Keynote Speaker: Cherylee W.J. Chang, MD, FACP, FNCS, FCCM

Dr. Chang is the Division Chief of Neurocritical Care (NCC) and a Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Medicine at Duke University. She is the President-Elect of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), served as SCCM’s treasurer, and was an Associate Editor for one of SCCM’s official journals, Critical Care Medicine. Her career has been dedicated to creating pathways for certification of individuals and accreditation of fellowship training programs in NCC. She was a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine’s Critical Care Medicine Approval Committee and is the ABIM’s representative to the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology’s NCC Examination Writing Committee. Dr. Chang was the third president of the Neurocritical Care Society from 2007 to 2009 and recently served as a liaison to the NCC Accreditation Committee of the Committee on Advanced Subspecialty Training for the Society of Neurological Surgeons. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University and her medical degree at the University of California, San Diego. She completed residencies in neurology at Stanford University Medical Center and internal medicine at UC San Diego, and joint fellowships in critical care medicine and neurocritical care at the University of Virginia. She is board certified in neurology, critical care medicine and neurocritical care.

Bryan Romito, MD, MBA

Dr. Bryan Romito is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in anesthesiology and critical care medicine. Dr. Romito earned his medical degree at The George Washington University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in anesthesiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center followed by critical care medicine fellowship at UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Romito conducts research in adaptive learning techniques and sleep-promoting interventions, and he serves as program director for the critical care medicine fellowship at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Christopher Deonarine, PA-C, MSPAS

Christopher Deonarine is a board-certified Physician Assistant and the Lead Advanced Practice Provider at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where he has served for the past nine years. He works primarily in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, where he provides expert care for some of the institution’s most complex and critically ill patients. Christopher began his career in healthcare as a paramedic, later transitioning into emergency medicine before ultimately finding his professional home in cardiovascular critical care. He is a graduate of the prestigious Physician Assistant program at Rush University, where he was inducted into the Phi Alpha National Honor Society and recognized with the Clinical Excellence Award for his outstanding performance. A committed clinician, leader, and mentor, Christopher continues to elevate the practice of advanced practice providers at UT Southwestern while advocating for high standards of care and team-based collaboration in critical care settings.

Kathlyn Wilson, DPT

Kathlyn Wilson is a Faculty Associate and Director of the Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy Residency Program at the School of Health Professions. She graduated from UT Southwestern’s School of Physical Therapy in 2016 and was the University’s inaugural Cardiovascular and Pulmonary resident in 2018. She is a Board Certified in Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Clinical specialist. She devotes her clinical time providing care in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at William Clements University Hospital, where she developed innovative protocols for the rehabilitation of mechanical circulatory support patients. She teaches undergraduate and post-graduate physical therapy trainees at the School of Health Professions.

Mohammad Mogri, MD

Dr. Mogri graduated from med school in 2004 completed by residency and fellowship at SUNY – Buffalo in 2012. He currently works as a consultant in pulmonary and critical care at Baylor University Medical Center Special interest in Pulmonary Hypertension, Pulmonary embolism and CTEPH.

Britton Blough, MD

Britton Blough is the Medical Director of the Cardiovascular/ Transplant ICU and Associate Program Director for ECMO at Baylor University Medical Center.

Kathleen Kusey, PharmD, BCPS

Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Kathleen Kusey received her Bachelor of Science in 2012 and Doctor of Pharmacy in 2016 from the University of Texas at Austin. She completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Kathleen worked at UTSW Clements University Hospital for five years, focusing on solid organ transplant, critical care, and emergency medicine, before transitioning to Baylor University Medical Center as a lung transplant clinical pharmacist.

Joy Chen, MD, FASA, FCCM

Joy Lo Chen, MD, FASA, FCCM, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. She completed her medical school, residency, and critical care fellowship training at UT Southwestern and currently serves as co-medical director of both the Surgical ICU and the Thoracic ICU at the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Chen’s clinical and academic interests include trauma anesthesia, anesthesia for patients with obesity and bariatric surgery, quality improvement in the ICU, leadership development, and mentorship. She is actively involved in organized medicine and healthcare advocacy and serves on multiple national committees within the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), and the Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists (SOCCA), where she is the Co-chair of the Women in Critical Care Committee. She is also an Oral Board Examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology. In recognition of her commitment to education and clinical excellence, Dr. Chen was honored with the Dennis F. Landers, M.D., Ph.D. Faculty of the Year Teaching Award in 2020 and has been a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society since 2010. She serves as a mentor to residents at her institution and nationally through the ASA Mentorship Committee, with a focus on cultivating leadership, resilience, and professional identity among early-career physicians. Dr. Chen has published original research manuscripts and narrative reviews, and speaks nationally and internationally on topics including trauma and obesity-related anesthesia, ICU quality improvement, post-ICU survivorship, mentorship in academic medicine, and imposter syndrome among healthcare professionals. She is passionate about advancing equity, education, and leadership development in critical care anesthesiology and is committed to empowering the next generation of physicians through mentorship, advocacy, and collaboration.

Parsia Vagefi, MD, FACS

Parsia Vagefi, M.D., Professor and Executive Vice Chair of Strategy and Finance in UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Department of Surgery, serves as the Chief of the Division of Surgical Transplantation as well as Executive Clinical Director, Solid Organ Transplant service line. A specialist in liver transplant and complex hepatobiliary surgery, Dr. Vagefi holds an undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University. He earned his medical degree at Yale School of Medicine and completed a Howard Hughes Medical Institute fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Vagefi performed his residency in general surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and then completed a fellowship in abdominal transplant at the University of California, San Francisco, before returning to Harvard as a staff surgeon with increasingly higher levels of responsibility. He joined the UT Southwestern faculty in January 2018, helping lead the abdominal transplant program to achieve ~200% growth since that time. Dr. Vagefi is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of several other professional organizations, including the Society of University Surgeons, Halsted Society, Society of Clinical Surgeons, and the American Surgical Association.

Scott Bennett, MS

Scott Bennett is the Associate Vice President for Solid Organ Transplants at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He previously served as Administrative Director of the program. Under his leadership, UT Southwestern’s transplant program grew 60%, achieving market leadership in North Texas for five consecutive years.

Razaq Badamosi, MD, FCCP

Dr. Badamosi is Vice President of Quality/Chief Quality Officer at JPS Health Network. He leads transformative quality initiatives that enhance patient outcomes, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance. He has strong expertise in n critical care, pulmonary medicine, and academic leadership with a proven track record of driving healthcare excellence in complex environments.

Meera Viswanathan, PA-C

Meera Viswanathan, M.P.A.S., is a board certified physician assistant (PA) in the Division of Neurocritical Care at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She received her Master in Physician Assistant Studies from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in 2012, and her Bachelor of Science in Human Development from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. She started her career in outpatient neurology in 2012 before transitioning to neurocritical care at UTSW in December 2015.

Justin Costello, DO

Dr. Costello is a neuroradiologist and Assistant Instructor in the Department of Radiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Jennifer Roth, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP

Jennifer obtained her Doctorate of Pharmacy degree at the University of Missouri – Kansas City, followed by completion of a pharmacy practice residency at St. Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City. She currently practices as a clinical pharmacy specialist in the Neuroscience and Surgical/Trauma ICUs at Parkland Health. Jennifer’s areas of clinical interest include traumatic brain injury, pain management, anticoagulation reversal, and status epilepticus.

Katherine Doane, MD

Dr. Doane is a board-certified pediatric intensivist who completed additional training in extracorporeal life support therapies. She serves as an attending physician in all cohorts of the pediatric intensive care unit and spends additional clinical time on the ECMO service.

Samir Pandya, MD

Samir Pandya, M.D., is a Professor in the Department of Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in pediatric general and thoracic surgery with an emphasis on minimally invasive techniques. Dr. Pandya earned his medical degree at the Medical College of Virginia. He completed a residency in general surgery at New York Medical College and fellowship training in pediatric surgery at Emory University. Certified by the American Board of Surgery in adult and pediatric surgery, he joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2017. A pediatric general and thoracic surgeon at Children’s Health, Dr. Pandya works to enhance the minimally invasive pediatric surgery program with an emphasis on performing surgery of all levels of complexity with the smallest number and size of incisions as possible. His expertise is recognized around the world, and he has taught these techniques to surgeons in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Dr. Pandya is Director of Clinical Research and Associate Program Director for the Pediatric Surgery Fellowship Program. He also serves as Chair of the Program Evaluation Committee for the Pediatric Surgery Fellowship. He’s on the editorial board of the Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques and is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American College of Surgeons and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. He serves on the executive board of International Pediatric Endosurgery Group. Dr. Pandya was named a Top Doctor by D Magazine in 2020 and has received institutional recognition for his clinical work. He has published numerous academic articles and book chapters.

Ethan Sanford, MD

Dr. Ethan Sanford is an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Pediatric Critical Care at the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center. His research includes perioperative outcomes research in pediatric anesthesiology and racial disparities in pediatric acute care.

Laura Hatton, JD, RN, BSN, CCRN

Laura Hatton is an ECMO specialist and the ECMO Team Leader at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas.

Sirine Baltagi, MD

Dr. Sirine Baltagi has been practicing pediatric cardiac critical care for the past 14 years. She is affiliated with Children’s Medical Center Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Baltagi’s education includes degrees from the American University of Beirut, a pediatrics residency at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital, and fellowships at the University of Pittsburgh and Boston Children’s Hospital. Her clinical interests include heart failure management, critical illness coagulopathy, transfusion medicine, and extra-corporeal support. Her research interests reside in advanced cardiac support therapies, transfusion medicine, critical illness coagulopathy, pulmonary embolism and anticoagulation and has published multiple papers related to those topics. Dr. Baltagi has written multiple guidelines for anticoagulation at the Heart Center at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. Dr. Baltagi has been heading multiple studies for patients on extra corporeal support. She is currently the PI for the Trial to Reduce Off-Label use of ECMO in Youth (TROLLEY) and Trial of Indication-Based Transfusion of Red Blood Cells in ECMO (TITRE- NCT05405426).

Vaidehi Kaza, MD, MPH

After receiving her medical degree from Osmania Medical College, Dr. Kaza continued her training in Internal Medicine and later pursued fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine/lung transplantation. After fellowship she started her career initially at Henry Ford Hospital and later moved to UT Southwestern Medical Center. Here she was involved in growing the program and maintaining reputable standards. Dr. Kaza is currently the medical director of the lung transplant program and involved in leading cutting edge technology as well as excellence in clinical care.

John Murala, MD, MBA

John S. K. Murala, M.D., M.B.A. is an Associate professor in the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in adult congenital heart surgery, therapies for advanced heart and lung failure, heart and lung transplantation, ECMO and Ex Vivo lung perfusion (EVLP). Dr. Murala earned his medical degree at Christian Medical College in Vellore, India. He completed general surgery residency from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh and cardiothoracic and vascular surgery residency from All India Institute of Medical sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, India. He further received advanced fellowship training in congenital heart surgery in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in US. He worked as attending cardiac surgeon in Hyderabad, India and Abu Dhabi in UAE. He joined as faculty in UTSW in July 2017 where he is currently the surgical director of EVLP. His research interests include EVLP, thoracic organ preservation, large animal model research, adult congenital heart failure and heart care in Low- and Mid-Income countries. He serves as a peer reviewer for various journals. He has published over 40 scientific papers in peer reviewed journals. Dr. Murala is passionate about teaching, history of cardiac surgery, cardiac morphology, geriatric and global health. He frequently volunteers for medical missions and disaster relief. He has been a volunteer for various medical and humanitarian efforts in Papua New Guinea, India and Australia. He is proficient in four languages. His interest in global health and accessible health care for all prompted him to pursue a health care MBA from Carey Business school, Johns Hopkins and further did a certificate course in global health from Bloomberg school of public health, Johns Hopkins. He is currently helping with establishing a heart and Lung transplant program in a public university in India.

Jay Pandya, MD, MPH

Dr. Jay Pandya is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He earned his medical degree from The George Washington University, completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at SUNY Downstate in New York, and pursued a fellowship in Disaster Medicine and Global Health at UT Southwestern. Dr. Pandya leads international efforts in disaster preparedness, with a strong focus on building capacity in resource-limited health systems. His active global collaborations include cross-country initiatives in nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness, as well as international presentations on risk communication, de-escalation, and active shooter response. He has worked closely with rural hospitals in Nepal to develop disaster preparedness policies, design and implement hospital-wide response plans, and build local healthcare workforce capacity through targeted education and training—efforts tailored to already strained health systems. His global experience also includes emergency medicine training program evaluations in India, ultrasound education in Rwanda, and clinical work in refugee settlements in Lebanon. Domestically, Dr. Pandya serves on hospital and regional preparedness committees and has led institutional training on CBRN response protocols, mass decontamination, and emergency operations planning. He continues to guide the development of clinical preparedness strategies, integrating frontline staff training with system-level response frameworks.

Sunkaru Touray, MD, FACP, FCCP

Dr. Sunkaru Touray, MD, FACP, FCCP, is an American Board Certified Pulmonologist and Critical Care Physician practicing at St. Luke’s Hospital in The Woodlands, Texas. With broad clinical and leadership experience in both the United States and The Gambia, he specializes in building and leading pulmonology and critical care programs, including the development of bronchoscopy services and comprehensive critical care medicine teams. Dr. Touray is the founder of the Permian Health Lung Institute, where he launched the Clean Air Initiative—an innovative project installing a nationwide network of low-cost air sensors across The Gambia. This initiative aims to monitor and mitigate air pollution to improve respiratory health and outcomes for the Gambian population. Dedicated to healthcare equity, Dr. Touray’s vision is to establish a world-class, sustainable healthcare institute in The Gambia that combines state-of-the-art clinical services, robust medical education, and pioneering research. His educational background includes a medical degree from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology in Ghana, residency and fellowship training in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases, and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, a master’s degree in Epidemiology & Infection Biology from the University of Basel, and research training at Harvard Medical School.

Stephanie Houser, MSN, RN, CCRN-CSC, E-AEC

Stephanie is the ECMO Coordinator at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Under her leadership, the ECMO program received the Platinum level award in 2021 and Gold level award in 2025.

Carolyn Shanks, MD

Carolyn Shanks is a current second year critical care fellow in the Anesthesia Department at UT Southwestern with a special interest in medical disparities. She completed her undergraduate education at Vanderbilt, with a major in Medicine, Health, and Society. She completed medical school at UTSW and subsequently completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at UT Southwestern, serving as chief resident in charge of the academic curriculum. During residency, she formed a Women in Emergency Medicine group, which continues to meet past her graduation. She was honored with the Teaching Resident Award and the John M. Geesbright Clinical Excellence Award.

Kuroush Nezafati, MD

Dr. Nezafati is an internal medicine physician and Human Data Expert Team Lead at xAI.

Payal Gurnani, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM

Payal Gurnani completed her PharmD from Saint Louis College of Pharmacy and critical care residency at Rush University Medical Center (RUMC). She is currently a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in the Surgical Liver Intensive Care Unit at Houston Methodist Hospital. Her research interests include shock states/hemodynamics/vasopressors, sedation/analgesia/delirium, antimicrobial resistance, and pharmacokinetics/dynamics in the critically ill.

Laura M. Blackburn, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM

Dr. Blackburn graduated with her Doctor of Pharmacy from The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy. She completed her PGY1 at University of Florida Health Jacksonville and PGY2 in Critical Care at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. After residency, she began her career at HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake, a 532-bed acute care hospital, as the ICU Clinical Pharmacist and was promoted to Clinical Pharmacy Manager where she enjoyed working with a team of over 30 pharmacists to develop and expand the clinical pharmacy program. Dr. Blackburn developed the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency and served as the residency program director from 2019-2022. She is currently the Drug Information and Formulary Management Pharmacy Administrative Specialist for Houston Methodist, a nine-hospital system with a 979-bed flagship academic teaching facility, where she is continues precepting learners including P4 pharmacy interns, PGY1 pharmacy residents, and PGY2 pharmacy residents in addition to collaborating with clinical and operational leaders system-wide. Dr. Blackburn is committed to ongoing professionalism and has been active with the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) – Texas Chapter since 2015 serving in multiple positions including Programs Chair, Symposium Chair, Secretary, and 2024 president. She has been involved in SCCM’s Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology Section since 2020 and served as 2024 chair of the Practice Advancement Committee. She has the privilege of serving as an inaugural member of SCCM’s Environmental Sustainability in the ICU Task Force (Creating a Green ICU) which developed a manuscript that was published in Critical Care Medicine in conjunction with the 2025 Critical Care Congress. She looks forward to continuing collaboration with colleagues around the world to promote sustainability in healthcare.