Introducing the 2022 EMSC Fellows

On behalf of the EMSC Program, the EMSC Innovation and Improvement Center (EIIC) has announced the 2022 cohort of fellows. The 15 total fellows span across disciplines and were selected from across the country.

“We were truly inspired by the quantity and quality of applications this year,” says Kathleen Adelgais, MD, MPH/MSPH, Prehospital Domain Co-Lead, who co-leads the Fellows Program with Corrie E. Chumpitazi MD, MS, FAAP, FACEP, Knowledge Management and Research Domain Co-Lead. “These 15 individuals stood apart from their peers. We can’t wait to see their impact in support of the EMSC Program over the next 12 months and beyond.” 

Each fellow is assigned to an EIIC domain and will receive mentorship from that domain as they engage on key EMSC activities and projects, including national steering committees.

Advocacy Domain: 

Emily Harker, MD

Emergency medicine resident

Emily Harker, MD, grew up in Mentor, Ohio, and graduated from Case Western Reserve University in 2016 with a BS in Polymer Science and Engineering. From there she went to the University of Michigan for Medical School and is a  third-year emergency medicine resident at the University of Pittsburgh and is currently applying for a pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) fellowship.

Anna Hauserman, NREMT, BAS

Emergency medical technician

Anna Hauserman, NREMT, BAS, is currently working as an emergency medical technician with American Medical Response. She has been in EMS for two years and loves working with a team of providers in and out of the hospital. She majored in Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a certificate and special interest in Public Health. She is now living and working in Albuquerque, NM, and enjoys traveling on the weekends, yoga, and a good coffee.

Collaboratives Domain: 

Christine Aspiotes, DO, MS

PEM fellow

Christine Aspiotes, DO, is a third-year PEM fellow at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. During fellowship, she developed a special interest in pediatric readiness and  worked with her Emergency Department (ED) Outreach team in improving readiness efforts throughout  collaborative sites.  In  her free time,  she enjoys traveling with her husband and exploring new restaurants and breweries in Pittsburgh and is  an avid Pittsburgh Penguins fan. Most recently, she and her husband have been spending most of their time with their son, Henry, who they welcomed two months ago!

Oseana Bratton, BSN, RN, CPEN, EMT

Comprehensive regional pediatric center and trauma coordinator

Oseana Bratton, BSN, RN, CPEN, EMT, obtained her BSN in May 2007 and worked at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego for 10 years as a pediatric emergency/trauma nurse and clinical supervisor. In October 2016, Bratton followed her love for pediatric emergency medicine to Knoxville, TN, where she now works as the comprehensive regional pediatric center and trauma coordinator at East Tennessee Children's Hospital. In this role, Bratton leads a team of clinical experts that provide pediatric emergency care education and planning support to hospitals, EMS providers, and various state committees throughout East Tennessee. She is currently in school to obtain her AEMT license and volunteers as a rescue technician with Knox County Rescue. She enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her dog Penny.

Communications: 

Jonathan Chan, MD

Global Emergency Medicine fellow

Jonathan Chan, MD, completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine in New York City and is now serving as a fellow in Global Health and International Emergency Medicine at the UC Davis Health Department of Emergency Medicine. Jonathan grew up in California and attended college in San Diego and medical school in Detroit. He is currently working on developing a pediatric emergency medicine training program in Cameroon. 

Vicki Petersen, BA, CCP

EMSC State Partnership program manager

Vicki Petersen, BA, CCP, is the Iowa EMSC State Partnership program manager at the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. She is a nationally registered critical care paramedic and former firefighter and manages a free medical clinic in her community. She has a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Iowa, EMS certifications from Mercy College of Health Sciences, and firefighter I, II, and HAZMAT operations certifications from the Iowa Fire Service Training Bureau. Her history includes urban and rural paramedicine and critical care transport, graphic design, international and domestic media relations and a wide variety of volunteer positions. Her volunteer activities have included fundraising for children's cancer programs, participation in a rural volunteer fire/EMS department, leading youth groups, and missions in the Navajo Nation, South Dakota, Appalachia, Haiti and Jamaica. She speaks French.

Disaster Domain: 

Gabrielle Smith, BSN, RN, MICN

Pediatric emergency care coordinator (PECC)

Gabrielle (Gaby) Smith has worked as a RN in the ED for more than 17 years at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center (LBMC). Gaby is a wife, mom of two, and graduate of California State University Long Beach with a BS in both Nursing and Child Development and Family Studies. Recently, Gaby has established the PECC role by partnering with Miller Children's and Women's Hospital, PdLNs-LA County, and participating in EMSC's PECC Workforce Development Collaborative. In her new PECC role, Gaby has joined the Disaster Emergency Management team at LBMC, Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Medicine (WRAP-EM), and Southern California Pediatric Disaster Coalition, which has supported the inclusion of pediatric care for disaster management offered by LBMC. Gaby enjoys outdoor hikes, participating in local community-sponsored events, traveling, and spending time with family! 

Christopher Wright, MD

PEM fellow

Chris Wright, MD, is currently a PEM fellow at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He attended medical school at the University of Texas followed by pediatric residency at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School. Chris hopes to take what he learns as an EMSC fellow in his career as a PEM doctor to benefit all children in the event of a disaster. Outside of medicine, Chris enjoys traveling, cooking, running, hiking, snowboarding, and the world's game (soccer).

Hospital Domain: 

Andrea Rich, MSN, RN, CEN

Clinical optimization consultant; co-chair, Pediatric Prepared Emergency Care Program

Andrea is a clinical optimization consultant for the Healthcare Transformation Services business within Philips, a consulting practice that helps hospitals enhance operational performance, provide interim leadership, and enhance the patient experience. Andrea has over 25 years of nursing experience all focused on prehospital, emergency services, and critical care. Andrea prides herself on team development and employee engagement, patient safety, customer satisfaction, process improvement, and quality outcomes. Andrea spent 15 years growing a community emergency center while building the pediatric service line and standardizing the care pediatric patients received at every network location.  Additionally, Andrea works at the state level to grow the pediatric emergency care program and improve patient outcomes for the pediatric population, and she is currently the co-chair of the Arizona Pediatric Prepared Emergency Care Program through the Arizona chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Morgan Sims, MD

PEM attending physician

After completing her Pediatrics residency at Louisiana State University (LSU) in New Orleans and PEM fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina, Morgan Sims, MD, moved to Chapel Hill, where she is now a member of the PEM faculty at the University of North Carolina (UNC). Her academic interests center around quality improvement and interdisciplinary collaboration to promote exceptional, evidence-based patient care. Outside of work, she enjoys baking, spending time with her family, and exploring her town through trying new restaurants.

Knowledge Management Domain: 

Marc Minkler, BS, NRP

EMSC Maine State Partnership program manager

Marc Minkler, BS, NRP, is the Maine EMSC State Partnership program manager. He is a paramedic, EMS educator and consultant who has partnered with fire departments, EMS services, and hospitals to improve their clinical care, medical knowledge, and operations. He holds degrees in Business Administration and Healthcare Administration. After spending over three decades working in EMS, Marc knows what truly drives EMS systems and the partnerships between EMS, hospitals, and long-term care-; It's how well you connect with the people you're trying to help, and provide professional, evidence-based care. Marc has utilized his skills throughout Maine, Maryland, Washington D.C., and Vermont. Marc enjoys the outdoors of Maine, hiking with his dog, and cooking for friends with the amazing local foods that Maine offers.

Dennis Ren, MD

PEM attending physician

Dennis Ren, MD, is a PEM attending physician at Children's National Hospital and assistant professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. His areas of interest include Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAMed), simulation, and disaster/emergency preparedness. He has contributed to numerous FOAMed outlets including “The Skeptics' Guide to Emergency Medicine (SGEM)”, “First10EM”, “Don't Forget the Bubbles”, and “PedsRAP”. He hosts a monthly critical appraisal podcast, “SGEM Peds”. Outside of the hospital, he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter.

Prehospital Domain:

Emily Dorosz, MSN, RN, CPEN, CPN

Clinical program coordinator; president, Mid-Maryland Chapter of the Emergency Nurses Association

Emily Dorosz, MSN, RN, CPEN, CPN, is the clinical program coordinator for EMS/Base Station of the Emergency Medicine and Trauma Center at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. She has been in this role since 2014 and has been a registered nurse in the pediatric ED for 16 years. She is a certified pediatric nurse and a certified pediatric emergency nurse. Emily received her BSN from Georgetown University in 2006 and her MSN in Clinical Nurse Specialist in Pediatrics from the University of Delaware in 2016. She is a PALS lead instructor, leads the Emergency Ambulatory Response Team, and is a member of the resuscitation committee. Emily's areas of interest include data and quality improvement, EMS-ED care coordination, regional disaster and surge preparedness, global disaster nursing education, and prehospital outreach and education. She is the president of the Mid-Maryland Chapter of the Emergency Nurses Association.

Kathryn Schissler, DO

PEM fellow

Kate Schissler, DO, grew up outside of Boston and studied molecular biology at the University of California Santa Cruz. She then attended medical school at Kansas City University and completed her pediatric residency at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, FL. Kate is currently a third-year PEM fellow at Connecticut Children's and will be starting an EMS fellowship in July 2023. During training, she has been involved with prehospital provider and trainee education, quality improvement projects, and research with the CT Targeted Issues Grant on PECCs led by Mark X. Cicero, MD, FAAP.

Trauma Domain: 

Sara Daykin, DNP, RN, CPEN, TCRN, CNEcl

Lecturer

Sara Daykin, DNP, RN, CPEN, TCRN, CNEcl, is currently faculty at the University of New Mexico, College of Nursing, and the educator for the Child Ready program. Sara originally trained as a nurse at Kings College, London, and has earned a masters in Nursing Education from Eastern New Mexico University and a doctorate from Chamberlain University. Much of her clinical career has been within the pediatric ED and currently she teaches in both the undergraduate program and the post-licensure RN to BSN program. Working in a rural state has highlighted the need for improved pediatric trauma care at a grassroots level and her doctoral project looked at the use of telehealth to improve rural pediatric care. Her interests include combining the use of technology to improve pediatric outcomes.

Learn more about the EMSC Fellows Program or get to know the 2022 EMSC Scholars, who were announced last month. The Pediatric Pandemic Network Scholars will be announced next month.