Critical Care Faculty

Dr. Jarrod Mosier is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medicine at the University of Arizona. He is board certified in both Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Medicine. He is clinically active in the ICU, ED, and serves as the co-medical director of the adult ECMO program. Dr. Mosier is a fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine and the American College of Emergency Physicians.

When it comes to airway management, Mosier finds it helpful to mentally visualize the procedure as you would if you were playing a sport. This allows planning ahead, so you don’t have to make crucial decisions in the heat of the moment. His favorite part about teaching is hearing from past students. For him, hearing that a technique or piece of advice he gave a student ended up saving a life is the most rewarding part of his job.

Mosier enjoys photography, particularly landscape photos. He has a website for his work.

Dr. Peter G. Brindley is an Attending Physician and Associate Director in Intensive Care, as well as a Full Professor in Critical Care Medicine at the University of Alberta. He has 100 peer reviewed publications and manuscripts, including Airway Management Outside of the Operating Room: How to PREPARE.

Dr. Brindley says that “communication is the most dangerous procedure in the hospital.” Nothing can go right unless everyone is on the same page, working together. Being in constant communication with colleagues is the only way to ensure that everything will go to plan. When teaching students, he sees the key to success is to go beyond basic instruction and procedures, “I really enjoy teaching people to think rather than just ‘do this, don’t do that.’”

Dr. Brindley loves hiking, biking, kayaking, and spending as much time outdoors as possible. He also enjoys eating comfort food from his home country, England.

Dr. J. Adam Law received his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, where he is currently the Deputy Head of the Faculty of Medicine: Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine.

Law finds teaching to be a privilege, and loves being challenged by his students, whom he learns from every day. His advice to those learning more about airway management is to seek hands on experience, and to always start with the basics. “Get experience managing normal airways first,” he says. “That way you have a good base to the pyramid when it comes to managing difficult ones.”

When Law has a rare moment of free time, he likes to hike, play tennis, and spend time with family.

Dr. Kirk MacQaurrie is currently an Associate Professor of Anesthesia and Surgery, and Emergency Medicine at Dalhousie University. He is also one of the original developers of the Airway Intervention Management Education course in Canada.

When it comes to airway management, he sees one of the highlights of his career as “helping to bridge the gap between anesthesia and emergency medicine.” His favorite part of teaching is seeing students experience light bulb moments, when a new concept or skill finally clicks with them.

Outside of work, Dr. MacQuarrie loves to travel, and especially appreciates the chance to go off the grid. He is happily married, has three dogs, and three sons.

Michael F. Murphy is a Practicing Anesthesiologist with American Anesthesiology and Professor Emeritus at University of Alberta. He has designed and implemented EMS systems in eastern Canada and the Caribbean. He has also edited the Manual of Emergency Airway Management (Walls Murphy) and Difficult and Failed Airway Management (Hung Murphy).

Dr. Murphy’s advice to students is to always learn from masters, and focus on people who are truly doing things. He got into teaching so he could expand the impact of his work. “I have always felt I could save more lives by teaching,” he says. He finds the best part of his job to be learning that what he taught ended up saving a life.

“I get a great deal of reward in knowing that I have contributed to the next generation of airway educators, researchers and managers,” he says.

Dr. Matteo Parotto is Staff Anesthesiologist and Intensivist at Toronto General Hospital, as well as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesia and Interdepartment Division of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Toronto. He has had the pleasure of working with doctors from around the globe, and is part of the Canadian Airway Focus Group.

Dr. Parotto’s advice to those working in airway management is to never be afraid to ask for help, and always keep up to date with modern practices. One of the moments he found the most educational was as a medical student, when he observed a doctor preparing for the emergence phase from anesthesia. “There was nothing particularly challenging about it, and he must have done this thousands of times in his career,” he said. “And yet, he remained very focused, and approached it quite meticulously. It taught me the respect that we must always have in patient care.”

Outside of the office, Dr. Parotto is likes to play soccer, volleyball, and basketball when he gets the chance.

Dr. John Sakles is a Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Arizona.  While at the University of Arizona, he helped create a database that logs every intubation. These logs have turned into published work, and help to track the way they have improved their practices for airway management.

“Airway management is one of the most important skills in emergency medicine,” Sakles says. He finds that it important to always keep up with the latest research in the field, so that you never fall behind on new techniques that could potentially be life-saving. “There is so much to learn that has come out just in the last few years, so stay up to date with all the new technology and advancements.”

Sakles loves teaching because it gives him the chance to make a positive impact on more lives. He often finds that right after he teaches a course, someone will reach out and say they immediately used the skills they learned at work.