wife, Cindy for 21 years.  They currently reside in Lake Forest.  John has two sons, Eric and Lance, two step-daughters, Carly and Michelle, and one step son Nick.  John and Cindy have a total of 11 grandchildren.

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Matthew W. Horace, M.A.
Former Chief Security Officer
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MI

Matthew W. Horace, M.A., is the former Chief Security Officer of the Mayo Clinic. He was responsible for leading all elements of Mayo Clinic’s enterprise-wide security program, including the enterprise-wide security policy, security strategy, security operations, and security risk management. Leading a professional leadership team of industry certified subject matter experts, we employ flexibility, creativity, and intellectual aptitude in designing a security program addressing the specific business challenges in Mayo Clinic’s four core operations: Integrated Patient Care, Research, Education and Administration.

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He oversaw all security initiatives working with executive, business and functional leaders and staff including human resources, audit and compliance, corporate and financial investigations and legal. He provided the vision and leadership necessary to manage risk to the organization to ensure business alignment, effective governance, operational efficiency and performance monitoring and measurement throughout The United States and abroad.

Matt provided vital insights to our R&D efforts and ongoing support of our 1,000 household study of Critical Essential Workers from 2020 through 2022.

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Ann Rhoades
CEO PeopleInk
Best Selling Author

 

Ann is a dynamic and visionary Corporate Executive with over 25 years experience in a variety of service-based industries and is President of People Ink, her consulting company that helps organizations create unique workplace cultures based on values and performance.  She held the position of Vice President of the People Department for Southwest Airlines and Executive Vice President of Team Services for Promus Hotel Corporation and, the Executive Vice President of People for JetBlue Airways of which she was a co-founder. Ann is a contributor to the Med Tac Global Emerging Threats Community of Practice.

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Ann has a respected reputation in the industry for her creative approach to creating customer-centric cultures.  During her tenure with Doubletree Hotels, later Promus Hotel Corporation, she built a service culture focused on delivering outstanding service to Guests.  During the time Ann headed the People Department at Southwest Airlines, she solidified Southwest’s reputation of retaining and hiring the best people in the airline business despite Southwest’s rapid growth during that time.

As one of five founding executives, Ann took responsibility for the creation of JetBlue Airways Corporation’s People Team in New York.  In her role as head of human resources, Ann has been a key member of the executive team, and is extremely successful in her role as internal counsel to executives in every discipline in the organization.

Ann is a popular speaker on the subject of customer service and how to build a strong high-performing culture.

Ann currently serves on the board at the Regis Corporation, NexPhase Capital, and Chairman for Safer New Mexico Now.  Ann’s former boards include JetBlue Airways, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, HireVue, Inc., Restoration Hardware, New Mexico Appleseed, YScouts, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, President of University of New Mexico Alumni Board, Accion New Mexico, Albuquerque Community Foundation and the University of New Mexico-Robert O Anderson School of Business National Advisory Board.

Ann has an MBA in Management from the University of New Mexico and her book “Built on Values” was released in January 2011.

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Thomas Zeltner, MD
President & Chairman Swiss Red Cross
Former Secretary of State for Health and Director-General
of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (1991-2009)
Bern, Switzerland

Thomas Zeltner, MD, is an international expert leader in public health and health system development. He is the current Chairman of the WHO Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland.  In 2023, he was elected by the Swiss Red Cross Assembly o serve the Swiss Red Cross as President and Chairman of the Swiss Red Cross Council. He was the Secretary of Health of Switzerland and Director-General of the Swiss National Health Authority (1991-2009).  He provides input on global health issues to Med Tac and CareUniversity. He was a 2010 Fellow of the Advanced Leadership Initiative of Harvard University. He is co-founder of the Global Patient Safety Forum, a convening organization of the world’s leading patient safety organizations, and has served as a Managing Editor of the Journal of Patient Safety.  Dr. Zeltner continues to provide great advice in the areas of public health and global health. His advisory support of international institutions of higher learning provide great insights as the Med Tac programs expand globally.

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Dr. Zeltner advises international organizations and national governments in health policies and health policy reforms. He has served as Special Envoy in financing for WHO. In this capacity, he advised the Director General of WHO on the identification of an improved financing framework for the Organization. He served as Special Envoy of WHO, advising the Director General in critical areas of the current reform of this UN agency (how to cooperate with non-State actors such as NGOs and organizations in the private sector without compromising WHO’s integrity, and how to better align WHO’s priorities with the resources available to finance them). He is a member of the Global Agenda Council on Digital Health of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Dr. Zeltner is president of Blood Transfusion CRS Switzerland, the organization in charge of securing Switzerland’s provision with blood and blood products. He is a board member of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences and President of Science-et-Cité. Since 1992, he has been Professor of Public Health at the University of Bern, Switzerland.

From 1991 to 2009, Dr. Zeltner was the Director-General of the Federal Office of Public Health of Switzerland, the National Health and Public Health Authority and Secretary of State for Health. In this function he was a key actor in Swiss health policy and represented Switzerland in many international health organizations.

He graduated with an MD and a master’s degree in law from the University of Bern. He holds a specialist degree in human pathology and forensic medicine.

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Randal Styner
Director of Emergency Management
University of California at Irvine

 

Randy Styner is an expert in emergency management and author. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Western Illinois University and is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He is a scout leader and has worked with Med Tac Global at the University of California at Irvine to reduce the response time for medical emergencies. He is coordinating research at UCI as part of a multi-institutional R&D program with Med Tac to identify how to help families of Critical Essential Workforce workers. He wrote By The Light of the Moon which is the story of the survival of his family after a plane crash in 1976. Since 2022, Randy has led the joint Med Tac Program to take Med Tac innovations across the UCI campus. He has provided enormous value to helping reduce online harm to children, youth, and young adults through the Med Tac and SafetyLeaders programs of TMIT Global.

John Christian Fox, MD
Professor and Chair
Emergency Medicine Department
Director of Ultrasound in Medical Education
University of California at Irvine

 

John “Chris” Fox, MD, is a highly renowned emergency medicine physician. He is a professor and chair of the Emergency Medicine Department of the University of California at Irvine. He is an expert in the use of ultrasound in the practice of emergency medicine. He has been a contributor to the Med Tac Bystander Rescue Care Program and has been a speaker for the Coronavirus Community of Practice live webinars.  His team at UCI have provided technical expertise to the Med Tac Bystander Rescue Care Program since it was founded. He is providing emergency medicine expertise to the Med Tac Team supporting the 2024 Olympics in Paris and Tahiti.

Hilary J. Schmidt, PhD
 Consultant
Strategic Education Consulting
Hastings-On-Hudson, New York

Hilary J. Schmidt, PhD, is an advanced education expert with extensive experience applying principles and research from the behavioral sciences to the design of highly effective health sciences education. She has taught the Med Tac team critical best practices that have been incorporated in to the program and other programs of CareUniversity.

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She has a PhD in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and has dedicated her professional life to translating research on how people learn into best practices for teaching, learning and assessment. She has worked in both academia (17 years) and in the Pharmaceutical industry (9 years) has expertise in cognitive psychology, education research, instructional design and outcomes assessment.

In academia, Dr. Schmidt founded and lead three centers for teaching and learning at NY area medical Schools including Columbia University Medical Center, SUNY-Downstate, and UMDNJ-Newark. She has authored books on study and testing skills, for medical students, and has published extensively in the field of medical education. In industry, at Sanofi pharmaceuticals she provided strategic leadership to the groups responsible for Independent Medical Education Grants, Investigator Initiated Research Trials, Transparency, and Medical Affairs Compliance Training.

She is a member of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (ACEHP) and served as the Chair of the Industry Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions from 2011-13. She was a nominated member of the AMA Task Force on Industry Provider Collaboration in CME and served a s the Annual Meeting Chair for that organization in 2012. She is the recipient of the ACEHP’s Presidents Award 2013 for service provided to the organization. She is a frequent invited speaker at medical education conferences.

She recently co-founded (2014) the Calibre Institute for Quality Medical Education whose mission is to “Leverage Best-in-Class Education to Improve Patient-Care and Lower Healthcare Costs”.

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Gregory H. Botz, MD, FCCM
Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Adjunct Clinical Professor, Department of Anesthesiology
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA


Gregory H. Botz, MD, FCCM, is a Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is also an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He inspired initial focus of the team on active shooter events, and it was his continuous inspiration that led to the development of Med Tac. It was also his inspiration and idea to develop the CARE Huddle Checklist. He is the lead clinical content expert for the Med Tac program. He is a recipient of The Pete Conrad Patient Safety Award, recognizing these individual contributions to the Med Tac Program and his leadership service to the team.

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He received his medical degree from The George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. He completed an internship in internal medicine at Huntington Memorial Hospital, and then completed an anesthesiology residency followed by critical care medicine and medical simulation fellowships at Stanford University in California. He previously served on the faculty at Duke University School of Medicine.  Dr. Botz is a 2004 graduate of the Intermountain Healthcare Advanced Training Program in Health Care Delivery Improvement. He has served as the University of Texas Chancellor’s Health Fellow in Quality of Care and Patient Safety.  Dr. Botz was previously medical director of the ICU, Transfer Center, Acute Care Training Center, Simulation Center, Code Blue Team Operations and the Medical Emergency Rapid Intervention Team at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

As a clinician-educator, Dr. Botz serves as a national consultant for the Society of Critical Care Medicine Fundamentals training programs. He was a senior editor for the American Board of Anesthesiology Joint Council on Anesthesiology Examinations, program director for the UTHSC-Houston Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine Fellowship, Regional Faculty for the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care training programs and a member of The University of Texas System Health Care Components ICU Quality Improvement Collaborative. He has participated in SCCM education programs in collaboration with the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine, the Saudi Critical Care Society, the Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine, and the Association of Intensive Medicine in Brazil (AMIB).

He is a founder and health security lead for the Global Emerging Threats Community of Practice launched with major Medical Centers. Dr. Botz is the clinical lead for the Coronavirus Care Community of Practice launched by the Med Tac Global Bystander Rescue program for critical infrastructure workers and families, as well as the general public, to deal with the Coronavirus Pandemic. Dr. Botz is a frequent speaker for TMIT Global and brings a wealth of real-time knowledge to our programs as a critical care doctor, safety expert, medical security expert, and experience in best practices simulation.  Dr. Gregory Botz serves Med Tac as an uncompensated consultant and this relationship has been disclosed to MD Anderson’s Conflict of Interest Office.

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C. R. Denham, II, MD
CEO, HCC Global
Chairman, TMIT Global
Austin, TX

Dr. Denham is the co-founder of the Med Tac Certificate Program which his development team funded and produced. Together with Dr. Gregory Botz and Chief William Adcox of MD Anderson Cancer Center, the team are developing and testing the Med Tac innovations.  His focus in communities is on Bystander Care through Med Tac and his team is leading projects in healthcare institutions, institutions of higher learning, and schools – K-12.

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During his career spanning 39 years, he and his organizations have served hundreds of innovation teams. While in practice as a radiation oncologist, he taught biomedical engineering and product development. He has taught innovation adoption, technology transfer, and commercialization in both academia and industry. He has been an adjunct Professor of Health Engineering at the Mayo Clinic Medical School and had teaching appointments as an Instructor at the Harvard School of Public Health and as a Lecturer with the faculty of Harvard Medical School. He was a Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow in 2009 and a Senior Fellow in 2010 and 2011. His work there led to the production of a series of global documentaries on the Discovery Channel. He has served as Editor-in-Chief of the global Journal of Patient Safety, and has more than 100 works including peer-reviewed papers and multimedia productions. He has been ranked in the top 50 Most Influential Physician Executives by Modern Healthcare in multiple years and he has served as a regular columnist for the Wall Street Journal program The Experts: Journal Reports. He is an advisor to and collaborator with a number of Stanford University programs.  Dr. Denham is a PADI Certified Rescue Diver, BSA Certified Lifeguard, scout leader, and Stop the Bleed instructor with the American College of Surgeons program. He is a American Heart Association CPR/AED Instructor and has undertaken extensive wilderness first aid training with the American Red Cross. He has extensive aviation safety experience having been a private jet pilot, owned an aircraft manufacturing company with a global fleet, and operated air ambulance and charter services. Denham is a co-founder of the Global Emerging Threats Community of Practice launched with major Medical Centers and institutions of higher learning. He is one of the leaders of the Coronavirus Care Community of Practice for critical infrastructure worker families, medical centers, and families in the general public launched by the Med Tac Global Bystander Rescue program to deal with the Coronavirus crisis.

He founded HCC Global, a for-profit innovation incubator, and TMIT Global, a 501c3 Medical Research Organization, in the early ‘80s; the companies work collaboratively on common innovation programs. Dr. Denham funded and designed CareUniversity, our learning management system focused on continuing education of consumers and caregivers.  It is the delivery system for Med Tac.  Dr Denham’s current research and development work is in the area of Threat Safety Science focused on reducing preventable harm to families, caregivers, and institutions.  A special area of focus is caregiver harm and patient safety including insider threats such as fraud, insider threats, and outsider threats including workplace violence. His focus in communities is on Bystander Care through Med Tac and his team is leading projects in healthcare institutions, institutions of higher learning, and schools – K-12. The Med Tac Team are winners of the Pete Conrad Global Patient Safety Awards for co-founding Med Tac and their roles in pioneering the program for schools, colleges, churches, and scout groups.

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Casey Clements, MD, PhD
ED Clinical Chair
Staff Safety Officer, Occupational Safety
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN

Casey Clements, MD, PhD, is the Clinical Chairman of Emergency Medicine and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.  Carrying both a medical doctorate and a PhD in microbiology and immunology, he has worked for several years in acute and critical care research.   Dr. Clements has been a terrific contributor to our work through his expertise in sepsis, healthcare performance improvement, patient and caregiver safety. 

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Now, serving as Practice Chair for emergency medicine, he works on interdepartmental and interdisciplinary practice improvements focusing on implementation of evidence-based medicine. He also serves as the director for behavioral health in the ED and works throughout the Mayo Clinic on violence mitigation and patient and staff safety. He has been a substantial contributor to webinars educating the patient safety community of practice hosted by TMIT Global at www.SafetyLeaders.org.  He has spoken on sepsis and workplace violence multiple times for the TMIT Global community. He is the team lead for the Med Tac Program in the Rochester Minnesota community.  Dr. Clements is helping us establish bystander rescue stations in Rochester to serve schools in the community. He has been a valuable contributor to our 2024 Olympics program.

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Josh Lasher, EMT
AB.S. in Honors Physiology
& Medical Sciences

Josh Lasher recently undertook the role of leading the University of Arizona’s Bystander Rescue Care Program through Med Tac to better the response by the University in the event of an emergency. He is a recent graduate of the University of Arizona and is the former President of the University of Arizona Medical Directive club. During his time at the University, he pursued a Bachelor of Science in Honors Physiology and Medical Sciences while leading Medical Directive and its pre-health students towards a future career in medicine.

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Apart from his studies, Josh is actively undergoing the process of applying to Master’s programs to pursue a career as a Physician Assistant.  Josh also constantly involves himself within his community by volunteering at homeless outreach centers and by providing street outreach medicine for the unhoused population of Tucson.  He is employed as a part-time EMT at the Arizona State Prison in Tucson. Today, he continues to provide for the Tucson community as an EMT as he awaits a seat in PA school.  In the future, he hopes to continue his service to marginalized populations across the state of Arizona as a Physician Assistant.

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Christopher M. Coy
Air Force Pararescueman
Fire Fighter

Christopher M. Coy is a dedicated professional with a diverse tactical background in emergency response and public safety. Currently serving in the United States Air Force as a Pararescueman (PJ) and with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Chris has comprehensive training as a leader in emergency medicine, firefighting, extrication, rope rescue, as well as search and rescue operations. 

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Before joining the military, Chris served in the San Clemente Marine Safety Division, where he supervised ocean lifeguards, managed numerous rescues, and served as the President of the San Clemente Surf Life Saving Association.

Coy’s array of medical certifications and specialized training include Paramedicine, Small Unit Tactics, Combat Dive, Airborne, Freefall, and other various rescue capabilities.  His academic achievements include a BS in Business Technologies & Operations Management from Cal Poly Pomona.

Chris has been recognized for numerous accolades including the honor of top graduate in multiple academies and courses, United States Air Force Airman of the quarter twice, Best PJ (which he won with his brother), as well as earning Air Medals and a Navy Achievement Medal on his deployments.  Chris’s leadership, and extensive skill set make him a valuable asset in the field of emergency response and public safety.

Chris serves on the Med Tac Bystander Rescue Care Team as an advanced rescue expert. He will work with our clinical and continuing education leaders to optimize our bystander care rescue techniques.  Chris will serve as a CPR/AED Basic Life Support instructor with the American Heart Association and Stop the Bleed Instructor with the American College of Surgeons. He will support  and help lead our Rescue Route R&D projects at schools, universities, and medical centers in our network. He has been a major contributor to our programs for faith-based organizations seeking to deal with leader targeted attacks. He is a valued contributor to the Med Tac 2024 Olympics programs and is a technical advisor to our education and safety programs for children’s museums across the country. 

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David Coy
Air Force Pararescueman
Security Agent/Team Medic

David Coy is a highly trained paramedic and security team medic who served in the United States Air Force as a Pararescueman (PJ), as well as in corporate security as a civilian. He holds a BS Degree in Business and Marketing from California Polytechnic University in Pomona. During his college years, David also served in the San Clemente Marine Safety Division and California State Park Lifeguard Department, where he supervised ocean lifeguards, co-led the Jr. Lifeguard Program, and managed numerous rescues as an Ocean Lifeguard-EMT.

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His extensive medical certifications and specialized training encompass Paramedicine, Small Unit Tactics, Combat Dive, Airborne, Freefall, Combat / Civilian Scuba Diving, Urban / Mountain Rope Rescue, and various other rescue capabilities.

David has garnered numerous accolades over the years, being the #1 recruit out of the CA State Parks Lifeguard academy, the honor graduate of the 2018 Pararescue INDOC selection course, the Honor graduate of the US Army Airborne Course, and voted MVP by his peers upon completion of the USAF Pararescue Apprentice Course. Additionally, he competed in the Best PJ Competition (PJ Rodeo) and took first place with his brother, Chris Coy, as a partner. David’s leadership and extensive skill set make him a valuable asset in the field of emergency response and public safety.

Currently, David serves on the Med Tac Bystander Rescue Care Team as an advanced rescue expert. He collaborates with clinical and continuing education leaders to optimize bystander care rescue techniques. Furthermore, David serves as a CPR/AED Basic Life Support instructor with the American Heart Association and a Stop the Bleed Instructor with the American College of Surgeons. He supports and helps lead Rescue Route R&D projects at schools, universities, and medical centers within the network. David also contributes significantly to programs for faith-based organizations dealing with leader-targeted attacks and is a valued contributor to the Med Tac 2024 Olympics programs. Additionally, he acts as a technical advisor to education and safety programs for children’s museums nationwide.

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Amanda M. Coy
Med Tac Nursing Leader
Olympics Advisor

Dedicated to lifelong learning and passionate about healthcare, Amanda Coy presents a unique blend of skills and experiences. Graduating from Cal State University Fullerton in 2014 with a degree in Linguistics, Amanda deepened her understanding of human communication while earning a place on the dean’s list throughout her college career.  Post-graduation, Amanda diversified her endeavors by becoming a substitute teacher for the Capistrano Unified School District. This experience provided a profound understanding of childcare and education where she had the privilege to work with special needs children.

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For the past six years, Amanda has served as a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines, mastering the intricacies of inflight safety and passenger well-being. During her intensive two-month initial inflight training, Amanda acquired life-saving skills including fighting inflight fires, emergency medical training such as CPR and aviation medicine, managing terrorist threats, recognizing and responding to inflight bomb threats, and facilitating emergency egress in the most extreme conditions.

In a testament to her relentless pursuit of service, Amanda recently completed a nursing program at Concordia University in Irvine where she earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing. As a Registered Nurse, she will have the distinct advantage of combining linguistic insight, childcare experience, aviation expertise, and emerging nursing skills. This journey reflects Amanda’s humility, resilience, and commitment to making a positive impact in healthcare.

Amanda serves on the Med Tac Bystander Rescue Care Team as a nursing leader and keeps our clinical and continuing education leaders up to date on the latest nursing best practices. She provides support and help lead our Rescue Route R&D projects at schools, universities, and medical centers in our network. Amanda will serve as a CPR/AED Basic Life Support instructor with the American Heart Association and Stop the Bleed Instructor with the American College of Surgeons. She one of our nursing leaders for our Med Tac 2024 Olympics programs and is a technical advisor to our education and safety programs for children’s museums across the country.

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Charlie Denham, III
College Freshman UCSD
Co-founder, Med Tac Program
Founder, Ocean Rescue Our Ocean
Orange County, CA

Charlie Denham is a rising freshman and collegiate athlete who lives in Southern California.  He is a co-founder of the Med Tac Bystander Rescue Care Program. He is leading a national effort to put Bystander Rescue Stations at beaches, schools, colleges, and faith-based organizations. He is undertaking R&D efforts to establish best practices in placement of rescue supplies by charting rescue routes for school districts, universities, community centers, and the 2024 Olympics in Tahiti. He founded the Ocean Rescue Our Ocean program that equips the public with Good Samaritan training and early warning practices to protect beaches and oceans. A competitive surfer, he is a certified PADI Rescue Diver, Stop-the-Bleed instructor, and certified BSA lifeguard. He became one of the first University Surf Scholarships at the University of California San Diego and was awarded the Surf Scholar of the Year scholarship with the National Scholastic Surf Association both in 2023 and 2024.

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Charlie is a Pete Conrad Global Patient Safety Award winner for co-founding Med Tac and his role in pioneering the program for schools, churches, and scout groups after presenting the program at an innovation summit at the NASA Kennedy Space Center.  Charlie is commonly seen in the Med Tac training videos and as a speaker in Med Tac national broadcasts designed to reach his age group. He has learned the value of Bystander Care through the experiences he has had during lifeguard training and his participation in competitive climbing, fencing, flag football, surfing, and on Scout adventures.  He is participating on the multi-generational Med Tac team to develop its Survive & Thrive programs to deal with medical emergencies and co-leads our scout education initiatives. He co-developed the Holiday Lifeguard Program to deal with the Coronavirus Crisis and family infection transmission chains during the COVID crisis that has been expanded to address family safety programs nationally.   He is a Master Med Tac Instructor and helps lead the Med Tac Divers and Lifeguard-Surf Programs in California and Hawaii. His Med Tac Rescue Station Eagle Scout project placed rescue stations with Automated External Defibrillators and trauma care supplies at a California beach. It was the first of a number of such placements and spawned the development of the Med Tac Eagle Squadron of Eagle Scout candidates who are placing rescue stations at Southern California beaches to reduce resuscitation times to “3 Minutes from Drop to Shock”. As a co-founder of Med Tac, he has had the opportunity as a junior instructor to teach at Stanford University, in his own school, in major school districts, and the scouting community. In 2022, he launched the Ocean Rescue Our Ocean program to combine bystander rescue care of humans with early warning skills for ocean emergencies. Youth, adults, and families learn know how and skills to save lives and the environment along coastlines. He narrates a number of short STEM videos used by schools K-12.  Videos can be seen at:  https://www.medtacglobal.org/oceanrescue/.

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Coach Tyler Callaway
Head coach of UCSD Surf Team 
San Diego, CA

Tyler Callaway is the Head Coach for the UCSD Surf Team. He is a co-founder of the Med Tac NSSA Bystander Rescue Care Program. He is a certified lifeguard and Stop the Bleed Instructor with the American College of Surgeons. He specializes in mentoring and teaching wilderness bystander rescue care for high performance surfers and water sports enthusiasts who are training and remote locations with minimal professional first responder support.

London Jones
UCSD Undergraduate Student
Project Planner of UCSD Surf Team
Surf Program Assistant of the Mission Bay Aquatic Center

London Jones is a second-year UCSD undergraduate student studying international business with a marketing minor. She is the project planner of the UCSD Surf Team, a competitive surfer, and a co-founder of the Med Tac NSSA Bystander Rescue Care Program. London is also a program assistant for the surf department at the Mission Bay Aquatic Center or, MBAC, where she trains employees on lifesaving skills with an emphasis on waterfront safety. London is a Stop the Bleed Instructor with the American College of Surgeons. She specializes in teaching bystander rescue care for high performance surfers and water sports enthusiasts.

Rasea McAndrew
UCSD Undergraduate Honors Student
Co-founder Med Tac NSSA Program
Treasurer of UCSD Surf Team 
Founder of McAndrew Surf Lessons
Encinitas, CA

Rasea McAndrew is a third-year UCSD undergraduate studying international business. He is the treasurer of the UCSD surf team, a competitive surfer, and a co-founder of the Med Tac NSSA Bystander Rescue Care Program. Rasea created McAndrew Surf Lessons to provide safer, personalized surf lessons, donating a portion of the profits to the charity Save The Children. Rasea is a Stop the Bleed Instructor with the American College of Surgeons. He specializes in teaching wilderness bystander rescue care for high performance surfers and water sports enthusiasts who are training and in remote locations with minimal professional first responder support.

Christopher R. Peabody, MD, MPH
 Emergency Physician
Assistant Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine,
University of California San Francisco
Clinical Instructor, University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

Christopher R. Peabody, MD, MPH, is a practicing Emergency Physician in California and Clinical Instructor at the University of California, San Francisco. He is the lead clinical contributor to Emergency Medicine topics so vital to Med Tac and CareUniversity. The first 10 minutes after an injury or emergency incident are vital as are the interactions with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and then Emergency Physicians who receive the patients. Dr. Peabody helped us lead the dissemination of the Med Tac programs across academic medical centers and institutions of higher learning. His experience in healthcare innovation is a very valuable contribution. In 2023, he won the American College of Emergency Physicians Innovative Change in Practice Management Award.  

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He is a substantial contributor to the vital survival chain during emergencies and the leadership, best practices, and technologies that can optimize these processes. He is also the Director of the UCSF Acute Care Innovation Center, an initiative of the UCSF Department of Emergency Medicine, which develops novel ways to deliver Emergency and Acute Care reliably and safely by developing new technology and validating best practices. He has a strong commitment to public service and healthcare delivery to vulnerable populations. Dr. Peabody completed his residency at one of the busiest safety-net hospitals in the country, Los Angeles County Hospital, and was the Chief Resident in Emergency Medicine at the University of Southern California.  He attended medical school at the University of California San Francisco, and completed an MPH at Harvard University on a Zuckerman Fellowship. Dr. Peabody’s current interests lie in quality improvement and patient safety, especially related to underserved populations. He has extensive experience in emergency care and disaster response internationally, having served in Haiti and China. He is a member of the content leadership development team for CareUniversity and applies his expertise in emergency care, public health, and international healthcare performance improvement to meeting the needs of both consumers and caregivers.

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Gladstone C. McDowell, II, MD
Medical Director, Integrated Pain Solutions
Director TMIT
Columbus, OH

Dr. Gladstone McDowell is a nationally renowned pain management physician who is board certified in urology, anesthesia, and pain management. His fellowship studies at MD Anderson Cancer Center in urologic oncology give him a special understanding of complex pain issues. One of the Med Tac High Impact Care Hazards is Opioid Overdoses, and Dr. McDowell provides special expertise on the Med Tac Team in this area.  Dr. McDowell is a gifted educator of both higher specialized caregivers, youth, and the general public. In 2023 he will help us tackle the national opioid crisis in our youth and national workforce.

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He has substantial experience teaching high school students about drug addiction and avoidance of risks. He has contributed to the development of The 5 Rights of Pain Care  program in development with CareUniversity.  He is a Director of TMIT and serves on the Global Innovations Team of the Global Patient Safety Forum. He is the Medical Director of Integrated Pain Solutions. He is a trained specialist in urology, urologic oncology, anesthesiology, pain management, and patient safety. He has served as an instructor at The University of Ohio for both the Department of Urology and the Department of Surgery. He has also served as the Director of Sabine Urology Outpatient Clinic and the Chief of Urology at Breckenridge Hospital in Austin, TX. Dr. McDowell has been involved in breakthrough research at the Gynecology Clinic of the Southwest Foundation for Research and Development, and at the Department of Cell Biology at The University of Texas’ M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

A frequent speaker with TMIT Global, he is addressing the opioid crisis that in 2023 will kill more than 290 youth and young adults. He is an advisor to the film One Pill Did Kill, a free documentary that will be produced by TMIT in 2023.

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Perry S. Bechtle, III
Former Tesla Engineer
University of Florida
Industrial and Bio-Medical Engineer
Jacksonville, FL

Perry S. Bechtle, III, is a graduate of the University of Florida, an Eagle Scout, and a one of the leaders of the Med Tac Certificate Course program for scouts and college students. He was the first leader and co-founder of the Med Tac Eagle Network.  This program provided the training and support for Eagle Scout candidates who launch a Med Tac program for a school, faith-based institution, or scout organization. He was the first Med Tac Master Instructor in the country and has extensive experience in ocean rescue. He is a certified American College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed Instructor and Heartsaver CPR/AED Instructor with the American Heart Association.

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He is a Pete Conrad Global Patient Safety Award winner for his role in development of the College Med Tac Curriculum founding and launching the Med Tac program at the University of Florida. A lifeguard and avid surfer, he is working with the team in development of the Med Tac Lifeguard-Surf Program. He is a licensed pilot and and considering a career in medicine or biomedical engineering after serving industry as a systems engineer.  While at the University of Florida, he was the President of HEROES, a Pre-Med Pre-Health Career organization.  Perry launched the Med Tac College Program there. He is working with leading caregivers and law enforcement leaders in the continuous improvement of the Med Tac program.  Perry was one of the first college instructors having helped launch the program at Stanford University. He has been an instructor at the Orange County program in collaboration the OC Boy Scout Council.

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Perry S. Bechtle, DO
Anesthesiologist, Mayo Clinic
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Jacksonville, FL

Dr. Perry S. Bechtle is a neuroanesthesiologist at Mayo Clinic in Florida and provides expertise to Med Tac drawing on his clinical career, experience in patient safety, and high performance aviation best practices from his experience as a member of the Blue Angels. At the Mayo Clinic in Florida, he served as the Division Chairman of Neuroanesthesiology from 1997 to 2010.

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He also serves as the Patient Safety Officer and quality leader within the Department of Anesthesiology, and he is a Mayo Quality Fellow and the Medical Director of the Interventional MRI (IMRIS) neurosurgical suite. Prior to joining Mayo Clinic, he was a U.S. Naval flight surgeon for five years, then completed anesthesiology residency training at Mayo Clinic in Florida and a neuroanesthesia fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

Dr. Bechtle’s experience in other high-consequence industries includes being the flight surgeon for the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, from 1992 to 1994; work as a subcontractor at NASA Johnson Space Center Medical Operations in Houston and as Safety Coordinator at one of the Space Shuttle East coast alternate landing sites at MCAS Cherry Point, NC; and employment as Space Shuttle launch and recovery physician with the Department of Defense Division for Manned Space Flight at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He has been a consultant to Medtronic Xomed, primarily assisting with health hazard evaluation and failure mode effects analysis on a variety of products.

With a technical background in industrial safety and aviation safety, and a career which still includes daily work in the neurosurgical operating rooms of Mayo Clinic in Florida, Dr. Perry Bechtle brings a balanced, practical perspective to the organizational goal of achieving individual habitual excellence, true teamwork, vertical communication, and safety resilience in both patient safety and worker safety.

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David Beshk
Award Winning Educator
Med Tac School Program Leader
Scout Program Mentor
San Juan Capistrano, CA

David Beshk is an award-winning educator and developer of many powerful and impactful programs in STEM and other areas such as 3D printing and international collaboration of students. He is the lead educator in development of the Med Tac After School and Summer School program and a key advisor regarding design of child appropriate training of lifeline behaviors for high impact care hazards. He has led, taught, and refined multiple school programs and was responsible for the first life saved through Med Tac before the first class graduated. He is a 2018 Pete Conrad Global Patient Safety Award winner for his role in developing the program for educators, schools, and scout groups. He has mentored the group of junior assistant Med Tac instructors from the ranks of middle and upper schools. 

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Mr. Beshk has successfully completed the American College of Surgeon’s Stop the Bleed Instructor’s course and has taught the program with Dr. Denham to multiple grade school classes. He has completed the American Heart Association Heartsaver CPR/AED Instructor Certification program and is developing immersive simulation exercises that schools can use to address specific life-threatening scenarios.  He is an Eagle Scout and serves as an advisor to the Eagle Scout Mentorship Network. He is a 5th grade science teacher and has been the Dean of Lower Students at a leading private school in Southern California.  Mr. Beshk will lead the development of the curriculum and train the trainer program for educators. He a lead educator serving as an instructor in the 2023 Med Tac Bystander Rescue Care Programs for schools K-12 and higher education.

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Preston Head, III
Co-founder Med Tac Lifeguard-Surf
Program & Water Polo Program
Master Med Tac Instructor

Preston Head III is one of our first Med Tac Master Trainers. He the co-founder of the Med Tac Lifeguard Surf Program and Water Polo Program with Charlie Denham.  He has been a lifeguard, collegiate water polo player at UCLA, and competitive surfer. 

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He is an accomplished trainer for the American Heart Association Heartsaver CPR/AED program and for the American College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed Program. Preston has been a mentor to our young assistant instructors and an inspiration to the Med Tac Team.  He has been with Med Tac from the very beginning.

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Thomas Renner, EMT
Former Laguna Beach City Lifeguard
Medical Student
American Heart Association
CPR/AED Instructor
Stop the Bleed Instructor

Thomas Renner, EMT, is a medical student and ensign in the U.S. Navy. He has formerly been a Laguna Beach Lifeguard performing 24-hour ocean/flood rescue, emergency medical response (BLS level), incident prevention, ordinance enforcement, public assistance, community education, and new-hire training for the City of Laguna Beach, California. 

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He has provided technical rescue response in SCUBA search-and-rescue/recovery, coastal cliff rescue, and rescue watercraft for lifeguard programs. He is a certified EMT and has run the Laguna Beach City Junior Lifeguard Program consisting of over 450 children and twelve Instructors for summer. A pre-med student, he is an accomplished trainer for the American Heart Association and for the American College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed Program. He played water polo for Johns Hopkins University while in college and supports the Med Tac Water Polo and Surf and Lifeguard programs.

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Paul Bhatia, EMT
Former President, Anteater Emergency
Medical Services
Graduate, University of California at Irvine

 

Paul Bhatia, EMT, is a graduate of University of California, Irvine, and is the former President and co-founder of Anteater Emergency Medical Services (AEMS), the campus’ first and only collegiate EMS program which offers standby Basic Life Support (BLS) emergency medical services and educational opportunities to the University. He has served as a lead instructor in the Stop the Bleed® and American Heart Association BLS programs, and he also has serveed as a Field Training Officer and EMT in both Anteater EMS and Emergency-1 Response, Incorporated. He continues to volunteer his time as a co-instructor in Med Tac courses and is leading the initiative to develop a Med Tac program for UC Irvine through Anteater EMS. Paul was instrumental in the development of the Youth and Young Adult Med Tac Outreach Team who in 2023 will be driving Bystander Rescue Care in their universities and colleges.

Jaime Yrastorza
UCSD Graduate
Medical Student, University of Nebraska
Med Tac College Team Member

 

Jaime Yrastorza recently graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a major in molecular biology and a minor in chemistry.  He researched the gene-environment interaction in cancer cell metastasis while at UCSD and is currently applying to medical schools. He has gone through the med-tac course and has been certified both by the AHA Heartsaver CPR/AED program and by the American College of Surgeon’s STOP THE BLEED® course. He is an Eagle Scout from Troop 22 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Brittany Owens, MD
Board Certified Pediatrician
Philadelphia, PA

 

Brittany Owens, MD, is a Board Certified Pediatrician and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She grew up in Newport Beach California and attended University of California Berkeley where she received her BA in Public Health. She then moved to Pennsylvania where she graduated from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. She completed her pediatric residency at Jefferson Medical College/AI Dupont Hospital for Children in Delaware and has been practicing pediatrics in an outpatient setting for over 4 years. She currently lives in Philadelphia and has 2 young boys.

Jacqueline Botz
Med Tac Team
Johns Hopkins University

 

Jacqueline Botz has been an intern working with the Med Tac Bystander Rescue program as a high school student, a college student at Chapman University, and now as a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University. She is an award winning opera singer. Jacqueline has served as a leader on the Adopt a Cove program and has surveyed the coves from Dana Point to Newport Beach California. She has supported the team of Eagle Scout candidates who are placing Rescue Stations at beaches in order to reduce response time for sudden cardiac arrest and severe bleeding to less than 3 minutes. In 2023 she serves as an analyst while at Johns Hopkins, helping Med Tac to identify the best available evidence to support bystander rescue care.

Jeanne M. Huddleston, MD, FACP, FHM
Hospitalist
Former Chair Mortality Review Subcommittee
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN

Jeanne M. Huddleston, MD, FACP, FHM, is a past President of the Society of Hospital Medicine, the founder of Hospital Medicine and past Program Director of the Hospital Medicine Fellowship at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. She is the former Chairperson of Mayo Clinic’s Mortality Review Subcommittee, a multi-disciplinary group of providers that review every death in search of where the health care delivery system may have failed the providers and/or the patient.

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She received her MD degree in 1993 from the College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University. She completed her residency in internal medicine and advanced general medicine fellowship at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Huddleston is a Harvard Macy Scholar (both in the Physician Educator and the Leadership Programs) and alumnus of the Health Forum/AHA Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship. Dr. Huddleston has received Masters’ Degrees in both Clinical Research and Industrial Engineering. This education equipped her scholarly translation of systems engineering to health care delivery in an effort to improve the value of the healthcare experience for patients, their families and the providers through her work in mortality reviews and patient threat safety.  Dr. Huddleston will provide ongoing subject matter expertise to Med Tac and the CareUniversity programs in the domain of triage of emergencies using the lessons learned from the Mayo Clinic Mortality Review programs.

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Daniel Policicchio, Jr.
Assistant Producer
Med Tac Films
NYU Student
New York City

Daniel Policicchio is an NYU student and aspiring filmmaker who has participated in pre-production and production of Med Tac films.  He has been a lead documentarian and participant in our Med Tac deliberative simulation exercises.

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He has also been an instructor and speaker for our scout programs focused on movie making.  Daniel has brought terrific support to capturing the action sequences of our Surf Lifeguard and Adopt a Cove programs. He will be a lead developer of the competitions we will hold throughout 2020 between the nation’s leading film schools. He will play a vital role in the development of our documentary 3 Minutes and Counting: Bystanders Care.  He will also play a significant role in the TMIT production entitled One Pill DID Kill which will tackle the opioid crisis in 2023.

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Dawson Farmer
Med Tac Intern
Graduating High School Senior

Dawson Farmer began his Med Tac experience during his high school career.  He has shown repeated interest in his community through programs such as Best Buddies, Make-A-Wish, and multiple community service projects.

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He intends to carry this attitude of service through continued involvement in the Med Tac program. Dawson is a varsity football player, as well as a National Honors Society member. He intends to transition to a top 4-year university to study Finance and Economics in order to bring that knowledge back into the community within the non-profit sector.

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Nancy Conrad
Founder and Chairman, Conrad Foundation
Seabrook, TX

Nancy Conrad is a tireless champion for patient safety and innovation through education. She is an advisor to CareUniversity and Med Tac in the area of outreach to children and youth and our liaison with NASA. She created the Conrad Foundation in 2008 to energize and engage students in science and technology through unique entrepreneurial opportunities.

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By enabling young minds to connect education, innovation, and entrepreneurship, the Foundation helps provide a bold platform for enriching the innovative workforce of the future. Ms. Conrad’s interest in patient safety began as a result of the death of her husband, astronaut Charles “Pete” Conrad. On July 8, 1999, while motorcycling, Pete ran off the road and crashed. His injuries were first thought to be minor, but he died from internal bleeding about six hours later. Ms. Conrad’s compelling story serves to personalize the need for patients and their families to take responsibility for their care, as well as to highlight the need for systemic changes in the quality of care. Ms. Conrad was co-founder and co-chairman of fundraising of the Community Emergency Healthcare Initiative. This program was designed to measurably affect preventable injury and death occurring in emergency departments. She established the Pete Conrad National Patient Safety Award to recognize global contributors in patient safety.

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Wills Johnson
EMT
Medical Industry Executive

Wills Johnson is a graduate of the University of Indiana, an Eagle Scout and a Co-founder of the Med Tac Certificate Course program for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. He is a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and is helping build the network of EMTs who will become future Med Tac Instructors.  He and the Eagle Scout Mentorship Network in development will support future Eagle Scouts who want to undertake a Med Tac program as their Eagle Project. He will also be a lead developer of a potential Boy Scout Merit Badge focused on Med Tac.

Wills is an executive in the medical device industry and spends a significant amount of time in operating rooms assisting surgical specialists.

Kyle Kemp
Chief of Staff
TMIT
HCC Cooperation
Austin, TX

Kyle Kemp is the Chief of Staff of both TMIT Global, a 501c3 tax exempt medical research organization and HCC Global Corporation, a private innovation incubator. He coordinates and leads the infrastructure support systems for both organizations that have been operating since the mid-1980’s. He is responsible for the operational support systems for the TMIT National Research Test Bed served by www.SafetyLeaders.org and the Med Tac Bystander Rescue Care program found at www.MedTacGlobal.org.

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For more than 15 years, he been responsible for leading delivery of monthly ninety-minute broadcasts serving a network of caregivers at 3,100 hospitals in 3,000 communities. When the Coronavirus Crisis hit in March of 2020, TMIT launched our  Coronavirus Community of Practice to serve the Essential Infrastructure Workers defined by the Department of Homeland Security. TMIT focused on breaking COVID family transmission chains and undertook a continuous 1,000 family household study that led to a series of Survive and Thrive Guides for essential workers which then began being adopted by the general public. They are found on this website at https://www.medtacglobal.org/coronavirus-response/. Kyle Kemp led operations of the survey functions that informed the design of the Survive and Thrive Guides. He leads of the broadcasts into on-demand enduring programs.

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Patient and Family Advisory Board

Mary Foley
Clinical Professor, UCSF School of Nursing
Director, Center for Nursing Research and Innovation
Assistant Director for the Master’s Entry Program in Nursing
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
San Francisco, CA

Mary E. Foley, PhD, RN, is a Clinical Professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing and is the Director in the Center for Nursing Research and Innovation at UCSF. She is the Assistant Director for the Master’s Entry Program in Nursing at UCSF, and teaches in the Masters in Health Administration and Interprofessional Leadership (MS-HAIL) course at UCSF. Mary worked with the Collaborative Alliance for Nursing Outcomes (CALNOC) since 2004 and in January 2017 she will serve as Chairperson of the CALNOC Board of Directors. Mary is past president of the American Nurses Association and the National Student Nurses Association. She was a nurse for 19 years at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, where she worked a staff nurse, Director of Nursing, and Safety Officer.

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A registered nurse for 43 years, Foley continues to teach, write and lecture, promoting safe care for workers and patients nationally and internationally. She served on the board of the National Patient Safety Foundation, an advisor to the Partnership for Patient Safety (p4ps) and is a member of the TMIT Patient and Family panel. Since 2012, she has worked with Karen Curtiss to improve family involvement in patient safety. She is a nursing consultant to “Safe and Sound in the Hospital” and PartnerHealth and she and Karen were faculty members in the Hospital Quality Institute HEN2.0 initiative in CA. She is proud of her membership and leadership on behalf of the Nursing Section of GLMA.

In November, 2011 she became Nursing Co-Lead for the IOM California Action Coalition and has developed a special interest in Academic Progression. She is Co-Chair of the HealthImpact and California Action Coalition Advisory Council. She was served on the board of CGFNS International and was Chairperson of the Safe in Common Campaign to address sharps injuries. Mary leads an ongoing Infection Control program for hospitals in coordination with Rwanda health leaders and taught with a delegation at two rural hospitals in Rwanda in August, 2015 and will be returning in 2017

Foley received her nursing diploma in 1973 from New England Deaconness Hospital School of Nursing, her BSN in 1976 from Boston University School of Nursing in Massachusetts, and her Master’s of Science in Nursing Administration and Occupational Health from UCSF in 1994. She received her PhD in Nursing from UCSF 2010, and was elected as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2013.

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Jennifer Dingman
Founder, Persons United Limiting Substandards
and Errors in Healthcare (PULSE), Colorado Division
Co-founder, PULSE American Division
TMIT Patient Advocate Team Member
Pueblo, CO

Jennifer Dingman realized, after her mother’s death in 1995 due to errors in medical diagnoses and treatment, that there is little to no help available for patients and their families in similar situations. This life-changing experience left her feeling vulnerable, and she decided to dedicate her life to help prevent medical tragedies from happening to others.

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In 1996, Jennifer founded PULSE of Colorado, now a national organization, as a platform to support patients and their families who had experienced medical errors and other adverse medical outcomes. Within two years, PULSE became a national force when PULSE of New York paved the way for many other state chapters to be born. Additionally, Jennifer became an active member of the National Patient Safety Foundation and served on numerous committees, including the Board of Governors.  For more than 24 years, she has volunteered her time to improve the quality of the healthcare system in the U.S.  She believes that patient involvement, and promoting an equal partnership between the doctor and the patient, is the most effective way to achieve better quality in the healthcare industry.

Jennifer is a TMIT Patient Advocate Team Member.  She has co-authored patient safety articles in peer-reviewed medical journals.

She is a member of Champion for Patient Safety, and represented the organization at the 2005 Patients for Patient Safety Workshop in London and the 2006 Pan American Health Organization Workshop in San Francisco to discuss patient safety and empowerment. Jennifer also served on the board of directors for a local Colorado-based community health center for six years and currently sits on the local school district’s health advisory board.

An avid patient advocate, Jennifer Dingman joined the Cautious Patient Foundation as an Advisory Board member. In this position, Jennifer offers input, ideas and expert advice on the Foundation’s key issues in order to bring changes to the current healthcare system.

Since 2008, Jennifer has served as a faculty member of The Patient Safety Clinical Pharmacy Collaborative, a groundbreaking patient safety initiative that has changed the face of healthcare delivery with measurable positive outcomes for patients. For her tireless efforts, she has won national recognition, including the 2004 Patient Safety Award given by the Colorado Patient Safety Coalition, where Jennifer is a member, and the 2007 Pete Conrad Patient Safety Award. Her invaluable input from a patient’s perspective is widely sought by healthcare groups that are addressing patient-safety issues. Jennifer’s energy and compassion help both patients and doctors alike.

She and several other advocates have been managing Patient Safety Day since 2008 in the USA, and will continue to do so in the future as well as support the new International Patient Safety Day on Sept. 17 each year to come.  Jennifer strongly believes in unity and solidarity if ever patients and families are going to help change the severely flawed system of USA healthcare delivery.

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Becky Martins
Founder, Voice4Patients.com
Former TMIT Patient Advocate Team Member
Warren, ME

Becky Martins’ advocacy spirit derived from the days when she was driving a family member 150 miles round-trip, three days a week, to dialysis treatments. She spent countless hours at the unit visiting with patients and their families. It was through their stories that she learned of the many challenges faced by patients living with chronic illness. It was by their example that she learned of the resilience of the human spirit to face health and health-related challenges head-on.

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The unit was her classroom, and her teachers were the patients and families, along with the unit staff who cared for them. The experience became the impetus for her advocacy on behalf of end-stage renal disease patients. In 1996, Becky was the recipient of the Kidney Foundation of Maine Board of Trustees’ Service Award for 10 years of service.  In 2002, Becky founded Voice4Patients.Com: an initiative to empower patients to be their own health care advocates. The site advocated building partnerships between patients and providers – and provided information and tools to strengthen consumer skills.

Becky Martins was a champion of patient- and family-centered care, effective communication in health care, and patient and family involvement: from the board room to examining room. She was a TMIT Patient Advocate Team Member; a Patients for Patient Safety Champion of the World Healthcare Organization’s World Alliance of Patient Safety; and a past member of National Patient Safety Foundation’s Patient & Family Advisory Councils. She was a contributor to “Opportunities for Patient and Family Involvement” – Chapter Nine of the National Quality Forum’s Safe Practices for Better Healthcare – 2009 Update: A Consensus Report.

The 121st Maine Legislature presented Ms. Martins with a Special Sentiment for her patient safety advocacy.  She is a recipient of the Pete Conrad Patient Safety Excellence Award.  Becky Martins passed away in July of 2020. Her wonderful words, affirmations, and voice of the patients expressed through TMIT Global webinars will be remembered forever. A woman of faith and true community leader with a servant’s heart, she will always be a role model to patient safety champions.

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Dan Ford, MBA, LFACHE
Voluntary Patient Safety Advocate
Spectrum Health EPFAC and Hospital Group Board Quality & Safety Committee Member
TMIT Patient Advocate Team Member
Retired Healthcare Executive Search Consultant
Veteran, Naval Aviation, Vietnam War
Rockford, MI

Dan Ford, MBA, LFACHE, is now retired from his role at TMIT, however has been a great contributor and his messages are memorialized in our recorded programs.  He developed a deep passion for patient safety as a result of medical errors experienced in Illinois by his first wife, Diane, and the treatment he experienced when he started asking logical and genuine questions. The mother of three children (11, 14, and 17 at the time) and age 47, Diane was pursuing her second master’s degree, and suffered a morphine-induced respiratory arrest following a hysterectomy. She has permanent brain damage/short-term memory loss and a poor quality of life, and resides in an independent living facility.

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Desiring to convert his anger, hurt, and frustration into constructive change – delayed because of a nine-year medical malpractice lawsuit – and using his visibility as a healthcare executive search consultant, Dan became a patient safety advocate in 2002. He has given 90 patient safety presentations to boards of directors, management, and physician leadership of hospitals, systems, other provider organizations, and HRSA. He is a CAPS member and WHO/PAHO champion, and works with TMIT and a group of other patient safety advocates on listening, disclosure, and related initiatives.

He has served on a number of other provider patient safety and quality committees nationally and in Arizona, including ISMP, NQF, The Joint Commission, IHI, AzHHA, Catholic Health Partners, and Carondelet Health Network. He helped to plan and facilitate CAPS “Partnering with Provider” workshops at Northwestern Memorial in Chicago, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, and AzHHA in Phoenix in 2008 and 2009.

In 2010, Dan was a co-author, with Bev Johnson and Marie Abraham, of “Collaborating with patients and their families” in the Journal of Healthcare Risk Management, the journal of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management. The story of serious medical errors experienced by Dan’s wife and the impacts his family has endured is told in a chapter of Dr. Sanjay Kumar’s book, Fatal Care: Survive in the U.S. Health System. Dan authored an article on patient and family involvement in root cause analyses, which appeared in the December 2013 online issue of Dorland Health’s Case in Point.

Dan is a retired Vice President with Furst Group, a national healthcare executive search firm headquartered in Rockford, Illinois. His MBA is from the University of Chicago, preceded by a BS from Jamestown University in North Dakota. He was in the Navy from 1964-69, a Naval Aviator in a transport squadron which serviced the fleet in the Pacific during the Vietnam War.

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Arlene Salamendra
Former Board member and Staff Coordinator,
Families Advocating Injury Reduction (FAIR);
TMIT Patient Advocate Team Member
Plano, IL

Arlene Salamendra is a former Board member and Staff Coordinator of Families Advocating Injury Reduction (FAIR). A number of years ago, she was the subject of a preventable medical error. Since that time, she has devoted a portion of her time to giving support to other patients who have been injured or have lost a loved one, and rectifying the systems errors that lead to preventable medical errors. She is a member of the TMIT Patient Advocate Team.