Recognized Medical Simulation Leaders 2025

*Board-Certified Family Medicine Physician (ABFM) with 14+ years clinical experience (based in Chicago, IL) *Named Castle Connolly Top Doctor (2024, 2025) *Medical Media Commentator seen on/in ABC 7, Fox 32, CBS 2, WGN 9, The Chicago Tribune , Chicago Sun Times, and Everyday Health; including a nationwide 25 interview satellite media tour (TV & radio, November 2025) *Premedical Student Mentor, Urban Bridges Medical Mentoring Program Dr. Rene is a board-certified Family Medicine physician and Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians (FAAFP) with 14+ years of clinical experience. She provides comprehensive primary care for Medicare-eligible patients at Oak Street Health's Avalon Park location in Chicago, specializing in chronic disease management, preventive care, healthcare equity, and access for underserved communities. After overcoming 50 medical school rejections, Dr. Rene graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine and completed residency training at Ascension Saint Joseph Hospital - Chicago. She developed the L.Y.M.I.T.S. Method—a framework for transforming limitations into your greatest strengths. She mentors aspiring physicians through the Urban Bridges Medical Mentoring Program. Dr. Rene has appeared as a medical expert on ABC 7, Fox 32, CBS 2, and WGN 9 Chicago and recently completed a 25-interview national satellite media tour. She is available for expert commentary on resilience in healthcare, medical education equity, resilience and overcoming failure, healthcare access for underserved populations, and diversity in medicine.

Dr. Jay Johannigman is a Cincinnati-based trauma surgeon with over 35 years of experience in trauma and critical care. A distinguished leader in both military and civilian medicine, he has made lasting contributions to Cincinnati’s medical landscape, most notably as the former Trauma Medical Director and Chief of the Institute of Military Medicine at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. During his tenure, he helped shape one of the region’s most advanced trauma and acute care programs, strengthening Cincinnati's role as a center of excellence in emergency medicine. A Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, Dr. Johannigman has served in eight combat deployments from 2003 to 2021. His military roles have included CCAT (Critical Care Air Transport) flight surgeon, Trauma “Czar,” Deputy Commander, and Director of Clinical Services in combat hospitals. His outstanding service has been recognized with numerous military honors, including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, and Army Commendation Medal. Dr. Johannigman also played a key role in the U.S. Air Force C-STARS (Center for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills) program, helping to train medical teams in readiness and combat casualty care. He has served as Chief Medical Officer at Knight Aerospace, contributing to the design and implementation of airborne medical evacuation systems, and strengthening the ties between military innovation and civilian emergency response. Beyond his contributions on the battlefield and in the operating room, Dr. Johannigman is a passionate educator. He serves as Professor of Surgery at the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland, where he helps train future generations of military and civilian physicians. Dr. Johannigman has held leadership roles nationally as well, including State Trauma Chair and Region Chief for the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. He remains actively involved in key professional organizations, such as the American Association for Trauma and the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Lillian Liang Emlet, MD MS CHSE CPC ELI-MP FCCM is a critical care and emergency physician, professor, and certified executive coach working at the intersection of healthcare leadership, clinician wellbeing, and innovation. With more than 20 years of experience in academic medicine, she serves as Professor of Critical Care Medicine and Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and practices clinically as an intensivist at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. Dr. Emlet is the founder of Transforming Healthcare Coaching®, an executive coaching and leadership development firm supporting physicians, healthcare executives, and high-performing clinical teams in navigating complexity, stress, and organizational change. Her work is grounded in evidence-based leadership development, emotional intelligence, and the Energy Leadership Index (ELI), helping leaders strengthen decision-making, communication, and resilience in high-stakes environments. Through individual executive coaching and systemic team coaching, Dr. Emlet partners with organizations to build aligned, psychologically safe, high-trust teams capable of sustained performance and cultural transformation. Her expertise spans team dynamics, simulation-based education, and leadership under pressure—bringing a rare combination of frontline clinical credibility and strategic coaching insight. In addition to her work in healthcare leadership, Dr. Emlet is passionate about advising healthcare technology, AI, and startup teams seeking clinical expertise, market-informed perspective, and mission-aligned guidance. She supports innovators building solutions that meaningfully improve the lives of clinicians, patients, and care systems. Dr. Emlet is a proud Ambassador for the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, a member of the International Coaching Federation, and host of the Transforming Healthcare Coaching Podcast. Her guiding belief is simple: healthcare transforms when leaders are supported to thrive—and when teams are empowered to lead with clarity, courage, and purpose.

I’m passionate about redefining what modern healthcare can look like. After graduating with my Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Auckland, I wanted to combine clinical medicine with innovation, which led me to create Selfcaremen, a fast-growing men’s health platform now operating across New Zealand and Australia. My goal has always been to make preventative healthcare more accessible, engaging, and relevant for men, blending strong clinical standards with a fresh, modern approach.Alongside building Selfcaremen, I continue to invest heavily in my own training and development. I work as an Occupational Medicine Physician and RACP/AFOEM Registrar with Sonic Healthcare in Melbourne, where I’m undertaking specialist training with The Royal Australasian College of Physicians in Occupational and Environmental Medicine (2025–2029). I’ve also completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Occupational and Environmental Medicine from the University of Otago and hold a Postgraduate Certificate in Women’s Health. This background allows me to bring a practical, well-rounded perspective to healthcare, sitting at the intersection of clinical work, workplace health, and entrepreneurship.

Dr. Pouyan Golshani is an interventional radiologist and entrepreneur working at the crossroads of healthcare, technology, and finance. He founded GigHz, the hub where he builds and advises across these domains; RadReport AI, an AI-driven radiology reporting engine that turns dictation into structured, clinically-sound reports; Repit.org, a national real-estate intelligence platform exposing ZIP-level trends, rent trajectories, and investability metrics; and Guide.MD, a physician-first directory designed to fix and control online identity without the usual pain. After nearly two decades in medicine and years of hands-on investing, he’s become a go-to voice for clinicians, founders, and investors who want clear, practical explanations of med-tech innovation, AI in healthcare, real-asset strategy, and tax-efficient decision-making. His work blends clinical judgment with a grounded business lens, giving people accurate, no-nonsense insight without oversimplifying anything. He routinely advises early-stage teams, physicians, and allocators on licensing, diligence, and deal structure — with an emphasis on transparency, strong incentives, and long-term value over hype. The goal is simple: help smart people make better decisions in a system that gets more complex every year.

Dr. Pietro Emanuele Garbelli (“Dr Garbelli”) is a UK-based physician, healthcare strategist and MedTech advisor focused on assisting healthcare leaders and organisations adopt, navigate, and implement AI/robotics and healthcare automation safely, ethically and at scale. Working at the intersection of clinical practice, technology and executive decision-making, he supports boards, executive teams and MedTech leaders to turn innovation into measurable improvements in patient outcomes, workforce sustainability and operational performance. Dr Garbelli is the creator of the Healthcare Convergence Framework™ (HCF), a practical approach that helps organisations assess AI/Robotics readiness, align leadership priorities and design future-ready care pathways without disrupting frontline delivery. His work typically spans AI and robotics strategy, governance and risk management, clinical adoption and change leadership—ensuring that new technologies strengthen trust, accountability and safety in real-world conditions. As a keynote speaker and author, Dr Garbelli translates complex topics such as AI governance, clinical safety, ethics and system transformation into clear, actionable insights for senior audiences. He is the author of The Doctor’s Future and The Doctor’s Voice, and contributes thought leadership on how medicine is being reshaped by digital transformation and emerging technologies. Known for a pragmatic, clinician-led perspective, Dr Garbelli helps leaders navigate high-stakes decisions such as build-versus-buy, pilot design, evaluation and scaling across multiple sites. His mission is to purposefully transform the future of medicine—one organisation, strategy and physician at a time—with confidence.

Elizabeth Rubin, MD is a board-certified physician with advanced fellowship training in Medical Simulation, specializing in education, patient safety, and systems innovation. She currently practices at a Level I Trauma Center in Los Angeles, California, where she cares for critically ill and injured patients. She also serves on the clinical oversight team at The Embers Treatment, a drug & alcohol treatment center in Arizona. Dr. Rubin earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, followed by her medical degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach and went on to pursue a fellowship in Medical Simulation at the University of Chicago / NorthShore University HealthSystem. Her professional interests include simulation-based education, quality improvement, patient safety, and developing innovative approaches to emergency medical training. Through her work, she strives to improve both clinician performance and patient outcomes in high-stakes, time-sensitive environments.

I am a board certified neurosurgeon with Neurosurgical Associates of San Antonio focused on diseases of the blood vessels of the brain and spine including brain aneurysms, strokes, Moya Maya and others. I have growing expertise in how artificial intelligence will impact medicine. I am particularly interested, as a surgeon, in where machine sensing, robotics and AI intersect. I am an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of the Incarnate Word and enjoy mentoring medical students. I serve as site or principal investigator on a number of clinical trials in the neuroendovascular space through both Methodist Research Institute and HCA’s national Research Institute. In such I serve on the Neurovascular Research Advisory Board for HCA Healthcare, the largest healthcare system in the country.

Dr. Geny Augustine is a physician at Solace who knows firsthand how challenging the U.S. healthcare system can be for patients. Having worked with diverse patient populations throughout her career, she's seen how the system's complex nature can create unnecessary barriers to getting good care—which is exactly what drew her to Solace's mission of putting patients first. Dr. Augustine completed her medical education in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, and previously worked as a Family Medicine physician for Banner Health in Glendale, Arizona. She's passionate about improving patient care, leading quality improvement projects like her work on hypertension management in urban environments, which earned honorable mention for the SLUHN Quality Improvement Award in 2020. Fluent in English with intermediate Spanish skills, she brings both clinical expertise and cultural understanding to her patient relationships. When she's not advocating for patients, Dr. Augustine enjoys fitness, culinary arts, fine arts, travel, and volunteer work—pursuits that reflect her belief in whole-person wellness and giving back to her community.

Mr. Ivo Dukic is a leading authority on the intersection of high-volume surgical excellence and digital health transformation. As a Consultant Urological Surgeon and the Deputy Chief Clinical Information Officer (CCIO) at one of the UK’s largest NHS Trusts, he offers journalists a rare perspective that combines frontline clinical mastery with executive-level healthcare technology strategy. Key Areas of Expertise Digital Health & Informatics: Over a decade of experience as the Section Editor of the Digital Review for Urology News (since 2013). He is a specialist in the implementation of health tech within the NHS, clinical informatics, and the evolution of digital tools in specialty care. Surgical Innovation: A pioneer in minimally invasive endourology, specifically in the use of laser technology and "ultra-mini" PCNL for kidney stones. Future Tech in Healthcare: Expert commentary on emerging technologies, including Virtual Reality (VR) in clinical settings (as featured on ITV News) and the integration of advanced medical devices. Clinical Leadership: Former Educational Lead for Urology and the 2025-2026 West Midlands Urology Trainer of the Year, providing deep insights into medical education and workforce development. Media Experience Mr. Dukic is an accomplished communicator, comfortable translating complex surgical and technical data into compelling narratives for the public and the profession: Television: Featured on ITV News discussing the use of distraction VR during lithotripsy. Consumer Health: Expert contributor for BBC Good Food on dietary health and stone prevention. Trade Press: A decade-long track record of technical writing and editorial leadership regarding the "Digital Review" in urology.

Specialties: Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery

I am the Chief Medical Officer at Boomerang Health Care, a state of the art multidisciplinary specialty group offering interventional, surgical and rehabilitative care through its 25 clinics in California. I also serve as the Medical Director at Le Reve: Regen, a leader in cutting edge restorative and regenerative solutions for Spine, Orthopedics and Musculoskeletal conditions. In the academic world, I have served as a Clinical Faculty at Stanford University for more than 20 years and have established myself as a world leader in cutting edge innovative therapeutic solutions. I completed her Anesthesiology residency from Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Fellowship in Pain Medicine from the University of California, Davis. I am board certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine by American Board of Anesthesiology, in Interventional Pain by American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians and in Regenerative Medicine by American Board of Regenerative Medicine. I sit on the Editorial board of the journal, Pain Physician and serve on the board of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, Latin American Pain Society, California Society of Industrial Medicine and Surgery, California Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and Scilex (Nasdaq: SCLX). I am humbled to receive the Distinguished Service Award, Outstanding Achievement Awards and other accolades. I have devoted my entire career to the field of Interventional spine and Regenerative medicine and have contributed via several peer reviewed journal articles, visionary editorials, and book chapters. My book, “Essentials of Regenerative Medicine” is first in its right illustrating latest interventional biologic techniques for spine and musculoskeletal injuries. I have also authored several National Guidelines including the ones on Opioids, Interventional Spine Epidural procedures, Facet joints, and the first ever on the Safe and Effective use of Biologics in Lumbar spine. I have completed the first prospective, multicenter, randomized placebo controlled trial demonstrating efficacy of platelet rich plasma and bone marrow concentrate in patients with back pain related to disc injury/degeneration. I consider myself an authority on global health care trends including digital health, technology innovations and applied biologics. Let’s connect and work together to make healthcare better, faster, and more effective – www.annunavani.com.

Dr. James Lyons, M.D., is an internationally trained physician that was born in Germany. He is the son of a teacher and army veteran and was raised in Texas, but traveled extensively during his medical training. From medical rotations in French Hospital Systems, to his training in Miami at Ryder Trauma medical center and psychiatric training at TGK Prison, his depth of knowledge for those in acute crises is vast. In addition to his doctorate in medicine, Dr. Lyons also holds a Masters of Medical Sciences and coordinated research trials for schizophrenia pharmaceutical treatments in Dallas, TX. He completed his residency in Rural Michigan as a Family Medicine Physician, where he made home visits, and was rigorously trained in all aspects of medical care from delivering and caring for newborns, to end of life care. In his final year of training, he was named chief resident of this program. After 3 additional years practicing in rural east texas as a hospitalist in the acute setting, he, his wife, and their 4 children now reside back in Texas where he was raised, where his parents are retired, and where his sister works as a registered nurse in hospital leadership. Dr. Lyons continues to practice medicine in the acute setting as a hospitalist and emergency room physician in the greater Austin area. Aside from direct patient care, Dr. Lyons provides medical expertise and consulting while also being actively involved in performance improvement, infection control, and medical executive committees in the hospitals where he practices.

Dr. Fortuna is an Assistant Professor of Community and Family Medicine and Co-Founder of the Patient Innovation Lab. As an international volunteer collaborative of patients, community health workers, peer support specialists, caregivers, policymakers and payer systems, the Collaborative uses community-based participatory research to facilitate the development, evaluation, and implementation of tools to develop a workforce of lay providers with lived experience expertise to support similar others through peer support and evidence-based practices. Dr. Fortuna’s research has been funded by the National Institute for Mental Health and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). As a former Chair of the Patient Engagement National Advisory Council to PCORI, Dr. Fortuna had the opportunity to shape strategies that amplify patient voices in healthcare research, ensuring that outcomes are patient-centered and impactful. Currently, Dr. Fortuna serves on the National Advisory Board of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s Standing Committee on Primary Care and Achieving Whole Health. This role allows her to contribute to advancing comprehensive healthcare solutions that integrate physical, mental, and social health for vulnerable populations. Dr. Fortuna also serves as a Standing Committee Member of the American Psychiatric Association’s Smartphone App Advisory Panel, the World Health Organization’s Committee on Intervention Development for People with Psychosis, and the American Psychological Association’s Digital Health Panel. In these roles, she provides strategic input on evaluating, endorsing, and integrating digital health technologies into behavioral health care. Dr. Fortuna has more than 130 peer-reviewed publications co-authored with patient partners in journals such as Journal of the American Medical Association-Open Network and the Lancet. Her work has been featured in national media outlets such as Forbes, Newsweek, and Fox Business. Dr. Fortuna is a former Health and Aging Policy Fellow and an American Political Science Congressional Fellow. In her policy work, her efforts have focused on shaping primary care and technology policies that address the needs of populations who face early mortality and may not have the chance to live into older adulthood.

I serve as Group Vice President of HealthStaffingGroup, a healthcare workforce division focused on helping hospitals and healthcare organizations navigate complex staffing and leadership challenges. My work centers on workforce strategy, leadership hiring, retention, and long-term staffing stability in high-demand healthcare environments. With experience supporting healthcare systems across the country, I regularly work with executives, administrators, and clinical leaders to address issues such as nursing shortages, physician recruitment, workforce burnout, and succession planning. I’m particularly interested in how leadership decisions, operational design, and workforce planning directly influence patient outcomes and organizational resilience. Over the years, I’ve seen that staffing challenges are rarely isolated hiring problems; they are strategic issues tied to leadership development, workload design, and long-term workforce sustainability. I often speak on healthcare leadership trends, retention strategies, and the evolving talent landscape within hospitals, clinics, and specialty care environments. My perspective combines frontline workforce realities with executive-level strategy, offering insight into how healthcare organizations can build stable, high-performing teams in an increasingly complex care environment.

As I am a medical expert for Invigor Medical, a urologist, and an MD currently completing my PhD in clinical medicine, my work bridges patient care, education, and research. I serve as a teaching assistant in surgery, where I guide and support future doctors while treating patients in everyday practice. My research focuses on oncologic urology, men’s health, and hormonal health, and I actively collaborate on international studies. Through these roles, I am dedicated to advancing evidence-based medicine, improving patient outcomes, and helping shape the future of urological care.

Dr. Robert Abraham is a regenerative medicine consultant and healthcare strategy advisor with more than a decade of experience operating multi-location healthcare practices. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and Biology from the University of Central Florida before pursuing advanced training in clinical operations and regenerative-focused program development. Based in Florida, Dr. Abraham has worked with healthcare organizations throughout the Orlando region and nationwide, advising clinics on structured implementation, operational systems design, revenue forecasting, and compliance-conscious growth within regenerative medicine and wound care services. In addition to his consulting work, he serves as Chief Executive Officer of Cross Biotech, a biologics distribution company supporting providers in aligning product access with disciplined operational frameworks. His work emphasizes infrastructure-driven expansion, leadership accountability, and sustainable healthcare systems.

Dr. Martin Schreiber, M.D. is a Colonel in the United States Army Reserve and a surgeon with decades of experience in both military and civilian medicine. He is Adjunct Professor of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. During those deployments, he served as Chief of Surgery at the 31st Combat Support Hospital in Tikrit and later as Chief of Trauma at the 228th Combat Support Hospital at Shank. He also directed the Joint Theater Trauma System, where he worked to improve the way injured service members received care across combat zones. As a civilian, Dr. Schreiber built his career at Oregon Health & Science University, where he was a Professor of Surgery and Director of the Donald D. Trunkey Center for Civilian and Combat Casualty Care. His research has centered on some of the most pressing issues in critical care, including how to treat traumatic brain injury before patients reach the hospital, how to manage hemorrhagic shock, and how to develop new blood products when traditional supplies aren’t enough. His work has been funded by the Department of Defense, the NIH, and private industry. With more than 600 publications, along with leadership roles such as past Chair of the Trauma Center Association of America, Dr. Schreiber is recognized as one of the leaders in critical surgery today.

Dr. Gail Clifford is a dedicated and experienced Internal Medicine Hospitalist with a passion for both patient care and the intricate processes that keep healthcare running smoothly. Trained at St. Louis University, New York Medical College, and Carnegie Mellon University, she specializes in diagnosing and treating hospitalized adults. A Fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the Society of Hospital Medicine, she brings expertise and heart to her work. Beyond the hospital, she’s a sought-after speaker, podcaster on Single Mom MD, and a best-selling author, contributing to The Expert’s Cure and Mommy Magic: Anatomy and Sex Education for Pre-Schoolers. Whether mentoring colleagues, improving medical systems, or writing to educate and inspire, she finds joy in every aspect of her career—while always making time for her own adventures and interests.

Dr. Arun Veera is a board-certified family medicine physician with over 14 years of clinical experience. He completed his medical education in India before earning his M.D. at Case Western Reserve University, where he also completed his residency in family medicine and served as Chief Resident. In addition, he holds a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration and Leadership from Saginaw Valley State University, enhancing his expertise in clinical leadership and health systems management. Throughout his career, Dr. Veera has provided comprehensive care to patients of all ages, managing a broad spectrum of acute and chronic conditions and performing a variety of family medicine procedures. He has a particular passion for mental health and is deeply committed to integrating behavioral health into primary care. His strengths include clinical problem-solving, evaluating complex presentations, and fostering strong, trusting relationships with patients and colleagues alike. Dr. Veera has been honored with the Fawaz Susan Pediatric Care Award (2009) and Physician of the Month (2017), and his research has been published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. Beyond his clinical practice, he is actively involved in community service, volunteering with organizations such as Meals on Wheels and the American Red Cross. Outside of medicine, Dr. Veera enjoys building large LEGO sets—a hobby that reflects his creativity, precision, and love for problem-solving. Above all, he values empathy and remains dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality care to the communities he serves.