Autumn in Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park Encore Symposium 2026

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.

Ryan Shores, DNP, CRNA

Ryan Shores, CRNA, DNP is a certified registered nurse anesthetist with 15 years of experience. Ryan is an Assistant Professor and Director of the University of North Florida Anesthesiology Nursing Program. He currently serves as a staff CRNA at multiple clinical sites in Jacksonville, Florida.

In 2002, he received his ASN from Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Florida, and after two years of RN ICU work, he attended Florida International University for which he earned his MSN in 2006. He received his DNP from the University of North Florida in 2015. He has held a faculty position at UNF for 14 years.

Dr. Shores’s DNP project focused on cost reduction utilizing low flow inhalational anesthesia. His primary topic for publications is in the area of pharmacology. He has chaired and participated in over 35 student oral and poster presentations at the AANA annual congress. He has been lecturing at state, national, and international conferences for the past twelve years.

Dr. Shores is a dynamic speaker who believes that conference attendees bring experience and knowledge to the event. His teaching style includes an emphasis on audience participation and input. His areas of focus include pharmacology, chemistry and physics, regional anesthesia, neuromuscular monitoring, and trauma.

Kimberly Westra, DNP, MSN, APRN, MBA, CRNA

Dr. Kimberly Westra has been a practicing nurse anesthetist for over 20 years in settings ranging from a level one trauma center to a rural regional medical center. Kimberly practices in diverse settings, including as a solo practitioner, team care model, and as an academic adjunct faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Mrs. Westra is the Chief Nurse Anesthetist at Bayhealth Medical Center on the Delmarva Peninsula. Kimberly is the sole proprietor of Atlantic Specialty Services, serving Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania in ambulatory settings.

Mrs. Westra is the Chairperson for the Maryland Association of Nurse Anesthetists PAC and has been an active AANA member since 1999. Kimberly enjoys working to advance the future of nurse anesthesia through education as part of the University of Pennsylvania academic team.

Kimberly Westra has worked in education and mentorship programs, working with rising stars from high school students to medical providers in training to support the future of healthcare.

Steve Wooden, DNP, CRNA, NSPM-C

Dr. Wooden is a graduate of the University Tennessee College of Nursing, The University of Nebraska Medical Center Nurse Anesthesia Program, The Kansas University Medical Center Nurse Anesthesia Masters program, and the Duke University DNP program.

Over the past 40 years, he has been managing partner in two private practice anesthesia group in central and east central Nebraska. The practices had a strong non-surgical pain management focus and provided comprehensive anesthesia services to over 26 hospital facilities in Nebraska.

Dr. Wooden is the Past President of the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA), Past Chairman of the Nebraska State Board of Health, and Past Chairman of the Nebraska Advanced Practice Nursing Board. He is also the recipient of the AANA Ira P. Gunn Award for professional advocacy (2009) and the AANA Clinical Practitioner of the Year (Alice McGaw Award) (2001), as well as a former AANA Regional Director and Treasurer.