Autumn in Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park 2024 Encore Symposium

Kimberly Westra, CRNA, DNP, MSN, APRN, MBAc

Kimberly Westra CRNA, MS, DNP, is a certified registered nurse anesthetist with 21 years of experience and a faculty member of the University of Pennsylvania. She began her career in Baltimore, Maryland with experience as a critical care nurse at Johns Hopkins University. Kimberly is the Chief Nurse Anesthetist at Tidal Health Regional Medical Center in Maryland. Kimberly is the clinical site coordinator at Tidal Health, Johns Hopkins Nurse Anesthesia, University of Maryland Nurse Anesthesia, and Old Dominion University.

Dr. Westra is a doctoral graduate of Chatham University and is an MBA candidate in Healthcare Finance and Administration at Patten University. She is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau honor society at Chatham and serves in the mentoring program for advanced practice nurses.

Mrs. Westra’s extensive clinical experience includes her role as an RNFA, CNOR, and CPAN. She specializes in difficult airway program development within healthcare networks. Dr. Westra is a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania Nurse Anesthesia Program. Kimberly teaches both didactic and hands-on simulation labs to the interdisciplinary team.

Westra is a dynamic and energetic speaker who engages audiences with lively discussions on numerous topics such as CPC Exam Review, Cardiac Anesthesia, Pediatrics, and a variety of anesthesia core concepts. Kimberly speaks locally and nationally on anesthesia clinical topics and healthcare business management.

William Howie, DNP, CRNA

Dr. Howie has an extensive background in nursing and nurse anesthesia. Dr. Howie holds Master of Science degrees in both Emergency Health Care Administration and Nurse Anesthesia and completed his doctorate degree in 2010 from The John's Hopkins University. Since 1995, he has been a CRNA at the University of Maryland Medical Center/Shock Trauma Center UMMC, in Baltimore, MD. Duties at the Trauma Center include the provision of anesthetic services to victims of acute trauma. Secondary duties performed by Howie include the provision of monthly educational lectures to newly assigned SRNAs and to function as a member of the Anesthesia Departments Quality Assurance Committee. Most recently, he has assumed a part-time position as a faculty member in the DNP Program, Nurse Anesthesia Track at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.

In addition to his practice as a nurse anesthetist, Dr. Howie is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Academy of Health Sciences for the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Dr. Howie also holds academic positions at the University of MD, School of Nursing. He has retired from the military as Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve after 25 years of service. He was called to active-duty multiple times throughout his reserve career.

Dr. Howie has published numerous articles in a variety of peer-reviewed journals.

Jon Lowrance, MSN, CRNA

Website: https://anesthesiaguidebook.com/

Jon Lowrance, MSN, CRNA is the chief CRNA at Maine Medical Center, Maine’s only level one trauma center. He also produces the podcast Anesthesia Guidebook… the go-to guide for anesthesia providers who want to master their craft.

Jon's career began with experiential education and wilderness medicine. He worked as faculty at Landmark Learning and NOLS Wilderness Medicine. He completed his BSN at Saint Louis University and his Master of Science in anesthesiology at Western Carolina University.

He has served as clinical & simulation faculty with the University of New England’s nurse anesthesia program, the SRNA Clinical Coordinator at MMC and on MMC’s Medical Executive Committee. He currently serves on the Maine Association of Nurse Anesthesiology’s board of directors and is working towards a PhD in organizational leadership. His research is focused on how leadership, human factors and systems engineering can improve outcomes in perioperative emergencies. Jon’s passion is helping healthcare providers thrive on the path towards mastering their craft.

Patricia McMullen, Ph.D., JD, CRNP, FAANP, FAAN

Website: https://nursing.catholic.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-profiles/mcmullen-patricia/index.html

Dean Emerita & Ordinary Professor, Conway School of Nursing The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC

Dr. McMullen practices as an educator, women’s health nurse practitioner, and as an attorney. She holds BSN and MS degrees from the University of Maryland School of Nursing and then went on to complete a Juris Doctor at the University of Baltimore School of Law and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in nursing at The Catholic University of America. Dr. McMullen has held faculty positions at several universities and has worked clinically at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Baltimore City Health Department, and in private practice. She has been selected as a Distinguished Practitioner by the American Academies of Practice, a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. she has presented numerous workshops on legal issues in nurse practitioner practice. She is also the author of a number of research and practice-based articles and texts.

Dr. McMullen has held prior faculty positions at both the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Graduate School of Nursing and the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She has worked clinically at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Baltimore City Health Department, and Anne Arundel Medical Center. Over the course of her career, she has combined her interests in nursing and the law by authoring a variety of book chapters and articles dealing with legal issues in nursing. A member of the Maryland Bar Association, she has served on both plaintiff and defense malpractice cases.

During off-hours, Patricia McMullen enjoys tennis, biking, and family time.