Dr. Murphy is board certified in both Emergency Medicine and Anesthesiology in the United States and Canada.  He is Professor and Chair of Anesthesia and Professor of Emergency Medicine at Dalhousie University.  Prior to his current position, Dr. Murphy served as the Clinical Chief of Anesthesiology, Lincoln Medical Center, Lincolnton, NC; Clinical Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, UNC Chapel Hill and Emergency Physician at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC.  Earlier, he served as Chief of Emergency Medicine of the Victoria General Hospital and the Izaak Walton Killam Children’s Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and McMaster University Medical Center, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, while also practicing as an anesthesiologist in each institution.  Dr. Murphy was appointed as the first Executive Director of Emergency Medical Services for the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, and was responsible for designing and implementing a full service, advanced life support EMS system, using advanced training systems.  He subsequently led initiatives for development of advanced EMS training systems in Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts Nevis, and Cuba. Dr. Murphy completed his emergency medicine residency training at Denver General Hospital in Denver, Colorado, and his anesthesiology training at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. 

Dr. Murphy served on the Canadian Airway Focus Group of the Canadian Anesthesiologist’s Society and is on the Board of the Society for Airway Management (SAM).  He is an internationally recognized educator in the field of airway management.  He is a founding Co-Director of The Difficult Airway Courses and recently authored the definitive textbook in difficult airway management, Management of the Difficult and Failed Airway, with Orlando Hung, MD.

Fred Ellinger, Jr. is a Nationally Registered EMT-Paramedic who has over 19 years of EMS operations, EMS management, instruction, firefighting and rescue experience.  He is the owner/operator of SafeTec Training Services, a Pennsylvania Bureau of EMS approved continuing education sponsor and trainer for many healthcare agencies and corporations in the tri-state area.  He also serves as a flight paramedic for MidAtlantic MedEvac, Hahnemann University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is an original/active Medical Specialist with Pennsylvania Urban Search and Rescue Response System’s PA Company 2 and the Bucks County Technical Rescue Task Force.  His most recent publications include: 

Ellinger, F and Wydro, G:  "Critical Transport Issues. Interfacilty transportation of a patient on ECMO." EMS Mag 2009 Oct; 38(10):71-3. 

Murphy, M and Ellinger F: "A Tight Squeeze." JEMS. 33(12) 58-63, 2008. 

Jaslow, D and Ellinger, F: "Best Practices: Airway Management of the Limited Access Patient."  EMSResponder.com (the electronic version of EMS Magazine), 2007. 

Ellinger, F and Jaslow, D: “Outfitting a Fanny Pack to Support Technical Rescue Medical Operations.” Advanced Rescue Technology. 8(5), 2005. 

Fred can be reached at fred.ellinger@difficultairway.net.

Jan Eichel is Director of Clinical Operations and a Flight Nurse with West Michigan AirCare.  She has over twenty years of clinical experience in critical care and air medicine.  Her credentials include:

Jan is active in the Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association and was a contributing author for the 4th Edition of Transport Nurse Advanced Trauma Course, 2006.  She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Services from Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan.

Jan can be reached at jeichel@theairwaysite.com.

Kevin Franklin; CFRN/EMT-P, is currently a flight nurse with West Michigan Air Care in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  He also holds the title of Utilization Review Coordinator for Air Care, is the coordinator for all standard evaluation/credentialing of medical crews and is one of the major contributors to education in pharmacotherapy for the flight service.   Kevin is an adjunct lecturer in the Department of EMS at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Michigan and is co-owner of Airway Authority Education LLC, a company developed for initial and continuing education of EMS and other professional emergency providers.

Kevin has served on many committees and projects over his 18 year career in critical care and EMS, including co-research into medication assisted intubation (MAI) which was presented at a recent ACEP scientific assembly.  In addition he is a frequent author and speaker on subjects specializing in appropriate use of air medical transport teams as well as pharmacotherapy in EMS. 

Kevin is board certified in flight nursing by the Board Certification of Emergency Nurses and maintains certification in ACLS, PALS, and NRP as well as instructor certifications in ACLS and PALS.  Kevin has an extensive educational and research background beyond the Paramedic and Registered Nurse degrees that started with an A.D. in Molecular biology, a dual major B.S. in Microbiology and Physiology and attendance of graduate school at Michigan State University in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.

Mike Keller is a Curriculum Faculty member at Gaston College, Department for EMS Education.  He brings more than 25 years of experience in prehospital medicine to the teaching arena.  Mike has worked in both urban and suburban/rural EMS environments and has experience with critical care transport, as well.  

Mike's most recent publication is Murphy M., Keller M., Luten R., et al: "The Young Airway."  JEMS 33(6) 58-71, 2008.

Mike can be reached at mkeller@theairwaysite.com.

In addition to his role as Supervisor & Education/Training Coordinator for Stony Brook University Medical Center Department of EMS, Colby Rowe is a flight paramedic.  Colby's areas of expertise include RSI and other difficult airway procedures including endotracheal tube introducers and the Glidescope Video Laryngoscope.  

Colby's credentials include:

•  Flight Paramedic (FP-C), Board of Critical Care Transport Paramedics/IAFP
• Critical Care Level I & II, Stony Brook University Medical Center, Dept. of Clinical Education
• Certified Instructor Coordinator, New York State Department of Health, Bureau of EMS
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support Instructor/Training Center Faculty (ACLS), American Heart Association
• Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Life Support Instructor (PALS), American Heart Association
• BLS/CPR Instructor, American Heart Association
• Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS)
• Advanced Stroke Life Support Instructor 
• Weapons of Mass Destruction Awareness Trainer (AWR-160-1), Homeland Security/CD
•  Neonatal Resuscitation Provider (NRP), American Academy of Pediatrics
• Aircraft Ditching/Emergency Breathing Systems, Survival Systems USA

Colby is pursuing his Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health from SUNY Empire State College in New York.  He received his paramedic training from SUNY Stony Brook School of Health Technology and Management.

Colby can be reached at colby.rowe@stonybrook.edu.

Mary Beth Skarote is Regional Emergency Response and Recovery Coordinator at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.  She has been a paramedic for more than 20 years, with experience in air-medical and critical care EMS environments.  Mary Beth's most recent publication is Murphy M., Keller M., Luten R., Rowe C., Skarote, M.: "The Young Airway."  JEMS 33(6) 58-71, 2008.

Mary Beth can be reached at mskarote@theairwaysite.com.

Robert J. Vissers, MD is currently the Associate Chief Medical Officer and Chief of Emergency Medicine at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon.  He is Adjunct associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University. 

Dr. Vissers is an author on over forty publications, many on airway management.  He has served on several editorial boards, including Academic Emergency Medicine, Journal Watch for Emergency Medicine, and The Journal of Emergency Medicine.   His national teaching experience is extensive, including serving on the faculty of The Difficult Airway Course since 1997 and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Scientific Assembly for the past seven years.

Rob can be reached at rvissers@theairwaysite.com.

Jim Henshaw is a faculty member of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine.  He brings more than 20 years of practical and administrative experience in prehospital and academic emergency medicine to the teaching arena.  Jeff has worked in both urban and rural EMS environments, academic trauma centers and community emergency departments.  His most recent publication is:

Winslow JE, JW Hinshaw et al. "Quantitative Assessment of Diagnostic Radiation Doses in Adult Blunt Trauma Patients.  Annals of Emergency Medicine.  52(2) 93-97, 2008.

Eric Niegelberg is the Administrator of the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Director of EMS for Stony Brook University Medical Center.  His extensive presentations and publications include:

• Singer AJ, Viccellio P, Niegelberg E, Thode HC, Henry MC.  Introduction of a stat laboratory reduces ED length of stay.  Presented at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) annual meeting, Chicago, IL, May 17, 2007.  Academy of Emergency Medicine 2007;14:S79 [#192].
• Lawson, Niegelberg, Viccellio, Henry, Gomes, Wilbert, Maliszewski, Dowdy, Rosenthal, Santora, Improving STEMI Door to Balloon Times in a Hospital Network.
• Niegelberg, Jiminez, Singer, The Relation of Patient Transfers to Insurance Status, Presented at the Air Medial Transport Conference, Cincinnatti, OH, 10/2004
• Niegelberg, E.  Student Workbook for EMT Prehospital Care 3^rd Edition, St. Louis: Mosby, 2003
• Niegelberg, E.  Instructor Teaching Guide for EMT Prehospital Care 3^rd Edition, St. Louis: Mosby, 2003
• Niegelberg, E.  Computerized Test Bank for EMT Prehospital Care 3^rd Edition, St. Louis: Mosby, 2003
• Niegelberg, Jiminez, Singer, The Relation of Patient Transfers to Insurance Status, Presented at the American College of Emergency Physicians Scientific Assembly, Boston, MA, 10/2003
• Niegelberg, Jiminez, Singer, The Relation of Patient Transfers to Insurance Status, Presented at the New York State Society of Academic Emergency Medicine Annual Meeting, New York, NY, 4/2003

Eric received a Masters of Science Health Care Policy and Management from SUNY Stony Brook, paramedic training from Institute of Emergency Care at St. Vincent's Hospital and a Bachelors of Business Administration from Hofstra University.                              

Joe has over 19 years experience in emergency services in which he has operated in the capacity of a police officer, tactical paramedic, flight paramedic, firefighter and urban search and rescue.  He currently serves as a captain with the Gloucester City Fire Department where is assigned to Squad Company 51.  Additionally, he is a flight paramedic with the New Jersey State Air Medical Program (SouthSTAR) and Search Team Manager with New Jersey Task Force 1, New Jersey’s urban search and rescue team.  He presents regionally on various emergency service topics and air medical safety, once being interviewed by People magazine for a story regarding suicide by a police officer.

Joe can be contacted at joseph.schili@difficultairway.net.

Dennis Taylor is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner/Flight Nurse Practitioner at Carolinas Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center, in Charlotte, NC.  Dennis brings over 35 years of pre-hospital airway management skills to the classroom.  Dennis has been employed and worked as a Paramedic/Educator in the fire service, county operated third-service EMS and hospital-based EMS services.  Dennis has extensive experience performing surgical airways, emergent intubations and placing central lines, vena cava filters and chest tubes.

Brooke Weaber has been a Registered Nurse for 15 years, graduating from Villanova University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in nursing.  She currently works for MidAtlantic MedEvac as a flight nurse and for Em-Star Ambulance Service as a critical care transport nurse.  She has 20 years of prehospital experience and 15 years of cricical care nursing experience.  She is certified as a prehospital registered nurse (PA), mobile intensive care nurse (NJ), and aeromedial flight crew member (NJ).

Brooke can be reached at brooke.weaber@difficultairway.net.

Adam Zwiskewski is the Chief Flight Nurse for MedAtlantic MedEvac, LLC in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  He has been a critical care nurse since 1994 and has been involved in EMS since 1989.  Adam is a Life Member of the Levittown-Fairless Hills Rescue Squad (Bucks County, PA), where he served as a prehospital registered nurse (PHRN) and has held various leadership positions within the organization.

Adam is currently enrolled in Drexel University's MSN program.  He attended Frankford Hospital School of Nursing, and both Thomas Jefferson University and Penn State University where he obtained an Associate in Arts degree as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.  Adam was instrumental in the development of the critical care transport program for Em-Star Ambulance in Philadelphia where he served as Director of Specialty Care and Nursing Services prior to accepting the position of Chief Flight Nurse at MedEvac.  Adam has served on the faculty of The Difficult Airway Course: EMS since 2006. 

Adam can be reached at adam.zwislewski@difficultairway.net.