PEDIATRIC SEPSIS WEEK - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- Director, Marketing and Communications
Alex graduated from the University of California, Davis with a B.A. in Communication. After spending her senior year as Fundraising Chair for the women's rugby team, Alex returned home to San Diego to plan events for military housing and then work as an Independent Contractor in marketing and event planning.
Alex started with Sepsis Alliance as the Events Coordinator in 2017. She then supported Operations and Stewardship before moving to Communications and Marketing.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- Senior Clinical Education Manager
Allison started with Sepsis Alliance in 2022 and has over a decade of clinical education experience. She is currently completing her dissertation for her PhD in Communications with an emphasis in Health Communications, focusing on healthcare communities of practice on social media. Allison graduated from the University of Texas at Tyler in 2012 with a Master of Education degree in Health and Kinesiology and from Carthage College in 2010 with a degree in Athletic Training. She is a Certified Athletic Trainer, licensed in the state of Iowa. Allison has worked for several medical device companies and comes to Sepsis Alliance from a Life Sciences company in the genomics field.
Allison enjoys spending time with her two young sons, running, and catching up on beach reads in her free time.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- Advocacy Communications & Operations Senior Manager
Amanda joined Sepsis Alliance in early 2021, bringing experience in journalistic writing and editing as well as operations and communications for small nonprofits. She's thrilled to be supporting Sepsis Alliance's life-saving work raising sepsis awareness through education and advocating on behalf of those impacted by sepsis.
Amanda holds a BA in English from Vassar College and an MA in Cultural Journalism from NYU. She serves as a nonfiction editor for the literary magazine Guernica and lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Ambassador Richard N. Swett, FAIA served as US Ambassador to Denmark from 1998 through 2001. Twice elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, he served on the Committees on Public Works and Transportation; Science, Space and Technology; the U.S. Congressional Delegation for Relations with the European Parliament, and the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. He also introduced legislation to encourage energy conservation and use of renewable energy, which were included in the Energy Policy Act of 1992.
A licensed architect with experience in designing and managing high-rise mixed-use projects, Ambassador Swett's worldwide business activities encompass architectural design, project management, corporate management, project development and finance. Areas of professional activity have included real estate, alternative energy development and production, energy conservation, industrial development and international export promotion.
He also has worked with U.S. government organizations such as USAID and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. He is an active Senior Counselor with APCO Worldwide, a public affairs and strategic communications firm with 23 offices worldwide offering integrated services with "local experience and global perspective".
Ambassador Swett's primary commitment is as Managing Principal of the Washington, D.C. office of Leo A Daly, the eighth largest architectural design firm in the world. Working around the globe, he is redefining the profession by providing leadership of societal development through design.
A prolific writer, Ambassador Swett is the author of the book, Leadership by Design: Creating an Architecture of Trust and contributing author to A Nation Reconstructed.
Bill Mooney is an Executive Vice President and leads the New York-based Transaction Management HUB in the Northeastern United States for CBRE's A&T Brokerage-Occupier division. Mr. Mooney is responsible for creating real estate advisory and process-driven account management solutions for large, global occupiers. Mr. Mooney's portfolio management approach to managing client real estate needs leads to optimum structuring of lease and investment transactions to meet their diverse financial operations and objectives.
Mr. Mooney has been at CBRE for more than 23 years and prior to his tenure at CBRE he was a Senior Real Estate Manager at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority managing their Manhattan office assets and structuring joint venture real estate activities in support of their transportation mission.
On April 30, 2002, Carl Flatley's life changed. It was the day his daughter Erin died from septic shock, something Dr. Flatley, DDS, MSD, a retired endodontist, had never heard of. (Faces of Sepsis: Erin Flatley)
After Erin's death, Dr. Flatley learned everything he could about sepsis and he was astounded at what he - and millions of other Americans - didn't know about the condition. He was shocked to learn that sepsis killed well over 200,000 people in the U.S. every year and affected so many more survivors.
In 2004, Dr. Flatley founded the American Sepsis Alliance, which in 2007, became Sepsis Alliance. He made it his mission that sepsis would become as well known as cancer, diabetes, and other illnesses, and that as few people as possible would get sepsis, let alone die from it.
His unending devotion to Erin's memory has had a significant impact on many people.
Catriona Macdonald leads the Linchpin team in assisting clients in the areas of health, education, and disability to communicate their priorities and needs to audiences at all levels of government.
When your priorities are risk, or you need a highly accomplished, tenacious advocate, you want Catriona on your side. Since founding Linchpin in 2004, she has led successful efforts to establish new medical research funds; protect small business opportunities from federal agency overreach and multi-million dollar competitors; and secure increases of more than $4 billion for early childhood education.
Catriona's experience on Capitol Hill includes working for Senator Edward Kennedy on the Senate Labor Committee; staffing domestic social issues and appropriations for Congressman Steny Hoyer, the current House Minority Whip; and serving as the Legislative Director for Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, the current Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. Her experience in the executive branch includes working as a budget and policy analyst in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget at the US Department of Health and Human Services.
She received her BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and a Master's in Public Policy from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.
Cindy Hou (pronounced Ho), DO, MA, MBA, CIC, CPHQ, FACOI, FACP, FIDSA, is the Infection Control Officer and Medical Director of Research for Jefferson Health - East Region and an Infectious Diseases specialist. She has expertise in sepsis, antibiotic stewardship, infection control, patient safety, clinical quality, and equity. Dr. Hou is the Chief Medical Officer of Sepsis Alliance and a medical advisor for Sepsis Innovation Collaborative. She earned a M.B.A. and M.A. from Boston University, a D.O. from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, and B.S. from Yale University. Dr. Hou is the principal investigator for an Office of Minority Health grant to reduce inequities in those with limited English proficiency. She also received grants from the American Nurse's Association Project Firstline to educate nurses about infection prevention, as well as from the National Council on Aging to provide the elderly and disabled with education and vaccination against COVID-19 and influenza.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- Director of Provider Education and Training
Claudia Orth earned her BSN from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, and has over 20 years of experience working as a registered nurse in critical care, clinical quality, patient safety, and sepsis.
In her nine years serving as the Sepsis Coordinator for her hospital, Claudia collaborated with multi-disciplinary stakeholders across a northern Michigan hospital system to implement a robust sepsis program, and developed evidence-based electronic early warning alerts, screening tools, and order sets. She also led system-wide didactic education, and high- and low-fidelity simulation education, and performed data abstraction and data analysis to identify key performance improvement opportunities for the organization.
Claudia has been an enthusiastic and passionate participant, supporter, and follower of Sepsis Alliance's great work for many years, and she is excited to join the organization to help further its mission to save lives by improving sepsis awareness and education among the public and healthcare providers.
In her free time, she loves watching her two children play sports, spending time with family and friends, traveling, cooking, and taking advantage of all the beautiful bodies of water and surrounding nature that northern Michigan has to offer.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Editor of the Employment Law Review
Erika C. Collins is a Partner in the Labor & Employment department at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath. Based in New York, she co-leads the firm's International Employment Law practice group. Erika works with multinational public and private companies on complex international employment and human resources matters, with a particular focus on navigating cross-border legal and cultural differences.
Known for her knowledge and work around the globe, Erika has more than 25 years of experience advising multinational companies on myriad issues.
Erika serves as the editor of The Employment Law Review (14th Edition), which covers employment laws in 42 countries. She is also a former Co-Chair of the International Bar Association's Employment and Industrial Relations Law Committee and the current Chair of Cambridge Forums' International Labor and Employment Forum. Erika is also a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Erika attended Brown University for her undergraduate studies where she was captain of the Women's Crew Team and University of California, Davis for law school.
In 2014, Erika was admitted to the ICU in septic shock after spending a week with flu-like symptoms. Having never heard of sepsis, Erika feels very fortunate that she received excellent and life-saving care. As a sepsis survivor, Erika is committed to advocating for and increasing sepsis education and awareness.
Erin Borger is the CEO of ExThera Medical. Erin most recently held the role of Managing Director and Director of Strategic Growth at UBS Financial Services Inc. Most notably he held the title of Market Head for Northern California where he oversaw 17 locations, and hundreds of employees. While at UBS he received the three most prestigious awards a manager could achieve including Branch Manager of the Year, Market Head of the Year, and in 2022 the Ed Connolly Award, the highest and most coveted award a field leader can earn at UBS. He also served as Executive Sponsor for the Young Professionals Network and was a Global Volunteer Award winner.
Erin has been involved in the healthcare space for many years. He recently sat on the Board of Directors for the stem cell company Longeveron and is currently a Board Member of the Applebaum Foundation and ExThera Medical. Previously, Erin served as a Board Member of the National Parkinson's Foundation, Easter Seals South Florida, F.I.N. Sea Foundation, Queen for a Day, and the Crockett Foundation. He also held roles on Avon Old Farm School's National Council, Chris Evert Children's Hospital Foundation Advisory Board, Cystic Fibrosis South Florida's Advisory Board, Palisades Medical Center's Foundation Board, and University of Miami - Miller School of Medicine's Visiting Committee and Neurology Committee.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- Senior Provider Education and Training Manager
Hannah joined Sepsis Alliance as the Sepsis Institute's E-Learning Specialist in 2019, bringing with her six years of experience in online medical education.
She graduated from the University of Iowa in 2015 with a degree in Communication Studies and minors in Spanish and International Business. After graduation, she moved to Colorado and worked remotely as a Medical Education Manager for a medical device company. During her time there, Hannah led the charge to gain accreditations through the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, Board of Certification, American Psychological Association, and other accrediting bodies.
Hannah is passionate about improving healthcare and patient outcomes through continuing education. In her free time, Hannah can be found hiking, camping, skiing, or taking a road trip to a national park.
Jennifer Tapper is an advocacy-based fundraising, organizing, and communications professional with more than 20 years of experience fighting for equality, equity, and basic human rights for women and children.
In 2021, Jennifer's daughter, Alice, was admitted to the hospital with appendicitis, but doctors missed the warning signs and Alice was initially misdiagnosed. By the time she was correctly diagnosed, her appendix had ruptured and she became septic. You can read Alice's full story here. Alice was ultimately able to make a full recovery and has become a national advocate for diagnostic change when it comes to appendicitis and sepsis. Jennifer and Alice are committed to modernizing the way emergency room doctors diagnose appendicitis. They both speak to medical students and health care providers to share Alice's story and inform others of the dangers of not recognizing the signs of appendicitis, pre-sepsis, and sepsis.
Jennifer lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Jake Tapper, and her two children, Jack and Alice Tapper.
Jill Gress, retired, was the Vice President of Radius Global Market Research, one of the leading market research firm and known widely for pioneering innovative research methodologies.
Her understanding of emerging industry trends and challenges enabled her to be a highly effective client advocate and resource coordinator. Jill worked closely with her clients helping them to find the best research approach and acted as a liaison between a team of researchers and her clients. This helped ensure a strategic research solution was devised to issues or challenges facing clients, whether it was for an early stage opportunity or market evaluation, supporting a new product launch, or inline brand life cycle management.
Jill was a practicing Registered Respiratory Therapist and has practiced at University of Rochester Medical Center and Rochester General Hospital in Rochester, NY as well as Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. Jill earned her degree in Respiratory Therapy from Upstate Medical Center and a BS in Healthcare Administration with Marketing minor from California College of Health Sciences.
Jill is active in other various organizations having worked with fundraising efforts at the Golisano Children's Hospital in Rochester NY for over 15 years and is also an active volunteer at the Humane Society of Greater Rochester.
Jim O'Brien, MD, MS is the Vice President of Operations, Population Health with OhioHealth. His areas of responsibility include integrating the population health portfolio, including operations to support care transformation for success in value-based contracts covering care management, quality, practice transformation, contract operations, and data and analytics. Clinical operations are driven by the OhioHealth Clinically Integrated Network, which includes over 4,300 providers and 12 hospitals across 30 counties in Ohio, providing care to more than 250,000 attributed lives. Additional value-based activities include participation in 12 advanced bundle programs and a 35,000 member Medicare Shared Savings Program.
Dr. O'Brien began his career at OhioHealth in July 2012, moving from the Medical Director of Quality and Patient Safety at Riverside Methodist Hospital to the System Vice President for Quality and Patient Safety for OhioHealth. Prior to joining OhioHealth, he worked from 2004 to 2012 at The Ohio State University Medical Center.
Dr. O'Brien earned his Masters of Science, Basic Biomedical Sciences, Clinical Sciences Program at the University of Colorado and his medical degree from The Ohio State University.
He has a rich academic background as a medical intensivist, clinical researcher, and epidemiologist, publishing more than fifty articles and chapters in peer review journals. Common themes include the effect of excess body weight on outcomes for critically ill patients, epidemiology, and medical decision making. With a strong focus and passion for advancement in sepsis care and risk factors, Dr. O'Brien has been a national speaker on such topics.
Dr. O'Brien currently serves as physician champion to Ohio Hospital Association Statewide Sepsis Initiative and serves on the Board of Directors to Sepsis Alliance - a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of sepsis by educating patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to treat sepsis as a medical emergency. He is also co-founder of Spike Out Sepsis, an annual sand volleyball tournament that benefited Sepsis Alliance.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- Marketing and Communications Specialist
- Sepsis Alliance As the Marketing and Communications Specialist
Julie joined Sepsis Alliance as the Marketing and Communications Specialist in early 2023. Her background includes work in nonprofit public relations, fundraising, writing, and web management. Julie is excited to share the important mission of Sepsis Alliance and improve outcomes for those that have suffered from the condition.
Julie graduated with a degree in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She currently resides in North Carolina with her spouse and son and enjoys hiking and reading in her free time.
Job Titles:
- Emergency Medicine Physician
Karin Molander, MD, is an emergency medicine physician with greater than 25 years in clinical care. She analyzes quality of care and is passionate about patient education. Dr. Molander became involved in the world of sepsis in 2007, initially training intensivists in Early Goal Directed Therapy. She served on her hospital Sepsis committee from 2009 to 2015. As chair from 2011 until 2015 she collaborated with fellow Sutter hospitals as they navigated through a new EHR and a sepsis initiative serving the critical access hospital to the quaternary care center. She has served on the Sepsis Alliance board since 2018 and was recently their Chair of the Board of Directors. She co-authored a chapter on Sepsis for the American Medical Life Support textbook for Emergency Medical Services and has an updated edition coming out later this year. She is currently participating in a year long Digital Health Fellowship with the goal of optimizing communication amongst patients and providers.
Katy is a recent sepsis survivor with a personal passion for spreading sepsis education and awareness. Twelve years ago, she moved from Seattle to Hawaii with her husband and two young daughters. In September of 2018, she became ill with what she thought was just the flu. She was home alone and didn't think her illness was serious enough to call 911. It wasn't until two days later that she called a friend for help. Her friend found her nearly unresponsive and rushed her to the hospital where she was admitted directly into the ICU in septic shock. Fortunately, her physicians suspected sepsis and began a protocol that saved her life.
Katy now lives life as a bilateral below-knee amputee who also lost seven fingertips. Instead of slowing down, she has found a new energy and passion to spread sepsis awareness in the hopes of preventing others from having her experience. She is sharing her personal and inspiring story as a national speaker at corporations such as Microsoft and medical symposiums related to sepsis. She founded sepsis walks in Washington and Hawaii and stand-up paddle for Sepsis Alliance in Seattle.
Katy has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Washington. She spent seven years in the title insurance industry where she became a national sales representative. Later she become a stay-at-home mother and community volunteer and served as a board member for several local organizations. She is a certified yoga instructor with a passion for nutrition, fitness, and mental health. Katy splits her time between Seattle and Hawaii.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Leveraged Philanthropy
- Trustee of Lulu 's Fund
Lukas Haynes learned about sepsis during the hospitalization of his 4-year-old daughter in January 2014. Following a very short illness and appendectomy, she died of septic shock and left a family and her Montclair, NJ community heartbroken. He joined the Sepsis Alliance in order to spare other families a similar heartbreak and to volunteer his experience in the non-profit and philanthropic sector.
Lukas is the founder of Leveraged Philanthropy. He was the Executive Director of the David Rockefeller Fund in New York. Where he oversaw all operations and grantmaking programs for criminal justice reform, climate change solutions, and art for social impact.
Prior to joining the DR Fund, Lukas was vice president of the Mertz Gilmore Foundation; New York Director of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and Fellow of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University.
Lukas also serves as a trustee of Lulu's Fund, providing need-based financial aid to preschool families; director of the Clara Lionel Foundation and advisor to the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs.
He earned a Master's degree in International Relations from Oxford University and graduated from the College of William & Mary in Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- Registered Nurse
- Senior Clinical Content Advisor
Marijke Vroomen Durning, RN is a registered nurse with many years of experience in a variety of clinical areas, from post-partum to palliative care and hospice. Marijke joined Sepsis Alliance in 2010 and is responsible for the site content and outreach with the public and organizations.
She has worked as a floor nurse and in supervisory and teaching capacities. No longer working clinically as a nurse, Marijke is now a successful health writer and content provider. She has assisted in writing and researching nursing and emergency response textbooks, and has written hundreds of articles for online and print outlets, such as the Oncology Nursing News, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Forbes.com, Costco Connection, Nursing 2013, HealthDay News, Parade, and MSN Health & Lifestyle.
When not working to educate the public on various health issues, you will probably find Marijke in her sewing room, where she designs and creates beautiful quilts almost non-stop.
Mark L. Weinstein is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer who has been in practice since 1979. Mark attended the Maxwell School of Public Citizenship (now know as the Maxwell School of Public Affairs) at Syracuse University where he attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He then attended Tulane University School of Law and after graduation entered into private practice in Miami, Florida. Born in West Hartford Connecticut he now resides with his wife and two children in Wellington, Florida.
Mark currently is a member of the Professionalism Committee of the Dade County Bar Association.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- Community and Content Senior Manager
Megan Jones joins Sepsis Alliance most recently from Charlotte, NC, where she was the Community Engagement and Program Coordinator for Community Building Initiative. With a background in communications, program management, and events, as well as a passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion, she looks forward to embracing the role of Community and Content Senior Manager. Outside of work, Megan loves choral singing and exploring the outdoors. She's excited to find new hiking trails in the San Diego area with her rescue dog, Shadow.
Midori Lawler's passion is working with startups and giving back. She joined Microsoft in 2005 and has been working with tech startups for the past 15 years. She launched the Microsoft BizSpark program in 2008 which was the first startup program in the company's history. In typical startup fashion, she has worn many hats, but her specialty is Marketing Communications and Events. She was initially responsible for driving awareness of the BizSpark brand and adoption of Microsoft technologies but over the years has expanded her expertise to include Program Operations, Field Enablement, Partner Programs, Data & Analytics and Content Strategy. Midori currently manages the teams that provide Program Support and Technical Enablement for startups in the Microsoft for Startups program. She is a startup ambassador, always seeking to find ways to help startups.
In 2014, Midori was one of seven employees chosen to be a Microsoft Loaned Professional and run the annual Microsoft Giving Campaign. Her team was responsible for engaging all US employees, providing education and training, connecting employees to volunteer opportunities that align to their skills and interests and continuing to nurture the culture of giving. The team raised over $113M for nonprofits and schools.
Midori has a strong personal interest in increasing sepsis awareness. Although she has not had sepsis herself, in the past 4 years, several people she loves have had sepsis, including her mom, best friend, cousin and family friend. She has personally witnessed how life threatening this illness can be and how difficult it is to live with the consequences of sepsis, including loss of limbs.
Earlier in her career, Midori worked in Technology Marketing for several hi-tech startups, as well as established corporations such as Dell Computer, Motorola and IBM. She has a bachelor's degree and an MBA from Pepperdine University. Midori has two sons and is based in Seattle, Washington.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- Operations Coordinator
After spending 10 years as an executive assistant in the software industry, it was time to make a change and spent she spent four years at the Muscular Dystrophy Association where she reengaged local community involvement with the MDA as the Development Assistant and Development Coordinator. She is eager to join the team and provide support wherever she is needed.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer of Akan Biosciences
- Member of the Chicago Biomedical Consortium 's VC Advisory Committee
Mr. Burton currently serves as a member of the Chicago Biomedical Consortium's VC Advisory Committee; MATTER, a Chicago-based healthcare incubator; and the Bunker Labs, an incubator started in Chicago for U.S. military veterans. He also is a member of the Board of Directors of Millennium Beacon, a healthcare incubator based on the southside of Chicago, seeking to serve overlooked populations. Prior thereto, Mr. Burton worked as an investment banking associate at Salomon Brothers (now Citigroup Corporate & Investment Bank). He was also a United States Regular Army Commissioned Officer
Paul L. Epner, MBA, MEd co-founded the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) and led the organization as CEO until stepping down in late 2021 after ten years. During his tenure, he created and chaired the Coalition to Improve Diagnosis, a collaborative of more than 70 professional societies, health systems, patient organizations, and organizations focused on improving healthcare quality. Paul also served as a member of the National Steering Committee for Patient Safety, a joint initiative of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and was a member of the National Quality Forum's 2021 Leadership Consortium.
Prior to the work above, Paul was an employee of Abbott Diagnostics for 31 years in the United States, Japan, and China. He started his career as a 7th grade science teacher in Antioch, IL.
Previous to his SIDM work, Paul served on the Board of the Clinical Laboratory Management Association (CLMA) and served as its President for two years. He has also been a volunteer leader for initiatives at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In addition to his employment, Paul has been an active as a volunteer. He currently serves as a member of the Board and Executive Committee of the American Jewish Committee, Midwest Region (AJC). He previously served for ten years on the Board of the Jewish Vocational Service culminating as its President. Prior to that, he served as a National Vice President for the Crohn's Colitis Foundation. In this last capacity, he founded two local chapters in Illinois and Wisconsin. Paul was also an elected member of the School Board in Millburn, IL and in Shanghai, China.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Senior Vice President and Head of Center for Innovation
Rangarajan Sampath, PhD, is Senior Vice President and Head of Center for Innovation in Diagnostics (CID) at Siemens Healthineers, where he leads innovation and new product development in the areas of oncology, neurology, and infectious diseases. CID's focus is to drive disruptive next-generation innovation, development, and commercialization of in-vitro diagnostics, automation, and digital health solutions.
Prior to this, Dr. Sampath was Chief Scientific Officer at Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), a Geneva-based non-profit organization focused on bringing cutting-edge diagnostics to low- and middle-income countries. Dr. Sampath headed FIND's research and development organization, leading its innovation, product development, and disease programs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led a team of researchers to set up an evaluation framework to provide an independent assessment of commercially available assays to aid procurement and country prioritization decisions. He also represented FIND as a working group member in the Access to COVID Tools -Accelerator Diagnostics (ACT-A Dx) Partnership, co-convened by FIND and the Global Fund.
From 1997 - 2017, Dr. Sampath served as a Volwiler Senior Research Fellow and Senior Director of research and development (R&D) for the Ibis Division of Abbott. He led Ibis' R&D efforts in infectious disease diagnostics, antimicrobial resistance diagnostics, and surveillance, and was responsible for applications development, validation, data analysis, and reporting for the Ibis PCR/ESI-MS based IRIDICA platform. Dr. Sampath co-founded Ibis Biosciences, Inc. and is a co-inventor of the IRIDICA (CE-IVD) infectious disease diagnostics platform.
Dr. Sampath is a recognized leader in the field, with over 100 publications and over 40 issued patents in infectious disease diagnostics. He was an invited participant at the White House National Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship and was an active member of the AdvamedDx Industry Forum for the global commitment to developing diagnostic tests to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR). He has been an invited speaker at many public forums such as at the Institute of Medicine, Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), and Parenteral Drug Association (PDA). He was a key member of an FDA/PDA task force involved in defining the future of viral screening for cell substrates. Dr. Sampath most recently served for a 3-year term as a member of the Diagnostics Committee for IDSA. His research interests include sepsis, antimicrobial strategy development, pathogen discovery, fevers of unknown origin, tropical diseases, epidemiological surveillance, and biothreat detection.
Job Titles:
- Healthcare Consultant and Principal Consultant of Cayo Health Consulting
Sandy Cayo, DNP, FNP-BC, PhD is a board certified family nurse practitioner with over 15 years of healthcare experience and expertise. Dr. Cayo specializes in the areas of clinical, academic, and executive leadership. As a practicing clinician, she cares for patients across the care continuum from pediatric to geriatric patients. Her specialties include oncology, pediatrics, obstetrics, primary care, and urgent care. She has owned and operated her own telemedicine practice and enjoys providing holistic modalities of care and wellness for her patients.
As a nursing professor, Dr. Cayo has taught bachelors, masters, and doctoral level courses. She specializes in curricular/course design, National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) advising, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) coaching and advising, and student centered innovation in the classroom. While a Vice President of Clinical Performance, Dr. Cayo demonstrated her leadership, project management, quality improvement, and advocacy abilities. She has managed research programs in the areas of infection control education, chronic disease management, and social determinants of health including consumer health coverage and health disparities research. Her independent research focuses on the impact of psychosocial factors like discrimination and stress and its impact on chronic disease in African American patients.
Dr. Cayo has successfully managed a patient safety organization and coordinated statewide education and planning for continuing education for nurses, physicians, pharmacists, public health professionals, and health care administrators. She has led statewide efforts related to nursing workforce and wellbeing.
Currently, Dr. Cayo is an active healthcare consultant and Principal Consultant of Cayo Health Consulting. Dr. Cayo says being a wife and mother of four is one of her proudest accomplishments. She currently lives in central New Jersey.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- Clinical Advisor
- Member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses
Sara Follin McMannus, MBA, BSN, RN has been a nurse for 40 years. She earned her BSN from The University of Iowa and went on to earn a MBA from the University of Phoenix. In the course of her career, she has worked as a staff and charge nurse working in critical care. In addition, she has worked in staff development and the post anesthesia recovery unit. For the past 17 years, Sara has been the Clinical Program Manager for GE Healthcare. Her recent work in the field of education has been devoted to development of clinical education programs and new educational tools to help promote clinical excellence.
Sara has been a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) since 1985 and a member of the Greater Long Beach Orange County (GLBOC) chapter serving on the Board of Directors for many years. She is also a member of Sigma Theta Tau. Sara was on the Board of Directors for Bare Root, Inc., which formed to build the Nurses Float for the 2013 Tournament of Roses Parade. The float was designed and built to honor and celebrate nurses. Sara serves on the Board of Directors for the MCN Foundation, which helps to empower communities to take control of their health implementing projects to learn and then share evidence-based knowledge with others to increase and promote healthcare based education, empowerment and job creation in rural and developing regions.
Sara is passionate about the importance of clinical knowledge, life-long learning, and helping others. When she first heard about Sepsis Alliance, she realized the importance of the organization to educate healthcare professionals and the community about sepsis. Working with the organization, she helps spread the word throughout her professional and personal life.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- Vice President, Development and Operations
Savannah began her work with Sepsis Alliance in 2013. She has helped the organization to become the leading sepsis organization in the US and is passionate about improving sepsis awareness, care, and outcomes. Savannah has developed and implemented many Sepsis Alliance initiatives, including the fundraising and events program, data management processes, and what is now the Sepsis Alliance Clinical Community. Her key roles currently include leading the Marketing and Communications, Development, and Operations teams.
Upon receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Cincinnati in 2012, Savannah moved to San Diego to further her career. Outside of the office you can find her exploring the unique neighborhoods of San Diego, spending time with her family, and convincing anyone who will listen that Cincinnati should be on their "cities to visit" list.
Since 2002, Scott Alling has been the Founder and CEO of various companies in the food and beverage industry. Current holdings include an Event Space and Nightclub, a Karaoke Lounge and Several Restaurants. He is also a founder of Convivium Catering, a boutique catering company representing venues and clients throughout New York City. He is also founder of SJA Consulting, a company that offers consultation services ranging from Model and Brand Development to Construction and Operational Consulting in the food and beverage industry.
As former Executive Vice President and Senior Partner at one of the largest privately owned engineering and construction firms in New Jersey, Scott led the firm from a niche market contractor with revenues of $12M in 1987 to a nationally known industrial contractor with revenues in excess of $100M. As entrepreneur, Scott has helped launch and finance several successful businesses including a chain of New Jersey Day Care/Child Development Centers and is currently a partner and owner in several commercial real estate ventures. Scott is active in ground level local New York City politics and is an appointed member of Manhattan Community Board 5. Scott is an active member of several charitable organizations in which he consults on organizational development and community outreach and participates often in fund raising initiatives. Scott possesses strong skills in business strategy, organizational development, corporate structuring and financial planning and has created many strategic alliances to support his efforts. Scott possesses a BSME from NJIT.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- Research Associate
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- ASPR Project Supervisor
Shion joined Sepsis Alliance in November 2021 bringing over a decade of public policy, regulatory affairs, government relations, and coalition building experience to the organization. He is incredibly excited to join the Sepsis Alliance team and help advance the mission of saving lives and reducing suffering by improving sepsis awareness and care.
Prior to joining Sepsis Alliance, Shion was with the National Community Pharmacists Association where he worked primarily on responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency. He also previously worked with the Infectious Diseases Society of America, where his portfolio included a wide range of issues including antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic product development, biomedical workforce issues, immunizations and vaccines, and pandemic preparedness and response.
Shion graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a B.A. in History, after which he earned an MPA from Virginia Tech's Center for Public Administration and Policy as well as an MSPH with a concentration in global health from Southern New Hampshire University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- Senior Research & Grants Manager
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
Steven Q. Simpson, MD is Professor of Medicine at the University of Kansas in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, where he previously served as Division Director, Director of three ICUs, Chair of the Sepsis Team, and Chair of Multidisciplinary Critical Care. He has done research in all areas of severe sepsis from molecular and cellular mechanisms, to translational studies, to quality improvement studies.
He was a founder, in 2005, of the Midwest Critical Care Collaborative, a multidisciplinary and interprofessional collaborative effort to improve the quality of critical care services throughout the Midwest. In 2007, he initiated the Kansas Sepsis Project, a statewide program to improve severe sepsis care and outcomes throughout the state via continuing education both in sepsis and in quality improvement principles, and via inter-professional collaboration. He is currently heading a BCBS-sponsored sepsis collaborative among Kansas City metro area hospitals and is a contributing faculty member of the ongoing Surviving Sepsis Campaign collaboratives, leading the effort in the Midwest. He is a participant in the 2016 review and update of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines.
Dr. Simpson was the North American co-chair of the International Single Day Point Prevalence Study for Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock (IMPRESS) in the fall of 2013. During his tenure at the University of New Mexico, he contributed to the discovery of a particular form of sepsis, the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, and published numerous papers on the clinical description, the hemodynamic description, and the approach to supportive care for patients with the syndrome, including extracorporeal hemodynamic and oxygenation support.
Dr. Simpson received his M.D. degree from the University of Kansas in 1983. He completed residency training in Internal Medicine at KU in 1986 and fellowship training in Pulmonary Diseases at Rush Medical College in 1989. He has been a faculty member at Rush Medical College, the University of New Mexico, and the University of Kansas. He is a regular reviewer for the journals Critical Care Medicine and CHEST, and he reviews on an ad hoc basis for Shock, the Journal of Intensive Care, JAMA, Virology, and Antiviral Therapy. He is the author of over 70 peer reviewed and invited manuscripts, book chapters, and web-based articles and presentations.
Dr. Simpson was the Third Eli Lilly and Company Distinguished Scholar in Critical Care Medicine, sponsored by the American College of Chest Physicians and the Chest Foundation for his work in reducing geographic disparities for severe sepsis care (the Kansas Sepsis Project). In 2013 he delivered the Roger C. Bone Memorial Lecture at the annual international meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, describing the Kansas Sepsis Project. Dr. Bone was Dr. Simpson's early career mentor and was the progenitor of the criteria used throughout the world to recognize severe sepsis.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Consulting Partner at Armanino
Theresa Brown is a Consulting Partner at Armanino, LLP - the largest California-based CPA and Consulting Firm. She focuses on finding comprehensive solutions to the broad spectrum of challenges clients face around people, processes and technology. She led the firm's Microsoft Dynamics GP technology practice, then created and led the firm's first Client Management Team.
She has more than 25 years of experience in management consulting and accounting leadership roles. Prior to joining Armanino, she was the Controller at Peet's Coffee and Tea, Assistant Controller at Mizuno Sports and held various management roles at The San Francisco Music Box Company.
She has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, including managing Armanino's strategic acquisition and successful integration of Rose Business Solutions, which expanded the firm's national Dynamics GP practice. She is a Microsoft Dynamics GP Certified Master and Microsoft Dynamics Certified Trainer.
Theresa is a long-time member, scholarship chair, and past president and treasurer of the East Bay Chapter of the Accounting and Financial Women's Alliance (AFWA). She also participated in building Armanino's Women's Advancement Network, which seeks to lessen the gender gap in leadership positions within the firm.
Sepsis took her mother-in-law suddenly in 2019, prompting her desire to learn more. She was introduced to the Sepsis Alliance and her passion is to educate others, in particular the growing number of in-home care-givers.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Member of the Sepsis Alliance Team
- President