People

Walker Plash, MD

University of South Alabama

Walker Plash, MD is an Assistant Professor in the University of South Alabama Department of Emergency Medicine. He serves as the Associate Director of Wilderness Medicine, as well as the Program Director for the EM residency program. He earned his medical degree from Vanderbilt University and afterward completed his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Cincinnati. His academic interests include curriculum design, especially focusing on wellness and wilderness medicine curricula.

Fernanda Bellolio, MD, MS

Mayo Clinic

I am a professor of emergency medicine with a joint appointment in health sciences research, division of health care policy and research at Mayo Clinic. I have conducted multiple observational and interventional studies. Currently I am the site-principal investigator for several multicenter trials. I have worked on federal, foundation and industry funded studies.

I have a masters in clinical and translational sciences and completed a 3-year post-doctoral program on healthcare delivery dedicated to secondary data analysis (including claims data and knowledge synthesis), research methodology, and evidence-based medicine. I have worked on projects related to improving the care of the older adults that present to the emergency department. Older persons comprise 13% of the US population, but they represent more than 30% of ED visits. Older adults have longer ED stays, as patient’s presentation is often complex. The ED can be a challenging environment for the seniors where communication can be complicated by poor vision, limited hearing, and cognitive impairment. These communication difficulties can be a challenge for patients to be involved in their care. Specifically, healthcare utilization including hospitalizations and return ED visits are higher for persons living with dementia compared to other groups that present to the ED.

Clifton W. Callaway, MD, PhD

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Dr. Callaway is Distinguished Professor, Vice-Chair, and Ronald D. Stewart Endowed Chair in Emergency Medicine Research at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his MD and PhD in Neuroscience at the University of California, San Diego, followed by residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. He has conducted basic laboratory investigations about cardiac resuscitation and about brain recovery after cardiac arrest. With his partners in Pittsburgh, he developed a multidisciplinary clinical service to advance the care of patients after cardiac arrest, primarily by improving measurement and treatment of brain injury after cardiac arrest. The focus of this program has been that post-arrest patients require a multidisciplinary, multiorgan, and personalized approach. Dr. Callaway helps lead the clinical coordinating center for SIREN, an National Institutes of Health emergency research trial network of over 75 medical centers designated to conduct clinical trials in acute care. Current SIREN clinical trials test treatments for traumatic brain injury, adult and pediatric cardiac arrest. Dr. Callaway is past chair of the AHA Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee (2015-2017), and past co-chair of the ILCOR Advanced Life Support Committee (2012-2016). He has contributed to advanced cardiac life support guidelines since 2008, particularly on post-cadiac arrest care.

Richard Sinert, DO