Darren Braude is a Professor of Emergency Medicine, EMS and Anesthesiology at the University of New Mexico. He is Medical Director and Flight Physician for Lifeguard Air Emergency Services as well as Medical Director for UNM EMS Academy, Rio Rancho Fire Rescue and Corrales Fire Department. As Co-Director of the Center for Prehospital Resuscitation he brought ECMO, cerebral oximetry and TEE to the prehospital setting. Dr. Braude is Medical Director for the Difficult Airway Course: EMS and faculty for the Difficult Airway Course: Emergency. He authored Rapid Sequence Intubation and Rapid Sequence Airway, 2nd Edition: an Airway911 Guide and is an Associate Editor for the 6th Edition of the Walls Manual of Emergency Airway Management.

Dr. Rajan is an attending physician in the pediatric ICU at University of New Mexico Hospital. She is an assistant professor of pediatrics and is board certified in both pediatrics and pediatric critical care. She is the pediatric transport liaison at UNMH and works with the Lifeguard transport team on simulation and education. Her special interests also include point of care ultrasound and neurocritical care.

Caitlin Bonney, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of New Mexico. She is board-certified in Emergency Medicine, Medical Toxicology, and Addiction Medicine

Robert L. Alunday, MD is an Emergency Physician and Neurointensivist at the University of New Mexico, where he serves as Medical Director of the Emergency Department Resuscitation Unit (EDRU), EM:Critical Care Division Chief, and Associate Professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Neurosurgery. He has a passion for improving the care of patients with neurologic emergencies across the prehospital, emergency department, and intensive care unit settings through protocol development, multidisciplinary collaboration, research, and direct patient care. As an active educator and mentor, he is known for delivering practical and engaging teaching rooted in evidence and frontline experience. Outside of medicine, you can find him riding bikes, backcountry skiing, rafting, and sometimes even smoking meats while enjoying a backyard campfire.

Trevor Quiner completed his OBGYN residency training in Phoenix, AZ before moving to Albuquerque, NM to pursue his fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at UNM. The Land of Enchantment and the wonderful team at UNM worked their magic and he joined the UNM faculty after completing fellowship in 2021. His passion is to work to decrease maternal morbidity and mortality through all the activities of academic practice—especially in his role as an educator and by improving systems for patient care. His favorite thing to do is having adventures near and far with his family—his wonderful wife and partner Emi and daughter Sophia.

Jack is an emergency medicine physician and current critical care fellow at the University of New Mexico. He was part of the inaugural EM resident flight physician program at UNM Lifeguard in 2021 and has continued to fly with Lifeguard since. His special interests include critical care education, rural & indigenous health and resuscitation.

With over 16 years of progressive nursing experience, Louis has built a career grounded in clinical excellence, critical thinking, and a deep commitment to education. His journey has taken him from floor nursing to the ICU, and for the past decade, into the dynamic and demanding world of flight nursing. Louis currently serves as a Clinical Flight Nurse and Educator with Lifeguard Air Emergency Services, where he supports both patient care and professional development for our teams. In addition to his clinical role, he has developed a focused expertise in the use of balloon tamponade devices for the management of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. He regularly provides education and hands-on training to healthcare professionals across New Mexico, aiming to improve outcomes through early intervention and confident device use. He is passionate about flight medicine, education, and advancing care for critical patients — especially in high-stakes environments where every second counts.

Sean Buehler is a recent graduate of the UNM Emergency Medicine Residency program and is currently completing an EMS Fellowship through the UNM EMS Consortium. He has also worked as a Flight Physician with Lifeguard for almost two years. In his free time, you can find him climbing or skiing around NM's beautiful peaks!

Tara Neubrand, MD is the Division Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at the University of New Mexico. She completed her medical degree at the University of Texas Medical Branch followed by a Pediatrics residency and Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellowship at the University of Colorado, where she served in the role of Director of Resuscitation at Children's Hospital Colorado. She has published extensively on pediatric resuscitation and simulation, and she currently serves on several national pediatric resuscitation committees through the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics

Dr. Elizabeth Garchar is a Norteña - a native Northern New Mexican from Santa Fe. Her parents are also from Santa Fe, and the Rodriguez (her maiden name) family crest is proudly displayed as one of the founding families with roots going back hundreds of years. Dr. Garchar is a graduate of the combined BA/MD program at the University of New Mexico. In this highly competitive program selected students are not only accepted into the university at the undergraduate level, but also accepted into the medical school as a senior in high school. Dr. Garchar is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and fellowship trained in Maternal Fetal Medicine. She has received several awards including midwife consultant of the year and has been named an outstanding medical-student teacher seven years consecutively. Dr. Garchar is passionate about mentoring students, residents, and fellows. She continues to fuel this passion as a volunteer clinical assistant professor at the University of New Mexico. She is the first medical doctor in her family which has been her goal since she was a child. Dr. Garchar is honored to continue to achieve this lifelong mission by helping pregnant people and minorities like herself. As a mother of three Dr. Garchar has a personal understanding of how life-changing pregnancy and birth can be. She enjoys caring for patients in some of the most transformational times of their lives, the unforgettable pregnancy and birth of their children. During her free time Dr. Garchar enjoys spending time with her husband, daughters, and their dog. Some of their favorite activities include running, reading, and trying new foods together.

You can find Jeni flying around the beautiful state of New Mexico and working with the neonatal specialty team at the University of New Mexico Lifeguard Air Emergency Services. She draws inspiration in her work from her twin daughters who were born at 28 weeks and spent 10 weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. This experience changed her life and her perspective on providing care to her patients and their families. Jeni is passionate about the care of neonates and you’ll often hear her tell families, “I’ll take care of your baby just like they were mine”. She has been the recipient of various awards and nominations including the UNMH Distinguished Nurse award, Guardian Angel nominee, Performance Resulting in Distinguished Excellence nominee, and AACN Critical Care Nursing Circle of Excellence Award. Jeni draws from her clinical experience within the NICU and as a mom to earn the trust of the families she cares for. She feels passionate about education and its ability to empower people and improve their confidence. When Jeni isn’t working or chatting with her sister you can find her driving her twins around Albuquerque to and from clubs, cheer, and soccer. Jeni considers herself a cookie aficionado, enjoys going on mom runs, and most importantly spending time with her family. Fun fact, Jeni hates flying. However, she loves her patients and will gladly fly wherever she is needed and is proud to care for this special population

Lindsey Hall knew that eventually her career would involve caring for the tiniest patients. Though her dream was to be a NICU nurse, she began her career in the med/surg units within the University of New Mexico. She learned more than she could have ever imagined and has some wild stories up her sleeve about the nights in the “U”. Once a position was posted in the NICU, her career path was lit and forever changed. Lindsey describes the NICU as “A place unlike any other unit in the hospital. The care is meticulous, and I love the gentle precision required to care for these patients.” Lindsey honed her skills as a bedside nurse, garnering the trust of families with her congenial and professional demeanor. After earning the trust of families and coworkers alike, Lindsey continued her passion for excellence by becoming the unit-based educator in the NICU. Lindsey’s understanding of her specialty population was expanded by becoming an NRP and STABLE instructor, allowing Lindsey to extend neonatal education beyond the confines of the NICU. Her pursuit of excellence continued after successfully earning a Master’s Degree in Nursing Education. While Lindsey prefers to be found within the NICU providing loving care to her tiny patients, Lindsey can also be found as an ECMO specialist in the NICU, PICU, and adult ICUs. Lindsey has been nominated for several awards and honors including a Daisy Award, Top Notch Nurses of Albuquerque, and an AACN Nursing Excellence award. Now, Lindsey can be found cruising the vast skies of New Mexico with her long blonde hair trailing behind her as a full-time flight nurse at Lifeguard Air Emergency Services. She plays an integral role within the team and is excited to continue her passion of service, critical care, and education. In her spare time, Lindsey enjoys a good laugh, her dog Eddie who does handstands, skiing, and hiking

Chris Root is an emergency medicine physician, flight physician and a former New York City paramedic. His career in EMS has spanned urban and rural, 911 and interfacility, clinical practice and education, and critical care transport on the ground and in the air. He earned his medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. He completed his emergency medicine residency and EMS fellowship at the University of New Mexico. His research interests include prehospital airway management, EMS education, cardiac arrest management and breakfast burritos.

Rebecca Girardet was awarded a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Human Biology with honors from Stanford University in 1987 and her Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Arizona in 1992. She was awarded a year-long fellowship in 1989 from the American Heart Association to conduct HIV research at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France. She completed her residency in pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in 1995. Dr. Girardet worked in private practice and in the Baylor College of Medicine Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine before joining the McGovern School of Medicine at UT Health Sciences Center – Houston in 1998, where she founded the Division of Child Safety and Integrated Care. She was also founded and directed the Texas Forensic Assessment Center Network, a collaboration between child abuse pediatricians and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services that provides consultations and education statewide. She moved to the University of New Mexico Department of Pediatrics in 2021, where she serves in the section of Child Safety and Well-Being as Medical Director of Para Los Niños Clinic and Director of the Child Abuse Pediatrics fellowship training program, and in the UNM Office of Research as Leader of the Children Health Research Signature Program and Co-Director for the Institute for Resilience, Health and Justice. She serves as lead convener for the multidisciplinary UNM Child Health Grand Challenge Team that is developing a research base to improve child maltreatment prevention efforts in New Mexico. Dr. Girardet is board-certified in both general pediatrics and child abuse pediatrics, and she is an internationally recognized expert in child maltreatment. Dr. Girardet has conducted original research on STI diagnostic methods, HIV prophylaxis, the epidemiology of child maltreatment, children with complex health needs, and unmet healthcare needs. She is a past co-chair of the Child Abuse and Neglect Committee of the Texas Pediatric Society, a past president of the board for a Houston health charities organization, and she sits on the American Academy of Pediatrics Executive Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect.

Derek is an experienced critical care nurse and nurse practitioner student with over a decade of frontline experience in high-acuity settings and transport medicine. Derek currently serves on the University of New Mexico’s Lifeguard Critical Care Transport Team, where he operates as a flight nurse with a special interest in delivering critical care to rural areas across the Southwest. His clinical background spans adult and pediatric critical care, emergency medicine, and experience with mechanical circulatory support devices. He has been an ECMO specialist at the University of New Mexico since 2018 and has a particular interest in ECMO CPR and ECMO transport. In addition to his bedside expertise, Derek is a recognized educator and speaker. He is currently pursuing his Master of Science in Nursing at the University of Colorado to become a Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner.

In 2011, after 10 years of adult emergency and ICU experience, Joe Lewis began teaching full time at the community college level. Throughout the years, Joe has continually pursued the endless task to adequately equip future Respiratory Therapists with the knowledge, critical thinking ability, and clinical application skills, as well as compassion, empathy, and kindness needed to provide exceptional respiratory care services. You can find Joe’s teaching, leadership, and inspiration on YouTube and various social media platforms @RespiratoryCoach.

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