Respiratory Care program well represented at national and international meetings
Faculty from the Division of Respiratory Care were well represented at the 68th American Association of Respiratory Care (AARC) International Congress in New Orleans in November.
Professor Ruben Restrepo, MD, RRT, FAARC, FCCP, Assistant Professor/Research Rain O. Rueda, MD, MS, RRT, RRT-NPS, and recent program graduates Mohanad Hasona, Kamy Walck and Morgan Newton presented a combined total of eight research posters on topics including mechanical ventilation in the ICU, COVID-19 burnout among health care workers, ventilator alarms, the safety of vaping compared to smoking cigarettes, alternative medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic and lung ultrasound in the ER and ICU.
Restrepo was one of two AARC attendees selected to teach faculty from around the world during the launch of the Foundations of Respiratory Care Course, a global initiative supported by the American Respiratory Care Foundation. Restrepo also participated on the International Council for Respiratory Care as Governor at Large and on the Latin American Board for Respiratory Care.
Also at AARC:
- Second-year Master of Science in Respiratory Care student Alex Bui was one of three Texas students selected to attend the AARC House of Delegates as part of the HOD Student Mentoring Program. “I wanted to attend the AARC HOD to gain more knowledge about my career in regards to policies, principles, and leadership in the respiratory care field,” Bui said. “It was a great opportunity to learn about the future prospects of my career.”
- Alumna Elisabeth Caldwell was elected as Adult Acute Care Section Chair. Caldwell, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care from UT Health San Antonio in 2012, is director of clinical education and a faculty instructor at St. Philip’s College.
Two faculty inducted as American College of Chest Physicians fellows
Two members of the Division of Respiratory Care faculty were officially inducted as fellows of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) in October at the organization’s national conference in Nashville, Tennessee.
Formally inducted were Respiratory Care Program Chair and Associate Professor Rick Wettstein, MMEd, RRT, FAARC, FCCP, and Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Education Kristina Ramirez, MPH, RRT, CHES, FCCP.
“These honors were awarded 2020 but because of COVID were not recognized at a live meeting until this year,” Wettstein explained.
“It is an honor to be recognized as a leader in CHEST and in my profession,” Ramirez said.
Also at the CHEST meeting, Assistant Professor Megan Carreon, MHA, RRT, and Assistant Professor Thomas Stokes, MEd, RRT, taught mechanical ventilation to fellows and physicians in the simulation center and two faculty, and Wettstein and Ramirez served in leadership roles and attended business meetings.
