New England at the Cliff House Encore Symposium 2025

William R. Ayers, M.D., FACP

William R. Ayers, M.D., FACP, graduated from Georgetown College with a B.S. in Biology, and an M.D. (cum laude). After internship at Emory University (Grady Memorial Hospital), he entered the US Public Health Service and was assigned to the New York State Health Department in Albany. His prior medical positions include a fellowship in cardiology and pulmonary Disease, the development of the fiduciary software programs for automated EKG and spirometric curve analysis and an Automated Multiphasic Screening device. He subsequently served as Acting Chairman of the Dept. of Clinical Engineering at Georgetown University’s Department of Internal Medicine and as an Assistant Dean for Curriculum.

After twenty-four years at Georgetown, Dr. Ayers retired as Sr. Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education and Associate Professor (with tenure) in Internal Medicine. He then joined the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates as Vice President to help complete the development of the Clinical Skills Examination and assist in its implementation. In 1999 he was appointed Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Dean at Georgetown.

He is board certified in Internal Medicine, a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a recipient of numerous Medals and Citations from Georgetown and the John Carroll Medal from its Alumni Association. He has served on Committees of the AMA and the AAMC including the visitors of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. Dr. Ayers was a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow on Capitol Hill. His avocations include the Sport of Kings, Sherlock Holmes, the American Civil War, and the Health of the Presidents and Candidates for High Office. Currently he is an Emeritus Professor at Georgetown University and an Adjunct Professor at The Catholic University of America.

William Howie, DNP, CRNA

Dr. Howie has an extensive background in nursing and nurse anesthesia. Dr. Howie holds Master of Science degrees in both Emergency Health Care Administration and Nurse Anesthesia and completed his doctorate degree in 2010 from The John's Hopkins University. Since 1995, he has been a CRNA at the University of Maryland Medical Center/Shock Trauma Center UMMC, in Baltimore, MD. Duties at the Trauma Center include the provision of anesthetic services to victims of acute trauma. Secondary duties performed by Howie include the provision of monthly educational lectures to newly assigned SRNAs and to function as a member of the Anesthesia Departments Quality Assurance Committee. Most recently, he has assumed a part-time position as a faculty member in the DNP Program, Nurse Anesthesia Track at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.

In addition to his practice as a nurse anesthetist, Dr. Howie is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Academy of Health Sciences for the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Dr. Howie also holds academic positions at the University of MD, School of Nursing. He has retired from the military as Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve after 25 years of service. He was called to active-duty multiple times throughout his reserve career.

Dr. Howie has published numerous articles in a variety of peer-reviewed journals.

Patricia McMullen, Ph.D., JD, CRNP, FAANP, FAAN

Website: https://nursing.catholic.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-profiles/mcmullen-patricia/index.html

Dean Emerita & Ordinary Professor, Conway School of Nursing The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC

Dr. McMullen practices as an educator, women’s health nurse practitioner, and as an attorney. She holds BSN and MS degrees from the University of Maryland School of Nursing and then went on to complete a Juris Doctor at the University of Baltimore School of Law and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in nursing at The Catholic University of America. Dr. McMullen has held faculty positions at several universities and has worked clinically at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Baltimore City Health Department, and in private practice. She has been selected as a Distinguished Practitioner by the American Academies of Practice, a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. she has presented numerous workshops on legal issues in nurse practitioner practice. She is also the author of a number of research and practice-based articles and texts.

Dr. McMullen has held prior faculty positions at both the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Graduate School of Nursing and the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She has worked clinically at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Baltimore City Health Department, and Anne Arundel Medical Center. Over the course of her career, she has combined her interests in nursing and the law by authoring a variety of book chapters and articles dealing with legal issues in nursing. A member of the Maryland Bar Association, she has served on both plaintiff and defense malpractice cases.

During off-hours, Patricia McMullen enjoys tennis, biking, and family time.

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.

Jon Lowrance, MSN, CRNA

Website: https://anesthesiaguidebook.com/

Jon Lowrance, MSN, CRNA is the chief CRNA at Maine Medical Center, Maine’s only level one trauma center. He also produces the podcast Anesthesia Guidebook… the go-to guide for anesthesia providers who want to master their craft.

Jon's career began with experiential education and wilderness medicine. He worked as faculty at Landmark Learning and NOLS Wilderness Medicine. He completed his BSN at Saint Louis University and his Master of Science in anesthesiology at Western Carolina University.

He has served as clinical & simulation faculty with the University of New England’s nurse anesthesia program, the SRNA Clinical Coordinator at MMC and on MMC’s Medical Executive Committee. He currently serves on the Maine Association of Nurse Anesthesiology’s board of directors and is working towards a PhD in organizational leadership. His research is focused on how leadership, human factors and systems engineering can improve outcomes in perioperative emergencies. Jon’s passion is helping healthcare providers thrive on the path towards mastering their craft.