Clearwater Beach Anesthesia Retreat 2025 Encore Symposium

Mark Talon, DNP, MSN, CRNA

Dr. Mark Talon is a graduate of the University of Texas Nurse Anesthetist program and an alumnus of the inaugural class for Doctorate in Nursing Practice at Texas Christian University in 2009. He is a clinical coordinator for Shriners Hospital, Texas Christian University Nurse Anesthetist program. Past, Director of the Texas Board of Nurse Anesthetist. Nominated to the AANA Resolutions Committee 08/2016 to 08/2017 and currently serving on the AANA Bylaws Committee.

As the Chief Nurse Anesthetist for Shriners Burn Hospital for Children in Galveston he is actively involved in the peri-anesthetic and ICU care of critically ill pediatric patients resulting from burns, trauma and other related disorders. Mark is also actively involved in critical care research involving the resuscitation, monitoring, and ventilation of critical and unstable patients. He has the privilege of being published in journals such as Anesthesia and Analgesia, Journal of Burns, and as a coauthor in the textbook of Total Burn Care.

Kimberly Westra, DNP, MSN, APRN, MBAc, CRNA

Dr. Kimberly Westra has been a practicing nurse anesthetist for over 20 years in settings ranging from a level one trauma center to a rural regional medical center. Kimberly practices in diverse settings, including as a solo practitioner, team care model, and as an academic adjunct faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Mrs. Westra is the Chief Nurse Anesthetist at Bayhealth Medical Center on the Delmarva Peninsula. Kimberly is the sole proprietor of Atlantic Specialty Services, serving Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania in ambulatory settings.

Mrs. Westra is the Chairperson for the Maryland Association of Nurse Anesthetists PAC and has been an active AANA member since 1999. Kimberly enjoys working to advance the future of nurse anesthesia through education as part of the University of Pennsylvania academic team.

Kimberly Westra has worked in education and mentorship programs, working with rising stars from high school students to medical providers in training to support the future of healthcare.

Steve Wooden, DNP, CRNA, NSPM-C

Dr. Wooden is a graduate of the University Tennessee College of Nursing, The University of Nebraska Medical Center Nurse Anesthesia Program, The Kansas University Medical Center Nurse Anesthesia Masters program, and the Duke University DNP program.

Over the past 40 years, he has been managing partner in two private practice anesthesia group in central and east central Nebraska. The practices had a strong non-surgical pain management focus and provided comprehensive anesthesia services to over 26 hospital facilities in Nebraska.

Dr. Wooden is the Past President of the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA), Past Chairman of the Nebraska State Board of Health, and Past Chairman of the Nebraska Advanced Practice Nursing Board. He is also the recipient of the AANA Ira P. Gunn Award for professional advocacy (2009) and the AANA Clinical Practitioner of the Year (Alice McGaw Award) (2001), as well as a former AANA Regional Director and Treasurer.