CREF Speakers
The 2022 CREF speakers include experts in the field of cardiothoracic surgery, cardiovascular anesthesia, extracorporeal perfusion, health service research and quality, critical care, and more. View the brief biographies of this year's confirmed CREF faculty below.
The Cardiothoracic Surgery Symposium is dedicated to providing quality continuing medical education for the entire cardiac OR and ICU teams. Recurring topics include the science and techniques of cardiopulmonary bypass, cardiac surgery, and extracorporeal life support (ECLS/ECMO). For regular updates about CREF speakers, faculty, abstract presenters, and more, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram.
Speakers & Faculty
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Filip De Somer PhD ECCP
Filip De Somer started his training in perfusion in Belgium in 1981. In 1988 he became chief perfusionist at the Free University of Brussels, and in 1989, he became chief perfusionist at the Ghent University Hospital, a position he still holds today. He is a European Board Certified Perfusionist (EBCP) and obtained a PhD in Medical Science at Groningen University, The Netherlands, in 2003. He has been a guest professor at Ghent University since 2008.
Dr. de Somer is member of the Institute of Biomedical Technology of Ghent University and has authored / co-authored numerous publications. He is involved in ongoing research in the domains of perfusion, tissue engineering, blood management and blood coagulation. He is part of the editorial board of several journals (JECT, Perfusion, ASAIO) and section editor for IJAO.
SPEAKER
Robert C. Groom MS CCP
Perfusionist Bob Groom serves as
Prior to that, Mr. Groom served as Director of Perfusion at Maine Medical Center.
He has authored numerous scientific papers related to cardiovascular perfusion and cardiac surgery and served on the editorial advisory board for the journal Perfusion and was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Extracorporeal Technology.
SPEAKER
Vadim Gudzenko MD
Dr. Vadim Gudzenko graduated from Odesa Medical University in Ukraine. Upon receiving his MD, he completed an anesthesiology residency at UCLA Medical Center and a critical-care fellowship at Harvard Medical School / Massachusetts General Hospital.
Currently Dr. Gudzenko serves as associate professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. At present, he serves as medical director of the adult ECMO program as well as director of the anesthesiology critical care fellowship. His clinical and research interests are focused on ICU management and outcomes of cardiac surgical and ECMO patients.
PC MEMBER & SPEAKER
Serdar Gunaydin MD PhD
Dr Gunaydin currently serves as a faculty and clinical professor in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery in Ankara City Hospital Campus, University of Health Sciences, Turkey. He is the Vice President for International Society of Minimally Invasive ECC (MiECTIS) and General Secretary of Turkish ERAS Society. He also works as the scientific board member in Giganode Foundation and Heart Team Education Association. He directs international scientific projects on clinical evaluation and biomaterial confirmation of novel cardiopulmonary bypass-related technologies based on the prevention of inflammatory response, patient blood management and ERAS.
SPEAKER
Jeffrey P. Jacobs MD FACS FACC FCCP
Dr. Jeffrey P. Jacobs, M.D., FACS, FACC, FCCP is Director of the Andrews/Daicoff Cardiovascular Program at Johns Hopkins All Children's Heart Institute and Professor of Cardiac Surgery (PAR) in the Division of Cardiac Surgery of the Department of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University. He is also Surgical Director of the Heart Transplantation Program and Director of the Extracorporeal Life Support Program at Johns Hopkins All Children's Heart Institute. Dr. Jacobs has been a cardiothoracic surgeon at All Children's Hospital since 1998.
Dr. Jacobs is Editor in Chief of Cardiology in the Young, one of the most widely read journals dedicated to patients with pediatric and congenital cardiac disease. He is Vice President of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association.
PC MEMBER & SPEAKER
Robert S. Kramer MD FACS
CO-DIRECTOR & SPEAKER
C. David Mazer MD FRCPC
CREF Co-Director Dr. Mazer is a Professor in the Departments of Anesthesia and Physiology at the University of Toronto. His research interests include cardiac physiology and perioperative blood conservation and organ protection. Dr. Mazer has co-authored 100+ peer-reviewed publications, including practice guidelines and position statements related to perioperative transfusion and hemostasis from the STS, SCVA, and the CCS. Dr. Mazer, a lead investigator in the BART trial, is the principal investigator for TRICS III, a global study of transfusion triggers in cardiac surgery.
SPEAKER
Vicki Morton DNP AGNP-BC
Vicki is a Board-Certified Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner and the Director of Clinical and Quality Outcomes at Providence Anesthesiology Associates in Charlotte, NC. She is responsible for the implementation, oversight, and expansion of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program to include 17 service lines, 10 facilities within 3 hospital systems. Additionally, she has re-structured preoperative clinics to optimize patients preoperatively as well as reduce day of surgery delays and cancellations. Vicki is on the ERAS Cardiac Society Executive Board and was named the organization’s Director of International Relationships.
SPEAKER
Lara Oyetunji MD MPH
Lara Oyetunji, MD, MPH is a cardiothoracic surgeon who specializes in the treatment of all adult general cardiac surgical diseases. She serves as the section chief of Cardiac Surgery at the Veterans Administration Puget Sound and also sees patients at the UW Medical Center – Montlake campus.
Dr. Oyetunji’s clinical interests include surgical transcatheter approaches to the management of valvular heart diseases including aortic stenosis, mitral valve disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. She has a keen interest in global surgery and seeks to develop academic partnerships toward sustainable surgical programs in low- and middle-income countries.
SPEAKER
Luc Puis ECCP
Luc Puis worked as an ICU nurse in Brussels before beginning his career as a perfusionist in 2000. Teaching and training perfusion students has since become his passion. He has also been involved in international associations, including AmSECT, both as a member of the International Consortium of Evidence-Based Perfusion and as an attendee at the annual meeting.
Mr. Puis has presented at many meetings and authored and co-authored publications in the field of perfusion and cardiac surgery. He co-chaired and helped publish the 2019 EACTS/EACTA/EBCP Guidelines on Cardiopulmonary Bypass. He also publishes the Tiny Perfusion Letter and serves as a reviewer for The Journal of Extracorporeal Technology and Perfusion Journal.
SPEAKER
Jacob Raphael MD
As an academic cardiac anesthesiologist, Dr. Raphael’s primary research interests are in topics related to cardiac anesthesia. At present, he is evaluating whether certain haptoglobin phenotypes increase the risk for development of myocardial and renal complications post coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). In recognition of the frequency and severity of these complications, as well as the multitude of patients who undergo CABG each year, Dr. Raphael aims to identify necessary associations and reduce patient mortality.
SPEAKER
Tami M. Rosenthal BS MBA CCP LP FPP
Tami Rosenthal is the Chief Perfusionist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her research interests include pediatric prime miniaturization and ventricular-assist devices. She is a practicing pediatric perfusionist and the 2022 AmSECT President Elect.
SPEAKER
Cyril J. Serrick MSc CPC CCP
Since 2011, perfusionist Cyril Serrick has served as Manager of Perfusion Services at University Health Network in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He oversees a department of 20 Perfusionists who do approximately 1600 cardiac cases, 125 lung transplants, 25 heart transplants, and 80 ECLS cases per year.
Mr. Serrick has extensive experience with minibypass equipment and techniques and other special perfusion techniques such as Ventricular Assist Devices, Xvivo perfusion systems, autotransfusion, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
SPEAKER
Jessica Spence MD PhD
Jessica Spence is a cardiac anesthesiologist and intensivist who completed a research fellowship at PHRI and a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology under the supervision of PJ Devereaux.
She is an Assistant Professor at McMaster University and the Principal Investigator of the B-Free Cluster Crossover Trial. Her research program focuses on the perioperative outcomes of cardiac surgery.
CO-DIRECTOR & SPEAKER
Alfred H. Stammers MSA PBMS CCP (emeritus)
CREF Co-Director Al Stammers serves as Vice President of Clinical Quality & Outcomes Research at SpecialtyCare, Inc. Al established and directed the Masters program in perfusion sciences at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he was an Associate Professor in the School of Allied Health Professions in the College of Medicine. Mr. Stammers has authored more than 300 publications on perfusion-related topics and is a world-renowned speaker in this area. His research interests include quality improvement, blood management, and outcomes analysis.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Jamie Dickey Ungerleider MSW PhD
Jamie Dickey Ungerleider MSW, PhD was raised in Laurel, MS. She has spent over 40 years as an educator, psychotherapist (for individuals and couples), organizational consultant and executive coach. Since 2001, she began working primarily with health care professionals. Her work in these areas have helped her to guide important changes for clients that have translated into more effective practices and more fulfilling interpersonal relationships and life experiences. She has published numerous peer reviewed articles on work-life balance, conflict management, teamwork and leadership styles.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Ross M. Ungerleider MD MBA
Ross Michael Ungerleider MD, MBA received his training at Duke University Medical Center where he remained on the faculty for 15 years, rising to the level of tenured professor in 1996. After 25 years at Duke, he took leadership roles at Oregon Health and Science University (Portland, OR), Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH), Wake Forest Baptist Health (Winston Salem, NC) and Driscoll Children’s Hospital (Corpus Christi, TX) helping to build children’s heart programs and teach leadership and teamwork at each organization.
Dr. Ungerleider is the author of over 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters as well as an editor of two major textbooks on cardiac surgery. He has been named to America’s Best Doctors, Cambridge’s Who’s Who, Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors (receiving their distinction as being among the top 1% nationally in his field), and by Good Housekeeping as one of the best pediatric cardiac surgeons in the U.S. In 2000, he was the recipient of the James Carreras International Humanitarian Award for his work performing heart surgery on children in Nicaragua.
SPEAKER
Demetri Yannopoulos MD FAHA FACC FSCAI
Dr. Yannopoulos is an Interventional Cardiologist at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and Professor of Medicine and Emergency Medicine at the University of Minnesota. As the Medical Director of the Center for Resuscitation Medicine (CRM) he has been an investigator on many cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) trials and presides at the board of the Minnesota Mobile Resuscitation Consortium, which consists of all MN EMS directors. Dr. Yannopoulos has organized a shared ECPR program for four large healthcare systems that allows for a rapid deployment of ECMO for refractory VF patients around the metropolitan area.
Dr. Yannopoulos also serves as the Principal Investigator of the ACCESS and ARREST NIH trials; both evaluate the effect of access to the cardiac catheterization laboratory for patients with resuscitated and refractory VF OHCA respectively on survival to hospital discharge. I have spent 18 years in the field of resuscitation and have a very active animal laboratory that evaluates methods to improve outcomes by using improved CPR interventions.