Session 2: How to Lead: Quality Improvement Initiatives: A Moderated Discussion 9:40-12:00 (PDT)

Rick is an Adult Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist for St. Luke’s Health System (SLHS). He is board certified as an advance practice nurse, certified as a Critical Care Nurse and a Fellow of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists. He is on the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialist (NACNS) Board of Directors and NACNS Board Liaison for the NACNS Legislative/Regulatory Committee. He has served on local, regional and national Sepsis improvement teams/efforts and currently serves on the St. Luke’s Health System Inpatient System Collaborative. He is a Clinical Ethics Consultant for SLHS and also Chairs the SLHS Institutional Review Board.

KEYNOTE: APPLYING CLINICAL TRIAL RESEARCH TO THE BEDSIDE 9:00-9:30 (PDT)

Dr. Elizabeth Bridges is a professor and acting chair of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics at University of Washington School of Nursing in Seattle and the clinical nurse researcher at University of Washington Medical Center. She is the Immediate Past President of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses a. Dr Bridges has 40 years of experience in critical care and she is a retired colonel of the United States Air Force Nurse Corps. Her professional research focuses on the care of patients during long-distance military aeromedical evacuation and austere operational settings and the integration of hemodynamics into the care of critically ill patients. Dr. Bridges is well known for her presentations on the integration of evidence into practice that includes multiple topics related to sepsis, hemodynamics, and operational care.

Sepsis Forum Master of Ceremonies

Dr. David Carlbom is Medical Director, Respiratory Care Department and Attending Physician in the Medical and Trauma-Surgical Intensive Care Units at Harborview Medical Center. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine.

He is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine and trained in Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado and in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Washington.  

His passion is in early recognition and early resuscitation of critical ill patients. He actively involved in leadership and teaching activities at the local, regional, and international level. He is a major resource for sepsis resuscitation and pre-ICU critical care expertise at UW Medicine. He lectures extensively to multiple different professionals and works systematically to identify and initiate rapid treatment of critically ill sepsis patients. In 2020, he was awarded the individual Global Sepsis Award in recognition for his commitment to educate others about sepsis.  His bias is “good people trying hard, of any educational level, can take great care of critically ill patients if they work as a team, communicate, and have compassion for humans.”

Session 2: Fluids in Sepsis 10:30-12:00 (PDT)

Anthony Delaney is a father of three and husband to a multi-talented anaesthetist. He is a Fellow of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and the College of Intensive Care Medicine. He is currently a Professorial Fellow in the Division of Critical Care at the George Institute for Global Health, also holding appointments as Associate Professor at Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney and an adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventative Health at Monash University. He maintains a clinical role as Senior Staff Specialist in the Malcolm Fisher Department of Intensive Care Medicine at The Royal North Shore Hospital. Associate Professor Delaney’s major research interests are centred on improving methods of resuscitation of patients with sepsis and septic shock and improving outcomes for patients suffering acute severe brain injuries.

KEYNOTE: What's Hot in Sepsis Research 8:30-9:00 (PDT)

Dr. Fox-Robichaud (she/her) is Professor of Medicine at McMaster University and a Critical Medicine Specialist, Head of Service for the Critical Care Response Team and Director of Medical Education at Hamilton Health Sciences. She is also Scientific Director of Sepsis Canada, a nationally funded research network. She has over 140 peer reviewed publications reflecting broad academic interests including animal models of sepsis, health services research and clinical trials. A leader in the critical care community, she was the first female president of the Canadian Critical Care Society (CCCS) from 2015-2018 and the first female chair of the Canadian Critical Care Examination board. Internationally, she is a member of Global Sepsis Alliance board, the advisory board of the International Society for Rapid Response Systems and the council of the World Federation of Intensive and Critical Care. She has been honored nationally for her work in electronic early warning scores to prevent patient deterioration. Internationally, in 2018 the Global Sepsis Alliance awarded her an individual award for her sepsis leadership.

Session 2: How to Lead: Quality Improvement Initiatives: A Moderated Discussion 9:40-12:00 (PDT)

She leads the Quality Standards work and the BC Sepsis Network as provincial Quality Lead within the Analytics and Strategic Initiatives team, and other Council initiatives.

Prior to joining the Council, Sybil was a Clinical Nurse Specialist in critical care for Interior Health, advancing nursing practice and building quality and efficiency across networks and practice areas, promoting regional and standardized approaches to care delivery. Through collaboration and fostering respectful relationships, Sybil actively seeks input from all partners in care to design and implement QI projects, create or update practice and procedure guidelines and education material to support end users.

Sybil continues to serve as president of the BC Chapter of the Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses, building a community of practice with CC RNs across BC.

Sybil holds a Masters in Nursing with a teaching focus from Athabasca University and a Bachelor of Nursing degree from Douglas College.

Session 3: Sepsis Survivorship From Newborns to Adults 12:30-13:30 (PDT)

Dr. Liisa Holsti is an occupational therapist and Professor in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at UBC and an investigator at BC Children's Hospital Research Institute. Her program of research focuses on developing ways to assess and support optimal development in high risk infants and children.

Session 2: Fluids in Sepsis 10:30-12:00 (PDT)

Nicholas J. Johnson, MD, is Associate Professor and Section Head of Critical Care in the Department of Emergency Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at the University of Washington. Dr. Johnson’s academic interests focus on ventilation, oxygenation, and critical care after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, as well as clinical trials focused on early critical illness including sepsis.

Session 3: Reducing the Burden of Sepsis Through Prevention 13:30-15:00 (PDT)

Dr. Niranjan “Tex” Kissoon is passionate about children’s and women’s global health and is world-renowned for his global leadership working with the World Health Organization. His leadership in Global Health truly makes a difference. Dr. Kissoon is President of the Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA); Co-Chair Pediatric Surviving Sepsis Campaign; Vice-President of the Canadian Sepsis Foundation; Advisory Board Member of Sepsis Alliance USA and the African Sepsis Alliance. He is a Professor, Pediatric and Surgery at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Kissoon is the recipient of the 2020 Drs. Vidyasagar and Nagamani Dharmapuri Award for his sustained exemplary and pioneering achievements in the care of critically ill and injured infants and children. He holds the UBC BC Children’s Hospital Endowed Chair in Acute and Critical Care for Global Child Health; he is also Chair of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Health Centres (CAPHC) Sepsis Initiative, co-Chair, World Sepsis Day, International Pediatric Sepsis Initiative, and the Pediatric Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines Committee.

Session 3: Sepsis Survivorship From Newborns to Adults 12:30-13:30 (PDT)

Dr. Mikkelsen is the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Critical Care at the University of Colorado Hospital. At UCHealth, he serves as Chair of the UCHealth Critical Care Clinical Outcomes Governance Group and UCHealth Sepsis Clinical Effectiveness Group. Prior to joining UCHealth, he held a number of leadership positions at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During his career, he has served as Chair of the Society of Critical Care Medicine's Thrive: Supporting Survivors of Critical Illness Initiative, Chair of the SCCM Internal Medicine Section, Co-Chair of the 2018 SCCM Congress in San Antonio, Texas, and Chair of the American Thoracic Society Critical Care Assembly Planning Committee. An expert in sepsis and life after sepsis, Dr. Mikkelsen has partnered with SCCM, the Sepsis Alliance, CMS, state hospital associations, and home health organizations to improve care coordination for sepsis survivors.

Session 3: Reducing the Burden of Sepsis Through Prevention 13:30-15:00 (PDT)

Dr Emmanuel Nsutebu is a Consultant Infectious Diseases Physician and adjunct clinical professor at Khalifa University. He is chair of the Tropical and Infectious Diseases Division at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), Abu Dhabi. He chaired the COVID-19 taskforce during the pandemic and chairs the hospital Infection Prevention Committee. He is Vice President of the Emirates ID Society and President of the African Sepsis Alliance. He is a board and executive team member of the Global Sepsis Alliance. He used to be Medical Director for the Office of Access Management at SSMC. He previously worked at the Royal Liverpool Hospital as Associate Medical Director for Deterioration and Sepsis and clinical advisor for the National Health Service (NHS) England (sepsis and deterioration). He is a business and executive coach and author of the book "From Struggles to Success“ your struggles can make you better, stronger and more successful.

Session 2: Fluids in Sepsis 10:30-12:00 (PDT)

Dr. Parker is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, and Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact at McMaster University. She is board certified in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM), Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) and holds a Master’s in Health Research Methodology. She is Principal Investigator of the recently completed SQUEEZE Trial investigating a Fluid-Sparing resuscitation strategy vs Usual Care in pediatric patients with septic shock. Her research program has been supported by CIHR, Canadian Blood Services, Hamilton Health Sciences, and the Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program.

Session 1: Patient, Family, and Caregiver Perspectives in Sepsis Research & QI 8:05-8:30 (PDT)

Laurie Proulx has lived with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis since she was 14 years old and the disease impacted all aspects of life like school, work, pregnancy and parenting. Her lived experiences led to her involvement in the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance (CAPA), a grass-roots patient driven and managed organization. She currently works part-time for CAPA as managing director. She works as a consultant where her work focuses on patient and community engagement, knowledge translation, and health and social policy analysis.

Session 1: Patient, Family, and Caregiver Perspectives in Sepsis Research & QI 8:05-8:30 (PDT)

Kristine Russell is a postpartum sepsis survivor and the parent of a neonatal sepsis survivor. For over 5 years she has a taken a strong interest in patient quality improvement, collaborative patient engagement in research and health-related quality of life in healthcare settings and beyond. Her primary interest is on the patients who have been critically ill including the neonatal and paediatric population but has a keen interest in all aspects of research, healthcare delivery, and patient outcomes. She is a part of several national organizations as a patient advisor including Alberta Health Services, CanChild, University of British Columbia’s Action on Sepsis Research Cluster and Sepsis Canada a multidisciplinary research network where she serves as the Marketing & Communications Program Manager.

Session 3: Reducing the Burden of Sepsis Through Prevention 13:30-15:00 (PDT)

Dr. Manish Sadarangani is Director of the Vaccine Evaluation Center at the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute and an Associate Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, UBC Department of Pediatrics. He has worked in pediatrics throughout the world, including in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Australia, North America and Europe. His research links clinical trials with basic microbiology, immunology and epidemiology to address clinically relevant problems related to immunization and vaccine-preventable diseases.

Session 2: How to Lead: Quality Improvement Initiatives: A Moderated Discussion 9:40-12:00 (PDT)

Halima is a Practice Development Consultant, and the Sepsis Coordinator, SIDOK Sepsis Research Group, a multidisciplinary team in Nigeria; Initiator of the Life Support Training Program, Anesthesiology/ICU, AKTH; Pioneering the ENLS Training in Africa, starting with Nigeria (10-11, July,2023). Her passion is Knowledge-Sharing & Networking, Sepsis & IPC education and Quality Improvement in HC Systems in LRS. Participated in the Expert content development group & External peer review group that developed the Global Report on the Epidemiology and Burden of Sepsis: Current Evidence, Identifying Gaps and Future Directions. World Health Organization (WHO), 2020. Presently, serving in many WGs which include COVID-19 Severity Classification, WHO Clinical Management; EECC WG for Training among others.

Session 2: How to Lead: Quality Improvement Initiatives: A Moderated Discussion 9:40-12:00 (PDT)

Fatima Sheikh (She/Her) is a PhD student in the Health Research Methodology program at McMaster University. Her research aims to (1) investigate the effects of social determinants of health on the incidence and outcomes of sepsis; and (2) develop knowledge of the effects of social determinants of health on healthcare to inform health policy, responsible use of evidence, and equitable healthcare practices. She previously completed her master’s thesis examining the effects of gender and ethnicity on N95 respirator fit in a sample of diverse Canadian Healthcare workers to address issues of equity diversity and inclusion. Ultimately, Fatima is interested in understanding the downstream effects of the social determinants of health on disease outcomes, progression, and the broader implications on the healthcare system. She hopes that training in both research and teaching will allow her to develop the skills and aptitudes to establish a program of research focused on equitable healthcare practices, specifically within critical care.

Session 1: Patient, Family, and Caregiver Perspectives in Sepsis Research & QI 8:05-8:30 (PDT)

Mellon is one of Uganda's Health Economics scholars; An MBA graduate, and financially-independent finance professional with 5+ years of experience in public health research program management. A mother of three (2 girls and 1 boy). Mellon enjoys working in a fast paced, diverse and multicultural environment, with great passion for applying financial analysis to improve precision public health.

Session 2: How to Lead: Quality Improvement Initiatives: A Moderated Discussion 9:40-12:00 (PDT)

Sean R. Townsend, M.D., is Vice President of Quality & Safety at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, California and Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Townsend is a nationally recognized leader in patient safety and quality improvement, a faculty member at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement for 20 years, and a founding leader of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC). Presently Dr. Townsend serves as measure steward for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service’s first sepsis quality measure, SEP-1.