CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS

Jayesh Shah, MD, MHA

President, South Texas Wound Associates, PA;
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Family Medicine, UT
Health; Associate Professor, University of the Incarnate
Word Osteopathic School, San Antonio, Texas

SPEAKERS

Nancy Collins, PhD, RDN, LD, NWCC, FAND

Dr. Nancy Collins is a wound care certified Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) based in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is well known for her expertise in the complex relationships among malnutrition, body composition, and tissue regeneration. Dr. Collins has over 25 years of wound care experience in a variety of care settings. In addition, she has published over 100 articles in wound care journals including Wound Management and Prevention and Advances in Skin and Wound Care. She has presented nutrition topics at every major wound meeting, has written six textbook chapters on wound care nutrition, and has served on multiple advisory boards. Currently Dr. Collins is the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics (AND) representative to the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders, a board member of the American Professional Wound Care Association, and a member of the Malnutrition in the Elderly workgroup for the AND Evidence Analysis Library. Because of her expertise in wound healing, Dr. Collins is often retained as medicolegal expert. She has consulted on over 500 medical malpractice and wrongful death suits. Dr. Collins received her doctoral degree from Florida International University in Miami. She is credentialed as an RDN by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. She has been awarded Fellow status by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics signifying her advanced level of practice. In addition, she maintains a specialty certification in nutrition and wound care.

Janice Colwell, RN, MS, CWOCN, FAAN

Ms. Jan Colwell is an advanced practice nurse at the University of Chicago Medicine where she has practiced for 40 years in wound and ostomy care nursing. She is the lead WOC APRN in the outpatient ostomy clinic where she directs and provides care to patients with ostomies and wounds. She is a past president of the Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN), as well as Friends of Ostomates Worldwide USA. She has contributed to the area of ostomy care in the following ways: ostomy section co-editor of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing, co-editor of the WOCN Ostomy Core Curriculum text books, author of numerous ostomy-related articles and book chapters, lead researcher on several ostomy-related research projects, and preceptor for graduate students and WOCN educational program students.

Michael N. Desvigne, MD, FACS, CWS, FACCWS

Dr. Michael Desvigne (pronounced “deveen”) is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon serving as Director of Wound Reconstruction at Valley Wound Care Specialists in Glendale, Arizona. Originally from New York, he has traveled the globe. He served 12 years in the United States Air Force as a medical student, flight surgeon, and general surgeon. As a general surgery resident he was first introduced to wound care and did a research fellowship in wound care and hyperbaric medicine. He completed his plastic surgery training at the University of Texas San Antonio. He is board certified in general surgery, plastic surgery, hyperbaric medicine, and wound care. Previously, he served as Director of Plastic Surgery at the CORE Institute focusing on orthopedic reconstruction. Additionally, Dr. Desvigne has served as medical director of several outpatient wound facilities and acute inpatient facilities, as well as initiating wound programs for multiple long-term acute care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and rehabilitation centers. Dr. Desvigne has served as a Consultant of Plastic Surgery and Wound Care at The Cancer Treatment Center of America, in Goodyear, Arizona, as well as Medical Director of Integra Home Medical Doctors directing postsurgical wound care in the home setting. His focus is on the continuum of care and optimizing management from the acute to post-acute setting. In 2017, Dr. Desvigne joined Valley Wound Care Specialists and created a new model of care with a focus on providing wound reconstruction in the office setting and minimizing the need for acute hospitalization, termed Out-Patient Wound Reconstruction (OWR).

Luis G. Fernández, MD, KHS, KCOEG, FACS, FASAS, FCCP, FCCM, FICS

Dr. Luis Fernández is a Professor of Surgery at the University of Texas (UT) Health Science Center-Tyler. He serves as a trauma surgeon and Medical Director of Trauma Wound Care, UT Health-Tyler. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons National Committee on Trauma. Dr. Scott Norwood and Dr. Fernández co-founded both trauma programs in Tyler, Texas. Dr. Fernández served as Director of Trauma Surgery and Trauma Surgeon-in-Chief at Trinity Mother Frances Health (MFH) System, Tyler, Texas, Chairman of the Division of Trauma Surgery/Surgical Critical Care, Chairman Emeritus of the Division of Trauma/Acute Care Surgery, Associate Medical Trauma Director, Chief Flight Surgeon, and Chief of Trauma/SICU at CHRISTUS MFH from 1993 to 2019. He is Board Certified in general surgery/surgical critical care, forensic traumatology, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Fernández served as Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery and Family Practice at the UT Health Science Center-Tyler from 1983 to 2019. He is an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Nursing and Medicine at UT Arlington School of Nursing, an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Medical Education at the University of North Texas (UNT) Health Science Center, Fort Worth, an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies in the School of Health Professions at UNT, Fort Worth, and has been an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois in Chicago. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, among many other organizations, is well published in peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, and has made numerous presentations at national and international conferences. Dr. Fernández is a highly decorated Texas Medical Ranger, a retired Brigadier General in the Texas State Guard (TXSG), and Commander of the TXSG Medical Brigade from 2009 to 2014. He serves as Vice Chairman of the State Guard Association of the United States Medical Academy and is Commander Emeritus of the Texas Commandery of the Military Order of Foreign Wars.

Kathleen Francis, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, CWOCN

Dr. Kathleen Francis has been a registered nurse for over 30 years with a variety of experiences, including acute care, perioperative care, critical care, long-term care, home health care nursing, and wound ostomy continence nursing. She has been a board-certified Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse (WOCN) since 2008, and she has presented at various conferences and has numerous poster and journal publications. She is currently employed at NYU Langone Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York as an NP in the Wound Ostomy Service. She completed her DNP project, Differentiating Incontinence Associated Dermatitis vs. Pressure Ulcers in Patients with Dark Skin Tones, in 2016. She is active in the Wound Ostomy Continence Nursing Society, by having served on numerous committees, as well as on the NYC Metro WOCN board since 2008.

Maria S. Goddard, MD, CWS, FAPWCA

Dr. Maria Goddard is a board-certified wound care specialist in the Midwest. She received training in general surgery at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and completed fellowship training in burn surgery at both the University of Tennessee-Memphis and the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. She is board certified in wound care by both the American Board of Wound Management and the American Board of Wound Healing. She is an instructor for Advanced Burn Life Support and a member of the Global Health Committee of the American Burn Association. Dr. Goddard also currently serves on both the Communication and Education Steering Committees of the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care. In 2021, she joined the WoundSource Editorial Advisory Board. She has practiced in multiple settings, including long-term care, and her wide training, research, and clinical experiences provide a unique perspective of wound management. Her mission is to bridge the gaps that exist between care settings related to differences in regulations and resource availability. Her interests include burn care, geriatrics, global health, telemedicine, and education.

Paul J. Kim, DPM, MS, FACFAS

Dr. Paul J. Kim is the Medical Director of the Wound Program at University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, Texas. He has the rank of Professor in the Departments of Plastic Surgery and Orthopedic Surgery. He is also a fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Dr. Kim received his bachelor of arts degree, magna cum laude, in psychology and biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1995 and his doctor of podiatric medicine degree from the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine in 2002 with multiple honors. Dr. Kim completed a surgical foot and ankle residency program in 2005 from Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia. He also received a master of science degree in clinical research management from Arizona State University in 2012. Dr. Kim has received both intramural and extramural research grants in the areas of wound care, diabetic limb salvage, and tendon pathology. He has chaired multiple committees related to research and evidence-based medicine and the diabetic limb for various national and international organizations. Dr. Kim is also a national and international speaker and has written over 175 basic science publications, clinical manuscripts, and book chapters on various topics in foot and ankle medicine and surgery with a specific interest in the diabetic Limb.

Zena Moore, MSc, PhD

Dr. Zena Moore is a registered nurse who holds a PhD, an FFNMRCSI, an MSc in wound healing and tissue repair, an MSc in leadership in education, a PGDip in wound healing and tissue repair, and a Diploma in Management. Dr. Moore is the Chair in Nursing at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) University of Medicine and Health Sciences, is Head of the School of Nursing & Midwifery and Director of the Skin Wounds and Trauma (SWaT) Research Centre at RCSI. Her area of research interest is wound healing and tissue repair, and she has published over 280 articles, guidelines, consensus documents, and book chapters in this field. She is Chair of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel International Guideline Governance Group and is also a Past President of the European Wound Management Association. She is an Adjunct Professor at the School of Nursing & Midwifery of Griffith University, Queensland, Australia, a Visiting Professor at Ulster University in Northern Ireland, an Honorary Visiting Professor at Cardiff University in Cardiff, Wales, a Professor in the Department of Public Health of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Ghent University in Ghent, Belgium, an Honorary Professor at the Lida Institute in Shanghai, China, and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Nursing of Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Becky Naughton, RN, MSN, FNP-C, WCC

Ms. Rebecca Naughton has been working in the field of nursing since she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in professional nursing in 2002 from the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. After several years of working in a busy Boston hospital as an acute care nurse, she started precepting students. This is where she got hooked on nursing education, and she enrolled in the University of Boston, where she graduated Sigma Theta Tau with her master’s degree as an Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist in 2007. She started working in nursing education in the acute, post-acute, and university settings. She wanted to combine her love of nursing education with working with patients in a clinical setting, so she returned to school and received her post-master’s certificate as a Family Nurse Practitioner in May 2015. She was able to use her background as a clinician and as an educator to start to integrate a holistic education approach in a clinical setting as a Family Nurse Practitioner. It was in September of 2015 that Rebecca found wound care. She discovered that wound care was a unique specialty, where she was able to use her background as an educator to teach her patients about their specific needs with her strong clinical background. Rebecca now works as an independent contractor in wound care and owns her own company, Blueberry Mountain Health. She is a board member of and active contributor to WoundSource and has written blog posts about wound care and regenerative medicine for various online websites. Rebecca’s goal is to bring together education and clinical skills in an engaging approach that encourages active learning with the learner. Her philosophy is that it is important to always keep learning to continue to continuously keep growing as a practitioner and as an educator. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys traveling with her family and practicing the art of bushcraft and wilderness survival.

Susan M. Scott, MSN, RN, WOC Nurse

Ms. Susan “Suzy” Scott is currently the Quality Improvement/Patient Safety Educator with the University of Tennessee College of Medicine Office of Graduate Medical Education in Memphis, Tennessee. She is the CEO of and independent consultant for Scott Triggers PLLC. She is a notable International operating room pressure injury key opinion leader, researcher, and author from the Veterans Health Administration with 35 years of federal service. She developed the Scott Triggers®, a concurrent trigger system used to identify individuals at risk for pressure injury in surgery. The Scott Triggers® is currently being utilized by multiple hospital systems in over 36 states in the United States and 10 other countries. Suzy served as a subject matter expert for the development of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses Perioperative Pressure Injury Prevention Toolkit. She was recognized by the American Academy of Nurses as an “Edge Runner” for her “Perioperative Pressure Injury Prevention Program.”

Charles P. Tilley, PhD, ANP-BC, ACHPN, CWOCN

Dr. Charles P. Tilley graduated with a master of science degree from Russell Sage College in 1993 as an Adult Nurse Practitioner/Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner from NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing in 2009, with a post-master’s certificate in wound, ostomy, and continence nursing (WOCN) from La Salle University in 2011, and with a PhD in nursing from NYU Meyers in 2022. His research interests include palliative wound care and hospice workforce development. He brings 30 years of clinical experience including critical care, oncology, and most recently community-based palliative care and acute inpatient hospice as a hospice attending, nurse scientist, and WOCN. He has acted as a palliative care consultant for local and international foundations and started a palliative care education consulting firm, International Advanced Practice Palliative Care Partners, in 2014. A nurse educator for over 27 years, Dr. Tilley has taught in both undergraduate and graduate nursing programs since 1995; he is currently the Assistant Director of Graduate Simulation at NYU Meyers.

Vijay Viswanathan, MD

Dr. Vijay Viswanathan has an MBBS degree from Stanley Medical College of the University of Madras, India, had an MD in Internal Medicine from Kasturba Medical College of the University of Mangalore, India (awarded gold medal in final MD examination), did an Advanced Postgraduate Course in Diabetes in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, and has a PhD in medicine from the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University in Chennai, India on the study of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, the Indian College of Physicians.

Stephanie Woelfel, PT, DPT, CWS

Dr. Stephanie Woelfel is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Physical Therapy and Surgery at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, California. She is the Director of Clinical Physical Therapy for Hospital Outpatient at Keck Medical Center of USC, where she treats patients with various wound diagnoses and participates in clinical research. She is also the primary physical therapist in the Southwestern Academic Limb Salvage Alliance (SALSA) of USC. Her wound care career has spanned over 20 years in both short- and long-term acute care, skilled nursing facilities, home care, and consulting. Stephanie is active in the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and is the current President of the APTA’s Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology & Wound Management. She also represents the APTA on the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel.

Peter R. Worsley, BSc, MCSP, FHEA, PhD

Dr. Peter Worsley is an Associate Professor in Health Sciences at the University of Southampton in Southhamptom, United Kingdom. He is a qualified physiotherapist with a PhD in bioengineering. He leads the Skin Health Research Group with state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and supervises student researchers and clinical academics from the United Kingdom and overseas. He has developed an international reputation in the field of medical devices and skin health and is a principal investigator on projects funded by UK Research and Innovation, the European Union, industry, and charities. His main interests are in technologies to monitor the status of skin health and the performance of medical devices such as prosthetics and orthotics. This includes physical sensing and artificial intelligence approaches developed in the laboratory and translated to a range of clinical settings (acute care, primary care, and international studies). He works closely with industry, by working to innovate medical devices and develop innovative solutions for patient monitoring and personalized care.

Thomas Zgonis, DPM, FACFAS

Dr. Thomas Zgonis is known for his work in foot and ankle reconstruction with circular external fixation. His interests include diabetic foot infections, diabetic Charcot foot and ankle reconstruction, and soft tissue coverage of the diabetic foot. Currently, he is a Professor of Orthopaedics in the Division of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery at the University of Texas (UT) Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Zgonis is the Founder and Scientific Chairman of the Annual International External Fixation Symposium in San Antonio, Texas and the Director of the Reconstructive Foot and Ankle Surgery Fellowship at UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons and is board Certified in both foot surgery and reconstructive rearfoot/ankle surgery by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery. Dr. Zgonis is an internationally recognized lecturer in the methods and application of the Ilizarov apparatus for external fixation and held the position of Scientific Officer for the Association of Diabetic Foot Surgeons. He has written numerous articles and book chapters in the field of reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. He is the textbook editor of Surgical Reconstruction of the Diabetic Foot and Ankle (second edition) and co-editor of External Fixators of the Foot and Ankle and Revisional and Reconstructive Foot and Ankle Surgery. Dr. Zgonis served as the consulting editor of the Clinics in Podiatric Medicine and Surgery and as the editor-in-chief of the open access journal Diabetic Foot and Ankle.