CTEX 2023 Onsite Program

Instructor Biographies

Marc Eckstein Marc Eckstein, MD, MPH, is a nationally recognized leader with over 30 years of experience in Emergency Medicine and EMS. Dr. Eckstein is double board - certified in Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services. He has built an international reputation as a physician, leader, academician, innovator, and physician executive. After obtaining his Bachelor of Science De gree with Distinction from Cornell University, Dr. Eckstein ob tained his Doctor of Medicine from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. He completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine at the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center, where he served as Chief Resident. He earned a Master ’ s Degree in Public Health (MPH) with a Concentration in Homeland Security from American Mili tary University. Dr. Eckstein is a Professor of Emergency Medi cine and Clinical Scholar at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Dr. Eckstein has published over 250 peer - reviewed articles, abstracts, and book chapters, and lectures around the world on Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Medicine, and disaster preparedness topics. He serves as the Chief of the EMS Division within the Department of Emergency Medicine at USC and is the Director of the EMS Fellowship. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the EMS Achievement Award from the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Medicine (CAL - ACEP); the EMS Medical Director of the Year Award from the National Metropol itan EMS Medical Directors Consortium; the Meritorious Service Award for Exceptional Leadership and Contributions in EMS from the California State EMS Authority; the EMS Innovator Award by the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS); the Clinical Excellence in EMS Award from the California State EMS Authority; the Healthcare Leadership Award from the Los Ange les Business Journal; the Community Service Leadership Award from Firehouse Expo, and was one of only 50 Emergency Physi cians recognized in a book honoring the 50th anniversary of the specialty of Emergency Medicine. In March 2020, he was depu tized by Mayor Eric Garcetti as the Physician Leader of the COVID - 19 Testing for the City of Los Angeles, which has tested over 2 million individuals to date. Dr. Eckstein served as the Medical Director of the Los Angeles Fire Department from 1996 - 2021. He was appointed the Commander of the Los Angeles Fire Department EMS Bureau in 2016, where he created and implemented many innovative and life - saving programs. Dr. Eckstein created the first Mobile Integrated Health Unit in any urban fire department in the US. He successfully implemented Advanced Provider Response Units (APRUs) in the field, which are staffed by a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant along with a paramedic, and he also created the nation ’ s first mobile Sobriety Emergency Response Unit (SOBER Unit). He imple mented a Dispatch - Initiated Telemedicine Program in early 2020 and has now launched Field - Initiated Telemedicine. All of these programs leverage technology and innovation to provide pa tient - centered care, conserve emergency resources, and navi gate low acuity patients to Treatment in Place or transport to Alternate Destinations such as Mental Health Urgent Care Cen ters or Sobering Centers. In 2020, Dr. Eckstein founded Tele911,

Inc. a healthcare technology company that integrates telemedi cine and patient navigation into the 911/EMS system, where he now serves as CMO. Tele911 is now the leader in ER diversion and is transforming emergency care. Richard Elder In his first 18 months as a trial lawyer for the largest California workers' comp insurance company, Richard (Dick) Elder learned that his job was NOT to seek justice or to be fair. His job was to save money for the insurance company and the employer at the expense of the injured worker. His sympathies were with the injured, especially the injured cops and firefighters, but he was obligated to fight for his client. So, he changed clients. Dick switched to representing safety officers and, for more than 50 years, he has counselled and represented thousands of injured firefighters and police officers and their families in workers' compensation and disability retirement claims. He takes on cas es good and bad, and almost always wins, even cases that other (non - CSFA recommended) lawyers declined. Dick attended his first CSFA Conference in 1973. He has analyzed hundreds of workers' comp and retirement bills, he appeared at the request of CSFA at the Capitol to assist and testify in passage of im portant laws such as "the Cancer Presumption". He taught at CSFA "FIRE" seminars and other educational events and he has written scores of articles for CSFA. He has taken many cases on appeal and has made some good case law. His prime focus is to lead clients through the complex, adversarial and sometimes frightening legal systems, to obtain the greatest financial resolu tion possible. Clients are best served with a good but timely settlement, or a winning trial, He is committed to protecting our protectors.

Wayne Fletcher, Ed.D. Dr. Fletcher is the Associate Provost for Academic Services and also an Associate Professor at California Baptist University in Southern California.

David Fulcher Chief Fulcher is the Southern Region Chief for CAL FIRE.

Tracy Gonzales Tracy Gonzales has served as the Fire Communications Supervi sor for the City of Downey for the last 20 years. Tracy began her career 34 years ago as a Police/Fire Dispatcher with the City of Alhambra and eventually rose to the rank of Support Services Manager overseeing the Dispatch Center, Jail, Property/ Evidence and Information Technology. While at Downey, Tracy has been instrumental in bringing about many advancements to the Communications Center and to the communities they serve. Tracy has a passion for serving others and was most re cently appointed by the California Fire Chief's Association to the State 911 Advisory Board and by CAL - OES to serve on the State 988 Technical Advisory Board. Tracy is a member of the CSFA Leadership, Equity, Diversity and Service committee and the CTEX committee. Tracy holds a Bachelor's degree in Criminal

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