Speakers

Dr. Ed Racht has been involved in Emergency Medical Services and healthcare systems for more than 30 years. He currently serves as Chair of the Texas EMS, Trauma and Acute Care Foundation, an organization that provides advocacy, strategic planning and healthcare system credentialing in the State of Texas. Dr. Racht has been Chief Medical Officer for American Medical Response (AMR) since 2010. Prior to this role, he served as the Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs for Piedmont Newnan Hospital in metro Atlanta. Dr. Racht was the first full-time Medical Director for the Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services System, where he spent 13 years. The System was nationally recognized in the Institute of Medicine’s Report on the state of emergency care for its collaborative approach to challenging healthcare integration issues. Dr. Racht received his undergraduate and medical degree from Emory University in Atlanta and completed his residency at the Medical College of Virginia. Dr. Racht is the recipient of numerous awards including being named EMS Medical Director of the Year for the State of Texas, the American Heart Association’s Paul Ledbetter MD Physician Volunteer of the Year Award and was named a “Hero of Emergency Medicine” in 2008 by the American College of Emergency Physicians. In 2015, he was the first recipient of the Joseph P. Ornato Excellence in Clinical Leadership Award, and in 2011 received the Slovis Award for Educational Excellence by the U.S. Metropolitan Municipalities Medical Director Consortium. He is also the third Inductee in the Texas EMS, Trauma and Acute Care Foundation Hall of Fame.

Rod Landrum has spent over forty years in leadership positions and has trained thousands of individuals in productivity and self-improvement. He is a recognized speaker for delivering motivational, inspirational and positive messages to all types of audiences. Having been in leadership roles for the Franklin Covey Company and Labette Health Hospital as well as other executive positions, he laces his message with practical on- the- job examples and real life experiences. Rod and his wife Karen live in a small southeast Kansas town where they raised five boys.

Dr. Ritu Sahni is EMS Medical Director for two large counties in the Portland suburbs – Clackamas County and Washington County, OR.  He is co-host, with Mike Verkest, of the immensely popular podcast The EMS Show.  In 30 years of practice, Ritu has a wide range of experience in EMS and emergency medicine. He has served as Medical Director for air, critical care ground and 9-1-1 ground EMS systems.   These systems include hospital-based, municipal, private and fire-based agencies.  Ritu values national service and spent significant energy working to improve EMS as a profession and as a medical service.   He was President of the National Association of EMS Physicians and served many years as Chair of the NAEMSP Advocacy Committee.  He was a member of the first National EMS Advisory Council and has been on the Board of the National Registry of EMTs and Committee on Accreditation of Education Programs for the EMS Professions.   Ritu has appeared in the Major League movie series as well as the TNT television show Leverage.   He was also backup point guard for the 1989 National Championship Michigan Basketball team.  One of the above statements is false.   

I grew up in Coeur d’Alene and got my undergraduate degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University. I will receive my MD from University of Colorado in May 2021 and begin my training in General Surgery in June at the University of Colorado. I am involved in research with Emergency Medicine and Toxicology regarding snake bite epidemiology and treatment protocols and am consulting with NASA’s Exploration Medical Capabilities project to determine medical risks in long-term space missions. I am honored to be returning to New Frontier to teach in the Anatomy Lab, but am happy to talk about anatomy, pediatric surgery, transplants, and trauma at any time!

Will Krost, MD, MBA, NRP, is an Emergency Physician, ED and EMS Medical Director, former flight physician, Paramedic, and former Hospital Administrator. Dr. Krost currently resides in Louisville, KY with his wife and 3 children.  He is the System Medical Director of Emergency Medicine, an Emergency Physician, and Residency Program Faculty member with the University of Louisville. Will has taught at Healthcare Conferences across the country and abroad for nearly 20 years. In addition to his conference work, Will has been a Professor of Emergency Medicine, Healthcare Leadership, Process Improvement, EMS, Physician Assistant Studies, and Pharmacology for over a decade.

More information coming soon.

Dan Livengood has been a Firefighter/Paramedic for Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue for 25 years, a Flight Paramedic with Life Flight Network for 15 years and an EMT Basic instructor for 3 years.

Christopher Way Paramedic, BA Christopher Way has been an emergency service professional for 28 years. Chief Way transitioned to Kootenai County Fire and Rescue as the Fire Chief in May of 2020 after serving as the Chief Officer for the Kootenai County EMS System for the previous seven years. Chief Way came to Idaho from Kansas where he served in Fire and EMS roles in urban, sub-urban and rural settings. He was an EMT-Basic, EMT-Intermediate and now has been a licensed paramedic since 1994 as well as a certified Firefighter. Throughout his career he has held different ranks culminating most recently in his promotion to Fire Chief.  He also has significant experience in disaster management at the local, state and national level. In addition to his full-time role as Fire Chief he is involved at the local, regional, state and national level in advocacy and leadership for emergency services.  He is a regular speaker at national conferences and in his spare time Chief Way and two partners own an Emergency Medicine education and consulting company. Passionate about emergency medical care, Governor Brad Little selected Chief Way to be the Chairman of the Idaho Time Sensitive Emergency Council in May of 2019. He has a bachelor’s degree in Management and Human Relations and maintains all of his Fire and EMS licenses/certifications.  He regularly donates time to his community, serves local non-profit organizations and is involved in his children’s many activities. Chris and his wife Jennifer live in Hayden, Idaho with their two daughters and four Labradors.

Janet has been a flight nurse for 14 years and works full time for LifeFlight Eagle Air Medical Transport out of Kansas City.

In addition to EMS, she has worked in ICU, ER and OB to be familiar with the different types of calls that she and her partner may encounter in EMS.

Janet has her bachelor’s Degree in science and Nursing and enjoys teaching part time at various EMS Conferences throughout the year in addition to writing articles for various industry magazines and continuing education modules for Medic-CE.

Her website is https://www.emsteacher.com where you can see where she will be headed next as well as the most current list of topics offered. You can email her at janettaylor6@icloud.com.

Holly began her career as an EMT in 1999. Her love of EMS drove her to become a Paramedic, and in 2002, she accomplished that goal. To gain experience, she worked on a busy 911 ambulance and eventually on the Trauma Team at a Level I Trauma Center.

All her hard work paid off in 2009 when Holly achieved another goal and became a Flight Paramedic. Her desire to advance her knowledge pushed Holly towards Nursing School, and in 2013, she earned her nursing degree.

With the ultimate dream of becoming a Flight Nurse, Holly began working in an ICU and ED to gain the required nursing experience. In 2016, she finally returned to the field as a Flight Nurse.

Along the way, Holly discovered a second love. With her years of varied experience, she began teaching outreach and continuing education courses for her flight service and local agencies in need. Holly continues to fly and teach and enjoys learning from all of the people she meets along the way.

Allen C. Wolfe Jr., MSN, APRN, CNS, CFRN. CCRN, TCRN, CTRN, CMTE, FAAST Allen Wolfe is currently the Senior Director of Clinical Education at Life Link III in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Allen has been a nurse for 36 years with 33 of those years in the transport of critical ill patients. He obtained his Master’s degree in Critical Care and is a Clinical Nurse Specialist. He was the Clinical Nurse Specialist of MedSTAR the world-renowned trauma resuscitation unit in Washington, DC. Allen is one of the leading experts in the country in prehospital management of Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs). He has published multiple articles, research projects and is the co-editor of the Principle and Practice textbook, the industry biggest selling publication. In 2007, he received the Katz-Mason award by Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association (ASTNA), the Community Service award for his LVAD patient safety initiative, the Jordan award in 2009 for outstanding contribution to air medical journalism, the Barbara A. Hess award in 2010 for outstanding contribution to education and in 2017 he received the Marriott-Carlson Lifetime Achievement Award.

Matthew Streger is a paramedic and attorney with more than thirty years of EMS experience. Matthew is a Partner at the law firm of Keavney & Streger in New Jersey. He has worked in EMS systems in New Jersey, New York, South Carolina and Ohio. He has served as the Executive Director of Mobile Health Services (EMS) at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Jersey and the Deputy Commissioner of EMS in Cleveland. He currently sits on the Panel of Commissioners for CAAS and is a member of the CAAS standards review committee. Matthew is a past member of the Editorial Advisory Board of EMS World Magazine and a past Chair of the Health Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association. He remains an active member of the Legislative Committee, as well as the Bergen Community College Paramedic Science Program Advisory Board. Matthew completed his Paramedic Training at the UMDNJ School of Health Related Professions in Newark, New Jersey. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from the City University of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and a Master of Public Administration Degree from Clemson University. Matthew received his Juris Doctor from Seton Hall University School of Law and is admitted to practice in the States of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Stephen J. Rahm, NRP is an educator, author, and lecturer with over 35 years of experience in EMS. Chief Rahm currently oversees the Office of Clinical Direction at the Centre for Emergency Health Sciences and manages all clinical efforts within Bulverde Spring Branch Emergency Services. Stephen has authored numerous textbooks, EMS certification exam preparation tools, videos, and articles, and is additionally named on multiple journal articles and scientific posters. He is the Centre’s Co-Chair and faculty member in procedural and anatomical programs, as well as Multi-Lead ECG interpretation and more. Chief Rahm is a frequent speaker at local, regional, state, and national conferences, where he presents on a wide variety of emergency medicine related topics.

Scott began his EMS career in 1992. Shortly after his arrival into pre-hospital medicine, he became a Firefighter with the City of Cleburne, Texas. With his love for education, Scott became the EMS educator for his Fire Department and other local agencies in need. He also joined Tarrant County College in Fort Worth as Adjunct EMS Faculty.

In 1999, Scott became a Flight Paramedic with CareFlite in Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas.  For over 27 years, Scott continued to work both Fire and EMS as well as Flight.

He is currently the Fire Chief, a certified Master Firefighter and an EMS Instructor with the Cleburne Fire Department as well as a Certified Flight Paramedic (FP-C).  He recently “hung up his wings” after 19 years as a Flight Paramedic with CareFlite, though he still maintains his flight status just in case!

Scott has lectured at state, national, and international conferences with a reputation as a dynamic speaker. He also recently appeared in an episode of “Miracle Detectives” on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

F/F (ret), NREMT-P, TEMS-I

Associate Director, University of Oklahoma Department of Emergency Medicine Center for Pre-Hospital and Disaster Medicine

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Special Operations Division

US Marshals Task Force

Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department Tactical Team

Bill is a frequent educator at regional, national and international conferences. His user-friendly approach to emergency management topics provides a relaxed and interactive atmosphere for all participants. His background started in 1978 in EMS and remains currently active with Fire-Rescue, EMS and Law enforcement.

He is currently a member of the NAEMT Board of Directors and Regional PHTLS/TCCC Coordinator, AHA Regional Faculty and multiple committee’s on Disaster Medicine.  Bill continues to assist local, state and federal law enforcement and military agencies with education and response operations.