Emergency Faculty

Dr. Calvin A. Brown III is the Vice Chair for Network Development at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Airway management is a challenging field, and Brown finds that time is often a precious resource. It’s important to always keep critical thinking skills sharp. “Emergency physicians are fortunate when there is time for a methodical, planned approach, however, we are often called upon to act suddenly with little or no information,” he explains. “Clear decision making and foundational knowledge of airway management will provide the best outcome for your patient.”

Outside of the office, Brown has recently re-entered the world of competitive Masters Track and Field.

Robert C. Luten has dedicated his career to the advancement of pediatric emergency care. He is considered a pioneer in the specialty of pediatric emergency medicine and was a founding board member of that specialty. He has taken a leadership role in childhood emergency initiatives in the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, the American College of Emergency Physicians and other national organizations.

He was a charter member of the Pediatric Subcommittee on Childhood Resuscitation of the American Heart Association, co-author and co-founder of PALS and leading author and editor of APLS jointly sponsored by the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is a past president of the Society for Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

Dr. Luten has edited several textbooks and is widely published in the area of childhood emergencies. He is the author and principal instructor of the pediatric section of The Difficult Airway Course: Emergency. As creator and author of the studies which formed the basis of the Broselow Tape and the Broselow-Luten Color Coding Kids System, Dr. Luten has dramatically improved the practice of pediatric emergency medicine over the course of his career.

Dr. Luten is currently professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida, Shands in Jacksonville, FL. He is board certified in Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, and Pediatric Emergency Medicine.

Dr. Steven Bin is a Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Francisco. He has received several awards for his teaching, including the Excellence in Teaching Award from The Haile T. Debas Academy of Medical Educators, UCSF School of Medicine, and honors from the UCSF Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine.

Bin loves teaching, and finding new ways to translate complex concepts and making them more digestible and straightforward. His favorite part of the job is hearing back from participants who gained confidence and knowledge that they will bring to their work the next day.

In his spare time, Bin loves to travel and eat, and has summited a few mountains, including Mount Rainer and Mount Shasta.

Dr. Braude is Professor of Emergency Medicine and Anesthesiology and the Tim Fleming Endowed Professor of EMS at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. He is the EMS Section Chief and Director of the EMS Fellowship Program in the Department of Emergency Medicine.  Dr. Braude spent 10 years as a Flight Physician and Air Medical Director.

Currently he is a Medical Director of several agencies including Rio Rancho Fire Rescue and the UNM EMS Academy.  In addition, he remains active in the field through the UNM EMS Physician Field Response Program.  Dr. Braude is author of Rapid Sequence Intubation and Rapid Sequence Airway, 2nd edition: An Airway911 Guide, has nearly 50 peer-reviewed publications, is a regular contributor to EM:Rap and speaks nationally and internationally on airway topics.

Dr. Braude is Medical Director for The Difficult Airway Course: EMS and all other EMS programs offered by First Airway.

Dr. Stephen Bush is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Leeds Teaching Hospitals and the Clinical Director for Emergency and Specialty Medicine. He is also the Chair for Advanced Trauma Life Support, United Kingdom.

When it comes to airway management, Dr. Bush believes you should look at difficult situations from every angle possible. “Always put yourself in the patient’s position when deciding on a course of action,” he says. “particularly when all options carry risk.” He has loved teaching ever since his days as a camp counselor. His favorite part of the job is meeting new people, all of whom have a shared desire to find new ways to care for patients.

Dr. Bush represented the United Kingdom in Archery at the European Student Games. He also is an avid X-Box gamer. His career has rubbed off on his children, as his son attends his alma mater Oxford University, and his daughter is currently in medical school.

Dr. David Caro is the Residency Program Director at the University of Florida College of Medicine for the Department of Emergency Medicine in Jacksonville. He is also the co-director for The Difficult Airway Course: Residency Edition™.

When it comes to managing difficult airways, Dr. Caro has one main piece of advice: always approach emergent airways with no less than three plans, so there is always something to fall back on should anything fail. He loves teaching, especially the moments where he can see students applying what they’ve learned to real life scenarios. His interest in teaching came from his parents, and the way they raised him. “Both of my parents took every opportunity to teach what they could as I grew up. Their modeling had a strong influence on my interest and desire to educate.”

Dr. Caro has three sons, and is married to a fellow emergency physician.

Dr. Brian Driver is the Director of Clinical Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Hennepin County Medical and an Assistant​ ​Professor​ ​of​ ​Emergency​ ​Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School. In 2016, his research was selected for Airway World’s Airway Article of the Year.

Dr. Driver loves teaching, as it keeps his knowledge and skill-set fresh, and challenges him to think in new ways. He sees it as a good way to learn something new every day. His favorite moments are with students who are particularly curious, and eager to solve new problems. “It’s fun to work with them and break it down, and work through their knowledge gaps and figure out the best way to approach new scenarios.”

In his free time, Dr. Driver likes to mountain bike, run, and during some parts of the year, can be found biking over a frozen lake on the way to work.

Dr. Megan Fix is an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah in the Division of Emergency Medicine. Prior to this, she was the Director of Medical Student Education at Maine Medical Center in the Department of Emergency Medicine. She has received several awards and honors for teaching, including the University of Utah Early Career Teaching Award.

Dr. Fix’s love for teaching grew while she was a student, as a tutor in both college and medical school. She sees teaching as the best way to learn about a subject. One of her favorite parts of the job is getting to work with people with different skill sets and backgrounds. “There are so many great minds in medicine and the questions asked by learners lead to more knowledge for all of us.”

Out of the office, Dr. Fix enjoys mountain biking, running, swimming and spending time outdoors with her husband and three children.

Dr. Erik G. Laurin is currently a Clinical Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of California, Davis. He is also the Director of the Emergency Airway Management Fellowship and the Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Emergency Medicine.

Dr. Laurin’s advice to those wanting to learn more about airway management is to say yes to any and all educational opportunities possible, both as a teacher or a student. When it comes to teaching, his favorite part of the job is expanding someone’s arsenal of techniques and knowledge so they can be better prepared for their next airway challenge. He also finds that he ends up learning just as much in return. “Likewise, I’m often taught by learners and improve my own skills,” he says.

When not working, Dr. Laurin and his wife are working on mastering the art of making wine at home.

Dr. Nathan Mick is the Associate Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Maine Medical Center and Professor of Emergency Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. Published with The Difficult Airway Course, he was an Associate Editor on The Walls Manual of Emergency Airway Management.

Teaching is in Dr. Mick’s DNA, as 19 of his closest relatives are public school teachers. His favorite part about the job is meeting people with different experiences and backgrounds, as it always offers a new perspective on the field. He finds working in emergency medicine to be humbling, and learns every day. “I remember most of my critical pediatric resuscitations from my career and carry the lessons learned from each forward with me to this day.”

Dr. Mick did his undergraduate studies at Notre Dame, and boxed for the Bengal Bouts while attending.

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. Joshua Nagler is an Attending Physician in Emergency Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. He is also an Associate Professor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. He has received over ten teaching awards, including the Fellow Teaching Award from Boston Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Nagler finds that when working with children, airway systems must be managed differently. “For providers who infrequently care for critically ill children, it is important to develop a systematic approach to pediatric airway management and be comfortable with that system,” he recommends. When it comes to teaching, his favorite part of the job is seeing students’ faces light up when they solve challenging issues on their own, and realize that they have the knowledge they need in them.

Dr. Nagler is a big fan of the Boston Red Sox, and for the past nine years has traveled to an away game for the team with his son.

Dr. Bret Nelson is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He is also Attending at the Mount Sinai Hospital in the Department of Emergency Medicine. In 2013 he was awarded the National Faculty Teaching Award from the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Dr. Nelson has spoken all over the world on airway management, and his first piece of advice is to always have a back-up plan handy. “Keep asking yourself, “what if?” and thinking through different options instead of relying on whatever worked last time,” he says. He loves teaching, as it gives everyone the opportunity to unpack their thought processes, and strengthen and challenge their knowledge.

Dr. Nelson is also the Chief of the Ultrasound Division at the Department of Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Dr. Robert Reardon is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Minnesota, as well as a Faculty Physician, Assistant Chief of the Emergency Department, and Medical Staff Quality Committee Member at Hennepin County Medical Center.

Dr. Reardon’s favorite part about teaching is watching students gain confidence as they approach new and scary situations. He finds that you need to be a balance of confident and humble when approaching emergency airways. He also thinks it’s important to call for help, but don’t assume others can manage airways better than you can. “The day I called for help and nobody helpful came was when I realized that I better be really good at emergency airway management,” he says.

When not a work, Dr. Reardon likes to run, bike, swim and ski.

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.

Dr. Leslie Simon is the Chair of Emergency Medicine at Mayo Clinic Florida. She was on active duty in the U.S. Navy for ten years, and was stationed in Guam, Spain, Jacksonville and San Diego, and did a combat deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Simon has trained thousands of providers in the Navy, Army and Airforce in difficult airway management over the last fifteen years.

Her advice to those in the field is to always practice. Practicing builds and sharpens your skillset. “More importantly,” Simon adds, “practice builds confidence, which is every bit as important as technical ability.” She loves to teach because it keeps her excited about her work, and gives her the chance to learn new things.

Simon is a mini-van-driving mother of four whose favorite sport is shoe shopping.

Dr. Steuerwald is an internationally recognized expert in prehospital and emergency airway management, as well as an acclaimed innovator, educator and researcher within these fields. He was an active EMS provider for over 20 years, most recently having served as Medical Director and flight physician with the University of Wisconsin Med Flight program. Currently, Dr. Steuerwald focuses on prehospital airway education, largely through continuous improvement work on our course offerings.

Dr. Steuerwald is Associate Medical Director for The Difficult Airway Course: EMS, and all other EMS programs offered by First Airway.