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Session Description: Dr. Dave Nelson, Kate Soons, Mariah Whitcomb and Merrill Pine will discuss key topics in pediatrics as well as review challenges and opportunities EMS providers face in regards to pediatrics. Throughout this presentation there will be opportunities for breakout groups to engage the audience in discussion about their pediatric questions and successes.
Presenters Biographies:
Dr. Nelson is a Pediatric Emergency Physician who joined the staff at UVM Medical Center in 2019. He is involved with student, resident and prehospital education locally and nationally. On the community and state level, he is a pediatric champion for emergency preparedness and disaster planning working with community pediatricians through the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP) and the Vermont Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). On a statewide level, Dr Nelson is collaborating with Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) and he is a clinical advisor to the Vermont Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Coalition (VHEPC).
Merrill graduated from Cornell University in 2014 with a Bachelors in Biological Sciences. She continued her education and graduated with a Master of Public Health from the University of Vermont in 2020. Merrill is currently the Emergency Medical Services for Children program manager for the state of Vermont where she focuses on improving pediatric emergency care in EMS agencies and hospital emergency departments. Merrill has worked in the Vermont EMS system for five years with an additional five years of experience in the Adirondacks. Prior to her work as the EMSC program manager, Merrill worked for the area’s designated mental health agency with children exhibiting behavioral issues in the school setting. These children had diagnoses ranging from Autism Spectrum Disorder to Epilepsy to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to Oppositional Defiant Disorder.
Kate joined St. Michael’s College Fire and Rescue in 1989 during her first year at St. Michael’s College. During her student years, she developed a passion for EMS education. After earning instructor-coordinator certification in 1992, she has provided education to all levels of EMS providers in Vermont. In 2001, she was part of the team that brought Pediatric Education for Prehospital Providers (PEPP) to Vermont EMS services. Recently awarded Vermont EMS for Children Champion, Kate has volunteered with the EMS-C Advisory Committee since the inception in 2014. She works as a critical care nurse in the surgical and pediatric intensive care unit at the University of Vermont Medical Center and teaches advanced EMT courses in Chittenden County. Kate spent several years volunteering for both St. Michael’s Rescue and her local service, Colchester Rescue Squad.
Mariah Whitcomb, NRAEMT, MBA is the Deputy Fire Chief of the Thetford Fire Department and an experienced educator in the field of EMS having taught a variety of both Fire and EMS topics over the last 20 years in Vermont and New Hampshire. Ms. Whitcomb also is the Training Coordinator for VT EMS District 9, a Pro-Board Certified Fire Instructor and serves as a mentor for newly certified Instructor/Coordinators in Vermont. Ms. Whitcomb consults regularly with multiple emergency services agencies on EMS training and has created numerous educational tools used in EMS courses. In addition to her EMS and firefighting experience, she is the Program Manager for Learning at Hypertherm, Inc based in Lebanon, NH.