Meet our Faculty

THE BEST OF THE BEST

Our faculty consists of world-class doctors, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, and techs who not only love their jobs, but are highly-skilled, have trained at some of the best universities, medical schools, and teaching hospitals in the world, and are gifted communicators and educators.  Their desire is to pass on the passion to help and heal to the next generation of doctors.  Many Sharp Memorial Hospital doctors, nurses, and HCPs work at Emerge, as two Sharp Memorial doctors are Co-Founders of Emerge.  Our faculty members are listed here in alphabetical order by first name.  Scroll through to read their bios.

 


Dr. Amelia Simpson, MD

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Dr. Simpson is from Oak View, CA where she attended Ventura High School.  After receiving a BS in Biology from UC San Diego, she continued there for medical school.  She completed her internship and residency at the University of Washington in General Surgery and a fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at UC San Diego.  In her free time, she enjoy traveling with her husband and daughter and taking her two dogs to the beach.  
 
 

Dr. Andrea Austin, MD

 
Dr. Austin is from Vinton, Iowa.  After receiving a BA in Biology from the University of Northern Iowa, she continued on to graduate from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.  She completed her internship and Emergency Medicine residency at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. Serving as a military emergency physician, she has  deployed to Iraq and Kuwait.  She currently serves as an Emergency Medicine Instructor at the Navy Trauma Training Center and an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at LAC+USC Medical Center Keck School of Medicine.
 

Dr. Andrew Accardi, MD

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Dr. Accardi as an Emergency Medicine physician at Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas, CA.  He established Young Leaders in Healthcare with Scripps Encinitas to provide a forum for high school students to learn about the Health Care System and its breadth of career opportunities.  

Dr. Andrew Eads, MD & Emerge Co-Founder

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Dr. Eads grew up in El Toro, California.  He received his BS in Chemistry from UC Berkeley where he was an instructor for the Berkeley MCAT review course.  He received  his Masters in Public Health from UCLA. He attended the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine where he served on the Admissions Committee from 2007-2011.  He completed his residency at University of Southern California + Los Angeles County Hospital, graduating as Chief Resident.  He is well known for his work on the award-winning documentary “Code Black” (http://codeblackmovie.com).  He and his wife Melissa have two kids and reside in Carlsbad, California.

Dr. Andrew Williamson, MD

Dr. Williamson is an emergency medicine physician at Sharp Memorial Hospital.  He grew up in Sudbury Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Science degree at Trinity College (In Hartford, CT).  He went on to receive his Medical Degree from Tufts University School of Medicine (Boston, MA).  Dr. Williamson came to San Diego to complete his Emergency Medicine residency at Kaiser Permanente.  An “All-American Award” for lacrosse, he played at the collegiate level at Trinity College. Surfing, hiking, and traveling are his current hobbies.  Ask him about his medical mission trips in Peru, South Africa, Nicaragua, Mexico, and more!

Angela Ballew, HCP

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Angela Ballew is an Emergency Medicine/Trauma technician at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Asia Takeuchi, MD

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Dr. Takeuchi was born in Hong Kong and moved all over the world before settling in Southern California. She received a B.S. in Animal Physiology and Neuroscience and a B.A. in Psychology from UCSD. While there, she also worked as a research assistant for both the Autism Lab of La Jolla (now the UCSD Autism Center of Excellence) and the UCSD Dept. of Emergency Medicine. She then received her medical degree from USC Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles.  Returning to San Diego, Dr. Takeuchi completed a transitional residency at Scripps Mercy Hospital and an Emergency Medicine Residency and Ultrasound Fellowship at UCSD. For a short time, she also worked at Kaiser Zion and Rady Children’s Hospital. She currently maintains an Associate Professorship with the UCSD Dept. of Emergency Medicine, operates as a co-director for the UCSD School of Medicine Ultrasound Curriculum, and works the majority of her clinical shifts at Sharp Memorial Hospital. When not in the hospital, she spends time with her husband and rambunctious young daughter renovating their historic San Diego home.

Dr. Ben Brunetto, PsyD

Dr. Ben Brunetto grew up in San Diego and graduated high school in 2006, received an undergraduate degree from San Diego State University, and both Master and Doctorate degrees in clinical psychology from Alliant International University. He has trained and worked in various settings, ranging from prisons, psychiatric hospitals, substance abuse and eating disorder treatment facilities, to psychotherapy clinics. Dr. Brunetto did his doctoral research and has a special interest in involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations and law enforcement interactions with the mentally ill. He currently works on the Psychiatric Evaluation Team (PET) based out of Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital, completing psychiatric evaluations at Sharp Memorial, Coronado, and Chula Vista Emergency Departments and medical floors, as well as Sharp Mary Birch. In addition to Sharp, he also works with mentally ill detainees at the Las Colinas Women’s Detention Center. When he is not working, he loves spending time his wife, also a psychologist, playing with his three young children, working outside, and off-roading.

Casey Lang, RN

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Casey graduated from Torrey Pines High School in 2012. She received her BSN from Point Loma Nazarene University and has since been an ER nurse.  She loves it!  Her first passion, however, is medical missions work. She’s been able to use everything she’s learned at work in third world or rural area of countries, working in different clinical settings. 

Dr. Christanne Coffey, MD

Dr. Christanne Hoffman Coffey grew up in South Carolina and graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston in 2009. She went on to complete a transitional internship at Scripps Mercy Hospital before completing her Emergency Medicine Residency at UCSD in 2013, during which time she served as Chief Resident. After residency, she became the inaugural fellow in Wilderness Medicine at UC San Diego. Dr. Coffey is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UC San Diego. She also serves as the Wilderness Medicine Fellowship Director and co-director of the EMED 275 wilderness medicine elective and EMED 427 “Medicine in the Wild” wilderness medicine clerkship. Her interests include wilderness medicine education, travel medicine, hazardous marine life, survival at sea, diving medicine and extreme sports.

Dr. Christian McClung, MD

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Dr. McClung is an Emergency Medicine physician at Palomar Medical Center.  He attended St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies.  He completed his internship at UCLA Harbor View Medical center and residency at LAC+USC Medical Center. 

Codi Daoust, HCP

Codi Daoust is an Emergency/Trauma Technician at Sharp Memorial Hospital.  She is from Alpine, CA and is a graduate of Steele Canyon High School.  She received her BS in Food and Nutrition from SDSU.  As an ER tech, she is involved with precepting and mentoring new ED techs at Sharp.  One of her most memorable hands-on experiences is traveling to Croatia alone to shadow surgeons for two weeks in their operating rooms and hospital clinics.
 

Dr. Dale Mitchell, MD

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Dr. Mitchell, MD was born in Maine and attended Boston College, graduating with a degree in Chemistry.  He attended Georgetown University School of Medicine and went on to complete his residency in Obstetrics/Gynecology at the Naval Hospital in San Diego.  He joined the Scripps Clinic Medical Group following active duty.  He is currently the chair of their OB/GYN department and the Vice President of their Board of Directors.  In his spare time he enjoys mountain biking, motorcycling, skiing, playing the guitar, and home brewing.

Danielle Salameh, HCP

Danielle Salameh is an is an Emergency/Trauma Technician at Sharp Memorial Hospital.  From San Diego, she attended Westview High School and went on to receive her degree in biology from UC Santa Cruz.  This fall, she will be starting PA school at Samuel Merritt University this fall.  In addition to being a seasoned cheerleader (10 years!), she enjoys being active outdoors, cuddling her dog, cooking, traveling, listening to true crime podcasts and being with her family and friends. 
 

Dr. David Hoffman, DO

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Dr. Hoffman is an Emergency Medicine physician at Sharp Memorial Hospital.  Dr. Hoffman grew up in Port Townsend & Gig Harbor, Washington.  He received his BA in Science from Colgate University (NY). He went on to complete his DO at Western University of Health Sciences (Pomona, CA).  He completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at LAC-USC.  If you have a chance this June, as him about his year living in Thailand, where he taught English and Science. 
 

Deanna Inai-Gordon, HCP

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Deanna Inai-Gordon is an Emergency/Trauma Technician at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Donald Blaskiewicz, MD

Dr. Blaskiewicz is a Neurosurgeon and Spine Surgeon in San Diego, CA.

Elena Giardino, RN

Elena Giardino is an Emergency Medicine nurse at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

Emma Anders, HCP

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Emma Anders is an Emergency/Trauma Technician at Sharp Memorial Hospital. 

Dr. Erin King, MD

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Dr. Erin King earned her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University, and went on to earn her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College. After deciding to never endure another northeastern winter, she moved to San Diego in 2010 and completed an Emergency Medicine residency at UCSD, serving as chief resident. She joined Sharp Rees-Stealy’s Urgent Care in 2015 and currently serves as the Associate Medical Director for the Downtown Urgent Care. Outside of work, she enjoys playing in the outdoors and spending time with friends and family.

Dr. Gilbert Boswell, MD, FACR

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Gilbert Boswell is a Cardiothoracic Radiologist at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.  After attending Oregon State University for his undergraduate studies, he graduated from Vanderbilt Medical School.  He first came to San Dievy to complete his internal medicine internship at the US Navy Hospital, then headed to Pensacola, Floria for his flight surgeon training.  He then returned to San Diego for his residency in diagnostic Radiology and his fellowship in Body Imaging.  His naval assignments have been in San Diego, Pensacola, Diego Garcia (Indian Ocean), Spain, Saudi Arabia, Crete, and Guantanamo Bay.  In practice for 30+ years, including 17 years in cardiac imaging, he is an expert in his field.
 

Hayden Riley, RN

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Hayden Riley is an Emergency Room Nurse at Sharp Memorial Hospital. During her 4th year at San Diego State University she worked as an ER technician and fell in love with the fast paced and challenging environment. She graduated with her BSN last May and was hired into the New Graduate Nurse Residency Program last August. She is originally from Phoenix, Arizona which has contributed to her love for hiking and being outdoors. She is also a Badminton State Champion and plays softball for the Sharp ER Co-ed team. She loves to travel, spend time with her family, and to teach the AMAZING LACERATION STATION.

Jane Rabun, RN

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Jane Rabun is a staff nurse in the Emergency Room at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, California.  She provides direct patient care and mentors students and colleagues in critical situations.  Jane has worked in Surgical, Cardiovascular, Trauma/Neuro ICU and ER for over 30 years and holds a Master’s degree in Burn/Emergency/Trauma Nursing. Jane has developed various curriculums in anatomy, physiology, and nursing and has taught students from high school to graduate levels.  When not teaching or working in ER, Jane is training for or running in half marathons, supporting her two girls and husband, or traveling to new and exciting places.

Dr. Jasmine Lai, MD

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Dr. Jasmine Lai grew up in San Diego, California, where she is a former graduate of Torrey Pines High School (Go Falcons!). She received her degrees In Physiological Science and Neuroscience from UCLA and attended UCSF School of Medicine where she served on the Admissions Committee. She completed her residency in OB/GYN at UCSD, and her fellowship in high risk obstetrics at the University of Washington. She is currently a Perinatologist working for Scripps Health. In her spare time, she and her family love eating and going to the zoo and beach.


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Jennifer Hites, RN

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Jennifer Hites is an Emergency Medicine nurse at Sharp Memorial Hospital. Originally from Noble, Illinoise, she attended Olney Central College for her undergraduate studies and received her BSN from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville.  In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and camping, whether at the beach or in the mountains.

Dr. John Austin, MD

Dr. John Austin is a native of Michigan and completed his undergraduate degrees at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he majored in Honors Chemistry and Cellular & Molecular Biology.  He received his medical doctorate also from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  Dr. Austin completed his surgery internship and his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Michigan Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. His post graduate training included a fellowship at the Cincinnati Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center, where he received additional training in arthroscopy and sports medicine.  He practices at Northwest Orthopaedic Surgery in San Diego.  In his free time, Dr. Austin enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and two children.  He likes running, mountain biking, skiing, hiking, and travel.  He is passionate about learning, teaching, and technology.

Karis Cookson, HCP

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Karis Cookson is an Emergency/Trauma Technician at Sharp Memorial Hospital.  She attended Westview High School, where many of our attendees are attending now!  She received her Bachelor’s Degrees in Business Administration and Spanish from Point Loma University and will be returning there soon for her nursing degree.  Karis initially became interested in medicine herself through organizing, funding, and participating in annual health clinics in El Salvador.
 
Kathi Ayers, RN
 

Kathi Ayers is an Emergency Medicine Nurse at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Keith Yablonicky, MD

Dr. Yablonicky is an Emergency Medicine physician at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

Kirsten Sakata, RN

Kirsten Sakata is an Emergency Medicine Nurse at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Kristy Schwartz, MD

Dr. Schwartz grew up on the shores of Lake Ontario in upstate NY. She earned her undergraduate degree at Cornell University, masters degree in Public Health at Columbia University, and her medical degree at Pennsylvania State College of Medicine. She completed an emergency medicine residency at Maricopa Medical Center prior to pediatric emergency medicine fellowship at UCSD/Rady Children’s Hospital. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSD Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics. She is the emergency medicine site director for the Rady Children’s Hospital ED and Assistant Program Director of the UCSD EM residency. Her research interests include pediatric quality improvement and medical education. In her spare time, she enjoys water sports, hiking, off-the-map travel, and spending time with her husband, who is also an emergency medicine physician, and their 120-pound dog, Gus.

Kristy Willis, HCP

Kristy Willis is an Emergency/Trauma Technician at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

Lauren Ritter, RN

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Lauren is from North Andover MA, a little town about 20 miles north of Boston. She graduated from UMass Amherst with a degree in sociology and a minor in criminal justice. Shortly after graduation in 2007, Lauren went back to college to start her nursing career and received a BSN from Regis College in Wellesley MA. While in nursing school, she worked as a tech on a med/surg/tele floor and was fortunate to be hired as a new grad Registered Nurse in 2010. Lauren’s career as a floor nurse only lasted 14 months before she made a run for an open ER position and has been there since, working in some of the country’s best ERs on both coasts. Last year she passed her certification exam and is now a Certified Emergency Nurse.  Lauren is grateful for her husband Scott, her friends, and her family back in Boston. She is patiently waiting for Scott to give her a puppy. Lauren enjoys being outside, especially at the beach, and running. This year she completed her second Boston Marathon running side-by-side with her Dad.

Dr. Lisa G Lowe Hiller, MD

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Dr. Lowe completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst majoring in Kinesiology and with a minor in French language. She went on to do a Masters degree in Public Health with a focus on International and Environmental Health at the UCLA.  She then spent 6 months traveling the south Pacific and SE Asia learning about surfing and cultures before heading to UC Davis for medical school. Dr. Lowe did residency here at the UC San Diego acting as Chief Resident in her final year, and is now working towards a fellowship with our Ultrasound Division. Her academic interests include International Health and border health issues and she hopes to utilize her ultrasound skills to bring educational and diagnostic opportunities to underserved communities in the future. Dr. Lowe also works at Sharp Memorial Hospital part time and has worked part time in the community since graduation and feels this has helped round out her medical knowledge and skills. She is married to Dr. Luke Hiller, Bone Radiologist at UCSD and the VA systems and has two children Kai, age 10 and Lana age 8. In her free time, she enjoys travel, surfing, yoga and running and she is fluent in French and Spanish.

Dr. Lolie Fromm, MD

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Dr. Fromm is a retired Emergency Medicine physician, having worked for 28 years at Sharp Memorial Hospital. She is presently affiliated with Kadima Neuropsychiatry Institute, where she utilizes ketamine to treat patients with PTSD and TRD (treatment resistant depression). Dr. Fromm grew up in NYC, earned her B.S. in Psychology from Simmons College, and a Masters degree in Cognitive Psychology from Brandeis University. She received her M.D. from NYU in 1976 and completed residency training at Bellevue Hospital-NYU in Internal Medicine.

A semi-retired professional, Dr. Fromm appreciates the freedom to live her life and be with the people she loves. She enjoys tennis, swing dancing, cooking, historical fiction, and spending time with her sons. She looks forward to sharing her enthusiasm for medicine and the wisdom gleaned from her 40 years of clinical practice at emERge.

Lovely Bolano, RN

Lovely Bolano is a Senior Nurse Specialist in the Sharp Memorial Hospital Emergency Department.  She was born and raised in Manila, Philippines before moving to Guam in 1994.  There, she received her BS in Nursing from the University of Guam and spent 10 years working in the Guam Memorial Hospital Emergency Department.  She decided to move to San Diego in 2003 and has been with Sharp ever since.  She recently completed her Master of Science in Nursing from Grand Canyon University.  She enjoys developing an ED-focused nursing curriculum at Sharp that prepares and supports new nurses to work in an acute environment like the Emergency Department.  It is especially fulfilling for her to see these recent grads grow and develop into confident and competent ED nurses, leaders, and educators.  In her free time, she is an active triathlete.  She is also the mastermind behind our Medical Escape Room.
 

Manya Buske, RN

Manya Buske is an Emergency Medicine nurse at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Maria De Risi, PharmD

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Dr. De Risi grew up in Carmichael, CA.  She received her BS in Biological Sciences from UC Davis and her Doctor of Pharmacy from UCSF.  She completed her pharmacy residency and pharmacy practice fellowship in HIV & Infectious Diseases at UCSD.  In high school, she knew she would either be a professional soccer player or pharmacists when she grew up because she likes precision.

Dr. Matthew Thomas, MD

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Dr. Thomas is an Emergency Medicine physician at Sharp Memorial Hospital.  Originally from San Diego, he attended USD for his undergraduate studies.  He received his Medical Degree from the school with the longest name on this website:  The College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in the City of New York.  He completed his internship and residency at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.  In addition to deployments to Iraq, Djibouti, and Kuwait, he has also lived in Paris, France and Okinawa, Japan.  Interestingly, his identical twin brother, currently working in Boston, is also an ER doc.  He is pictured here in his favorite hat.

Nolan Dunisch, HCP

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Nolan Dunsich is an Emergency Room Technician at Sharp Memorial Hospital.  Originally from Riverside, California, he graduated from JFK High School in Sacramento.  He received his BS in Chemistry from CSU Long Beach.  He witnessed Dr. Eads and Dr. Shaw during the first VV-ECMO done in an emergency room / emergency situation.  At the time, he didn’t have the slightest idea of its significance.

Dr. Rachna Subramony, MD

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Dr. Rachna Subramony graduated from the Physician-Scientist accelerated seven-year medical program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Albany Medical College with a distinction in research. She completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at North Shore University Hospital. She is passionate about ultrasound and its use in emergent conditions. She pursued a fellowship in Emergency Ultrasound at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center where she had the opportunity to teach pediatric ultrasound to attending physicians at the Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia. She served as the Emergency Department Ultrasound Director and the Director of Resident and Student Education at Englewood Hospital in New Jersey prior to joining UCSD. During her free time she enjoys hiking, being outdoors, traveling, and any water activities.

Dr. Russ Reinbolt, MD

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Dr. Reinbolt is an ultra endurance athlete who is also an Emergency Physician at Sharp Memorial Hospital.  Dr. Reinbolt received his Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University and his Master of Science in Exercise Physiology from Ohio State University.  He attended Medical School at the University of Toledo Medical Center in Ohio and completed his residency at Wayne State University/Detroit Receiving Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, graduating as Chief Resident.  In addition to his work at Sharp, he also practices privately as an Event Physician for the San Diego Padres and Finish Line Physician for the San Diego Rock ‘n Roll Marathons.  He has run races across Death Valley in 126 degree heat and 100 mile races across the tundra of Alaska.  He has been featured on “Untold Stories of ER”.  Read more about his adventures here.  

Dr. Saul Levine, MD

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Dr. Levine attended East High School in Denver, CO. He received a BS in Biochemistry from UCSD, an MA in Medical Sciences from Boston University, and his medical degree from the University of Colorado.  He returned to UCSD for residency and has been here ever since.  He is an Emergency Medicine physician at Sharp Memorial Hospital and hopes to share his enthusiasm for an incredibly fulfilling career with our attendees.  He is also grateful to have an amazing wife and kids, live in a place where being outside is possible year-round, and has the opportunity to travel all around the world.
 
Sean Shugrou, HCP
 

 

Sean Shugrou is is an Emergency/Core Trauma Tech at Sharp Memorial Hospital, born and raised in Temecula, CA he is a graduate of Murrieta Valley High School.  He received his B.S. in Biology from University of California Santa Cruz.  In his spare time, he loves long runs, camping, golfing, and playing master’s league water polo in Carlsbad, CA.

Stefanie Wacker, RN

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Stefanie Wacker is a staff nurse in the Emergency Department at Sharp Memorial Hospital. After initially receiving her BS in Chemistry from UCSD, she worked for 6 years in quality control in the pharmaceutical industry. Realizing she was more interested in the patient side of the pharmaceutical experience, she left her job, became an EMT and then worked as an HCP (ER tech) at Sharp Memorial Emergency Room. Thanks to the inspiration of the many excellent nurses and physicians she works with, she went back to school and received her BS in Nursing from CSU San Marcos. She was hired into the New Graduate Nurse Residency Program at SMH ED in 2016 and is now involved with precepting and mentoring new graduate nurses and nursing students, along with participating in medical volunteer work such as the medical mission trip she went on to the Philippines last year. When not in the ER, Stef enjoys traveling, scoping out new breakfast spots, and spending time with her wife and children.

Dr. Tommy Korn, MD

Dr. Korn is an ophthalmologist specializing in cataract surgery and cornea transplants.  He has been a physician with Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group for 18 years. He has been honored as one of the “Best Doctors of San Diego” by the San Diego County Medical Society and US News and World Report.  He is an active member of the international medical volunteer community having served on several humanitarian missions in Asia and Central America.  He is also an internationally recognized speaker on eye disease, eye surgery, wellness, and digital health apps. Over the years, Dr. Korn has mentored many medical students and residents as they pursue a career in medicine.

Dr. Korn has been working with a team from Sharp Healthcare & Apple to create the Sharp Health Companion App – one of the first healthcare apps based on Apple’s CareKit platform. This app is designed to help patients prepare and recover from surgeries & medical procedures such as eye surgery.  Recently, he was named as Chief Experience Officer for Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group.

Dr. Walter Dembitsky, MD

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Dr. Dembitsky is a world-renowned Cardiothoracic surgeon, currently serving as the Medical director of the Cardiac Surgery & Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Sharp Memorial Hospital.  He revolutionized the world of ECMO and teaches internationally on various surgical techniques.   He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Missouri, where he also completed his surgical internship. Dr. Dembitsky completed a general surgery residency and was chief resident in general surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. He then went on to complete a residency in cardiothoracic surgery and was chief resident in cardiothoracic surgery at Washington University. Dr. Dembitsky completed research fellowships at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Mass.; Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Mo.; and Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

Wendy Shinar, Emerge Co-Founder

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Wendy Shinar attended Westmont College (Santa Barbara, CA) and Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO), where she received her Bachelor’s degree and teaching credential.  After several years of teaching in public schools in Southern California, she began her own business teaching and tutoring privately.   In order to work with her husband, Zack, they needed to combine their skill sets, thus, Emerge Conference LLC was born.  In her spare time, she enjoys taking notes on things she thinks are funny, playing outside with her children, collecting spices from around the world, and home improvement projects.

Dr. Zack Shinar, MD

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Dr. Shinar grew up in New York, Indiana, Illinois, California, Texas, and Arizona. He received his BS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2000. While at Penn, he was an instructor for their MCAT Review Course. He graduated from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in 2004. After a year internship at UCLA Harbor View Medical Center, he returned to University of Southern California + Los Angeles County Hospital to complete his residency in Emergency Medicine, graduating as a Chief Resident in 2008. He currently serves as chief of the Emergency Medicine Department at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego.  His work and research using Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has catapulted him onto the international speaking circuit. You can check out his latest research at http://www.edecmo.org and listen to his podcasts here. He and his wife Wendy have two kids and reside in San Diego, CA.  Click here to listen to Dr. Shinar speak about emERge on explorethespaceshow.com!


Did you know…

An emergency physician is a doctor who is an expert in handling conditions of an urgent and extremely dangerous nature. These specialists work in the emergency room (ER) departments of hospitals where they oversee cases involving cardiac distress, trauma, fractures, lacerations and other acute conditions.  Emergency physicians are specially trained to make urgent life-saving decisions to treat patients during an emergency medical crisis. These doctors diagnose and stabilize patients before they are either well enough to be discharged, or transferred to the appropriate department for long-term care.

A cardiothoracic surgeon is a medical doctor who specializes in surgical procedures of the heart, lungs, esophagus, and other organs in the chest. This includes surgeons who can be called cardiac surgeons, cardiovascular surgeons, general thoracic surgeons, and congenital heart surgeons.  Cardiothoracic surgeons will graduate from medical school and go on to complete either a 5-year general surgery residency followed by a 2- or 3-year cardiothoracic surgery residency program, or enter into a 6-year integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency.

An Interventional Radiologist uses a range of techniques which rely on the use radiological image guidance (X-ray fluoroscopy, ultrasound, computed tomography [CT] or magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) to precisely target therapy.  The essential skills of an interventional radiologist are in diagnostic image interpretation and the manipulation of needles and the use of fine catheter tubes and wires to navigate around the body under imaging control.  Interventional radiologists are doctors who are trained in radiology and interventional therapy.  No other specialty possesses this unique combination of skills!

A Trauma Surgeon  is a surgical specialty that utilizes both operative and non-operative management to treat traumatic injuries, typically in an acute setting. Trauma surgeons generally complete residency training in General Surgery and often fellowship training in trauma or surgical critical care. The trauma surgeon is responsible for initially resuscitating and stabilizing and later evaluating and managing the patient. The attending trauma surgeon also leads the trauma team, which typically includes nurses and support staff as well as resident physicians in teaching hospitals.

An OB/GYN physician is a doctor who deals with pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period (obstetrics) and the health of the female reproductive systems and breasts.   Postgraduate training programs for both aspects are usually combined, preparing the practicing obstetrician-gynecologist to be adept at the care of female reproductive organs’ health and at the management of pregnancy, although many doctors go on to develop subspecialty interests in one field or the other.

A Perinatologist is a physician that works in conjunction with a patient’s obstetrician when pregnancy complications develop and is able to provide care for both the mom and unborn baby. A perinatologist has completed four years of medical school training, four years of obstetrics and gynecology residency program and two – three years of maternal–fetal medicine fellowship program.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a test that uses powerful magnets, radio waves, and a computer to make detailed pictures inside your body.   MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, electric field gradients, and radio waves to generate images of the organs in the body. MRI does not involve X-rays and the use of ionizing radiation, which distinguishes it from CT or CAT scans.

Computed tomography scan (CT Scan) makes use of computer-processed combinations of many X-ray measurements taken from different angles to produce cross-sectional (tomographic) images (virtual “slices”) of specific areas of a scanned object, allowing the user to see inside the object without cutting.

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) is a professional doctoral degree for physicians and surgeons offered by medical schools in the United States.  One notable difference between D.O. and M.D. training is that D.O. training adds 300 – 500 hours studying techniques for hands-on manipulation of the human musculoskeletal system.

Critical care is a specialty of surgery and a primary component of general surgery related to the care of patients with acute, life-threatening or potentially life-threatening surgical conditions. Surgical critical care not only incorporates knowledge and skills of nonoperative techniques for supportive care for critically ill patients but also a broad understanding of the relationship between critical surgical illness and surgical procedures. Although much of this knowledge and skills is common to critical care specialists from a variety of medical disciplines, the diplomate in surgical critical care has specialized expertise relating both to the physiologic responses to tissue injury from trauma, burns, operation, infections, acute inflammation, or ischemia and to the ways these responses interact with other disease processes.

A fellowship is is the period of medical training that a physician may undertake after completing residency. During this time (usually more than one year), the physician is known as a Fellow.

 

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