PTSF - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Vice President
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Amy Kempinski, MSN, RN, CEN, TCRN, serves as Vice President of the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation. She is a consultant and site surveyor for trauma systems across the United States and has spent 30 plus years of nursing in the trauma spectrum including roles of the Trauma Program Manager at a Level I Trauma Center, Nurse Manager of a Trauma/Neuro ICU, Emergency Department Manager/Educator, and an Orthopedics Clinical Operations Manager. Amy is the Immediate Past President for the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN) and previously served the organization as Treasurer and Director-at-Large. Mrs. Kempinski is also an associate member of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST). Additionally, Amy is a contributing author and faculty for the STN TOPIC course, a peer-review editor for the Journal of Trauma Nursing and serves on the BCEN/TCRN exam content review committee. Amy has several publications to her credit, including topics such as Crew Resource Management, Leadership, and Injury Prevention.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Representative
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Representative Bryan Cutler serves on the PTSF Board of Directors as the designee of Representative Kathy Rapp who occupies the seat on the PTSF Board assigned to the Minority Chair of the House Health Committee. He represents the 100th Legislative District in Lancaster County. In June 2020, he was elected by his colleagues to serve as the 139 th Speaker of the House, having previously served as the Majority Leader. He was re-elected Speaker of the House in January 2021 and served as speaker through January 2023.
Representative Cutler has a law degree, focused on health care law, from Widener Law School, and is a member of the Lancaster Bar Association. His work history includes practicing law with the firm of Nikolaus & Hohenadel and prior to that working at Lancaster General Hospital in Radiology services.
Representative Cutler's bill to eliminate redundant hospital accreditation procedures for hospitals that already meet all state licensing requirements, was signed into law as Act 60 of 2013. In 2019 he supported the PTSF in the passage of Act 54 of 2019 which provided funding for Level IV trauma centers in rural counties of Pennsylvania and prevented Level I and II trauma centers from developing near one another thereby preventing reductions in trauma volumes and putting patient outcomes at risk.
Representative Cutler also led efforts to reform the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), promoted greater integrity and transparency in state government strengthening lobbyist disclosure law, and most recently led efforts to establish a state-based health insurance exchange.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
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Job Titles:
- Accreditation Coordinator
Courtney Moraites, MPA, joined the PTSF in June 2022 as Accreditation Coordinator. Courtney was most recently a consultant for the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board, a university-level programmatic review committee. Prior to her consulting role, Courtney served as volunteer coordinator and senior accreditation coordinator for a U.S. Department of Education recognized accreditation body, the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, which provides institutional accreditation to private post-secondary schools.
Courtney received her Bachelor's Degree in Communication/Business from Carlow University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received both a Graduate Certificate in Association Management and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from George Mason University's Schar School of Public Policy in Arlington, Virginia. Courtney participates in the PTSF Accreditation logistics process.
Job Titles:
- Director of Accreditation
Darlene Gondell, MSN, RN, CCRN, CNRN, TCRN, is the Director of Accreditation for the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation (PTSF). Darlene joined the PTSF as the Manager of Accreditation in 2018 and was promoted to Director of Accreditation in 2023. She is the staff liaison for both the PTSF Standards Committee as well as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Committee, newly created for 2022. Prior to starting with the PTSF in 2018, Darlene was the Trauma Performance Improvement Coordinator at the Level II Trauma Center Lankenau Medical Center, Assistant Nurse Manager in the ICU at the Level II Trauma Center Paoli Hospital, and Staff Nurse at the Neuroscience ICU at Pennsylvania Hospital. Darlene received both her Bachelors and Masters of Nursing degrees at Thomas Jefferson University. She is a member of the Society of Trauma Nurses and volunteers on the STN Member Engagement Committee. She is also a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, where she serves on the Conference Posters Committee. During the pandemic, Darlene volunteered with the Citizens Corps of Delaware County to administer COVID-19 vaccinations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Vice Chair of the Board
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Deborah Chappel is the Trauma Program Director at AHN Allegheny General Hospital. Ms. Chappel represents the Pennsylvania Trauma Nurse Advisory Council (PATNAC) on the PTSF Board of Directors.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Member of the Board
- Associate Professor and Chair of the Geisinger Surgery Institute
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Dr. Denise Torres is the Associate Professor and Chair of the Geisinger Surgery Institute and Department of General Surgery, as well as Division Chief of Acute Care Surgery for Geisinger Health System and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine with direct oversight for the organization's Trauma Programs.
Dr. Torres has been a leader for developing and maintaining Adult and Pediatric Trauma Centers throughout the Geisinger system with Level 1 Adult and Level 2 Pediatric Centers at Geisinger Medical Center along with two additional Levels 2 Centers in the Northeast and two Level 4 centers throughout the Geisinger campuses. She has worked to expand standardization of trauma care throughout the Geisinger system and improve care to our most critically ill patients.
Dr. Torres earned her Doctor of Medicine at Drexel University. She completed her residency in General Surgery at Temple University Hospital, and her fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Dr. Torres is certified by the American Board of Surgery in Surgical Critical Care and General Surgery.
Along with her leadership roles for the Division of Acute Care Surgery and Trauma Surgery, Dr. Torres also serves on several hospital committees including Geisinger Health System Liability Committee, Geisinger Health System Catalyst Team, Geisinger System-wide Trauma Committee, Geisinger Medical Center Organ Donation Committee, Geisinger Medical Center General Surgery Clinical Competency Committee. She is the Vice-Chair for the Pennsylvania Committee on Trauma, Co-Director for the Pennsylvania Trauma Quality Improvement Project Collaborative, and the Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania Trauma System Foundation Outcome Committee. Dr. Torres is the author of numerous published articles and presentations and lectures at conferences throughout the country.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Member of the Board
- Secretary of the Board
- Treasurer
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Douglas G. Hock is the Executive Vice President and System Chief Operating Officer of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), he joined the organization in 2016. As a core member of the CHOP leadership team, Doug provides leadership, direction, and administration of clinical operations across the CHOP system. Doug previously served at two nationally respected children's hospitals, Texas Children's Hospital and most recently Children's Health in Dallas where he served as the President and Chief Operating Officer. He has been named by Modern Healthcare magazine as one of the 25 top COOs in healthcare. Doug received his BS in Business and Economics from Lehigh University and his Master of Business Administration from the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Chief Medical Officer for Conemaugh Health System
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Dr. Elizabeth Dunmore became Chief Medical Officer for Conemaugh Health System in October 2020 after serving as Vice President of Medical Affairs for Conemaugh Health System since October 2016. Dr. Dunmore continues in clinical practice by working part time in the Internal Medicine Residency Program.
Dr. Dunmore was an active member of the Nason Hospital medical staff for 14 years prior to coming to Conemaugh Health System. At Nason she served in multiple leadership positions including president of the medical staff. In addition, she provided primary care to patients at Southern Cove Medical Associates in Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Dunmore is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville. She completed an Internal Medicine residency at the University of Virginia Health Science Center and is board certified in Internal Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
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Dr. Henry A. Boateng is the Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Dr. Boateng focuses on adult and pediatric orthopaedic trauma as well as in hip preservation. He received his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC and completed his Residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at John Hopkin's Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Boateng also completed a fellowship in Orthopaedic Trauma at The Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Trauma Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dr. Boateng has received numerous teaching awards and is a resident mentor. His research interests include pelvic fractures and poly-trauma. He is also the author of several articles including one involving the mortality of bilateral femurs, elderly acetabular fractures and a book chapter published on Patellofemoral Syndrome. Dr. Boateng has a strong interest in relief work and service to the local as well as the international community. He was involved with a Haiti Relief Mission and he is presently involved with the Bethesda Mission and Lion Care in Harrisburg. He is a member of the international forum of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association and is presently planning a Mission trip to Ghana.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Chief of the Division of Emergency Medical Services
- Member of the EMS Subcommittee
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Dr. Jeffrey M. Kuklinski is the Chief of the Division of Emergency Medical Services, at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) and is a board-certified emergency medicine physician. His responsibilities as Division Chief include providing medical direction for LVHN's critical care air and ground program, ALS/BLS ground program, and the department of public safety which includes the office of emergency management, communications, and security. Dr. Kuklinski also serves as the EMS specialist for each of the LVHN service lines including trauma, neurology, and cardiology.
In addition to his responsibilities at LVHN, Dr. Kuklinski serves on the Eastern PA EMS Council Board of Directors and is involved in several committees including the medical advisory committee, the performance improvement committee, the ALS/BLS committee, and the tactical EMS committee. He also serves as a medical director for several EMS agencies in the region including the City of Allentown, City of Allentown Police Department-ERT, Macungie EMS, Bally EMS, Upper Perkiomen EMS, Hegins EMS, Lehigh County Special Operations, and several QRS agencies. Dr. Kuklinski also serves as the medical director for the Pocono Raceway and lead emergency medicine physician for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
On a national level, Dr. Kuklinski is a member of the EMS Subcommittee within The American Osteopathic Emergency Physicians. His passion for several aspects of EMS keeps him actively engaged within several facets of prehospital care.
Dr. Kuklinski was born in Doylestown, Pennsylvania and is a graduate of Ursinus College. He obtained his medical degree at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia. He completed his residency in emergency medicine at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In addition to his residency training at LVHN, he completed a fellowship in emergency medical services. He later obtained a Master's in Business Administration with a concentration in healthcare management from Western Governors University. Most recently, Dr. Kuklinski completed his Certified Medical Transport Executive certification through the Association of Air Medical Services in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
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- Vice - Chief of the Division of Trauma
Dr. Patrick Kim is the Vice-Chief of the Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, and Emergency Surgery at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center of Penn Medicine. He is a Professor of Clinical Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and the Medical Director of Penn Medicine's Credentials Verification Organization in the Office of Medical Affairs.
Dr. Kim completed residency in Surgery and Fellowship in Trauma and Surgical Critical Care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. From 2009 to 2018, Dr. Kim was the Trauma Program Medical Director at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of several professional societies, including the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board
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Dr. Philip A. Villanueva is the Director, Neurotrauma and Critical Care at Temple University Hospital and Professor, Clinical Neurosurgery at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.
Job Titles:
- Chief Medical Officer
- Member of the Board
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Dr. Richard Neff serves as the Chief Medical Officer and works clinically as a Hospitalist for Indiana Regional Medical Center (IRMC) located in Indiana, PA. Dr. Neff was born and raised in Norristown, PA, graduated from MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine (now ‘Drexel University College of Medicine') and completed his Family Medicine Residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to his CMO and residency development responsibilities at IRMC, he serves on the boards of Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Research Institute and Citizens' Ambulance Service; seeking to always promote the people and processes that support excellence in healthcare for the people of the rural region he serves and beyond.
Prior to returning to his native Pennsylvania, Dr. Neff served as Chief Medical Officer for Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC), an ACS Level II Trauma Center, which serves the northern half of Arizona. In addition to supporting facility-based quality and experience excellence, Dr. Neff maintained a regional rural focus, convening regular coordinating meetings with the several Indian Health Service units and non-IHS hospitals. He served on the county multidisciplinary opiate mortality review team, the Flagstaff Shelter Services Board, the Arizona Medical Association Board, and as Vice President for FMC's substantial air and ground emergency medical emergency services.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
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- Vice President, Service
Erin Pica, MHA, is Vice President, Service Line Operations, Surgery with responsibility for Trauma at WellSpan Health.
Job Titles:
- Trauma Registry Specialist
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- Software Program Manager
Job Titles:
- Systems Foundation ( PTSF ) Trauma Registry Technician
- Trauma Registry Technician
Heather Danley is the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation (PTSF) Trauma Registry Technician. Immediately prior to joining the PTSF, Mrs. Danley was a trauma registrar at UPMC Williamsport, a Level II Trauma Center. She also previously worked as a chart auditor and educator in order to satisfy coding and compliance standards, for her prior employer, a home healthcare and hospice organization. In 2013, Heather earned her Associate Degree in Medical Administrative Assistant through Newport Business Institute. In 2017, she earned a Medical Coding Certificate through Penn Foster. Mrs. Danley resides in the Williamsport area with her husband and two children. Heather is a welcome addition to the PTSF staff as software transition activities continue through 2024 and beyond.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Program Manager
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Jo Ann Miller is the Trauma Program Manager at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health. Prior to the Trauma Program Manager role, Jo Ann was first a critical care bedside nurse for 13 years. After completion of her BSN, she became a Trauma Case Manager, which was a combination role of case management and performance improvement activities. After eight years as a Trauma Case Manager, Jo Ann assumed the role of Trauma Program Manager. Her special interests include performance improvement and education with a specific focus on geriatrics and hemorrhagic shock/massive transfusion.
Jo Ann is a diploma graduate of the Lancaster General Hospital School of Nursing (now known as the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences). She obtained her BSN from Immaculata University and most recently completed her MSN with FNP certification at Millersville University. Future professional opportunities are to continue to be in a leadership position to enhance and contribute to the growth of the trauma program at Lancaster General and secondly to obtain her post graduate certification in adult gerontology acute care.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
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- Senior Vice President, President, and Chief Operating Officer of Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital
Joseph T. Sawyer Jr. is the Senior Vice President, President, and Chief Operating Officer of Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, PA and Towanda Campuses in Bradford County, PA. Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital is a 288-bed tertiary care, teaching hospital, and accredited adult Level I Trauma Center.
Job Titles:
- President
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Juliet Altenburg, RN, MSN, is the President of the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation (PTSF) and oversees staff and operations. Juliet joined the PTSF in February 2003 after 19 years of employment at Lehigh Valley Hospital Network (LVHN) in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She graduated from DeSales University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing and again in 1995 with a Master of Science Degree in Nursing. While at LVHN her titles included Critical Care Staff Nurse, Patient Care Specialist, and Trauma Program Manager. In 2000 Juliet was elected to the PTSF Board of Directors as a representative of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association. During her time with the PTSF Juliet's passion has been directed strategically toward growing Pennsylvania's trauma system particularly in rural areas of Pennsylvania. Over the years she helped craft legislation that provided funding to PA Trauma Centers and served to optimize trauma center volumes by avoiding over-proliferation of high-level centers. In 2016 she served on a panel supporting the work of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine in creating a report titled "A National Trauma Care System: Integrating Military and Civilian Trauma Systems to Achieve Zero Preventable Deaths After Injury". This report has guided the vision of the PTSF in achieving "Zero Preventable Deaths". Juliet is highly involved in multiple state and national associations including the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the National Association of State EMS Officials, the Society of Trauma Nurses, and Pennsylvania State Nurses Association. She also serves as a Board Member with the Pennsylvania Division of the American Trauma Society, and the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council. Juliet's passion for healthcare also drives her volunteer work with Rotary International and the South-Central PA Medical Reserve Corps. Juliet served as the District Governor of Rotary District 7390 in 2022-2023 inspiring 42 clubs in South Central PA to reach out in service to their communities . She continues to work with trauma centers in partnership with Rotary Clubs to promote STOP THE BLEED® education locally and internationally.
Job Titles:
- Accreditation Specialist
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Job Titles:
- Director of Trauma Registry
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Lyndsey Diehl, MHA, RHIA, CHDA, CSTR, is the Director of Trauma Registry at the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation. Before transitioning to the Foundation, she started her Health Information Management career at the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry working in the quality assurance unit. Lyndsey earned a B.S. in Health Information Management from the Pennsylvania College of Technology in 2013 and a Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree from Duquesne University in 2023. Lyndsey currently holds multiple certifications including the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), Certified Specialist in Trauma Registries (CSTR), and Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA). She is also a member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), Pennsylvania Health Information Management Association (PHIMA), and the American Trauma Society (ATS).
Job Titles:
- Accreditation Specialist
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Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Commonwealth EMS Medical Director
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Dr. Ralph Daniel Bledsoe currently serves as the Commonwealth EMS Medical Director. He is certified in emergency medicine by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He practices at UPMC Harrisburg and is affiliated with UPMC Hanover, UPMC Memorial, UPMC Harrisburg, Community Osteopathic, West Shore, and UPMC Carlisle. He completed his medical degree at Marshall University School of Medicine and residency at WellSpan York Hospital.
Dr. Bledsoe serves on the PTSF Board of Directors as the Designee of the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
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Dr. Forsythe represents the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PaMED) on the PTSF Board of Directors.
Job Titles:
- Director of Performance Improvement
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Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Network Director of Trauma Programs at St. Luke 's University Health Network
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Rebecca Wilde-Onia (Becky) is the Network Director of Trauma Programs at St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN). Becky is a leader in developing and maintaining Trauma Centers throughout SLUHN campuses with Level I Adult, Level II Adult, and five Level IV Trauma Centers. She has worked and collaborated on the standardization of trauma care throughout SLUHN's acute care hospitals.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
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Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
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Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
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Senator Brooks occupies the seat on the PTSF Board of Directors assigned to the Majority Chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Senator Brooks serves Senate District 50, which includes Crawford, Lawrence (partial), and Mercer Counties.