Spring on Hilton Head Island Encore Symposium 2025

Dawn Bent, DNP, MSN, CRNA

Dr. Dawn Elizabeth Bent began her career as an adult critical care nurse in a neurosurgical intensive care unit. She segued into a pediatric intensive care unit and it is not by chance that she remained with this patient population for over 25 years.

Dr. Bent is a practicing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) and serves as Program Director for the Doctor of Nursing Practice-Nurse Anesthesia (DNP-NA) program at Penn. Dr. Bent's pursuit of anesthesia began when she was approached by an anesthesiologist who felt she would excel as a CRNA. She has practiced anesthesia for 17 years and served as an anesthesia educator for 14 years.

Dr. Bent has been awarded by students for her clinical preceptorship and strives to improve patient experiences at St. Christopher’s Hospital where she currently practices pediatric anesthesia. Dr. Bent believes remaining invested in the clinical practice of anesthesia is essential to excelling as an educator.

Dr. Bent feels a personal commitment to the success of each of her students through mentoring, and leadership which helps her guide the next generation of CRNAs.

Kevin Driscoll, DNP, MSN, CRNA

Email: Kevin.driscoll@nih.gov

Kevin Driscoll is a Staff Anesthetist at the NIH (National Institutes of Health)**, Clinical Center, Building 10. This is the world’s largest research-only dedicated hospital where they take on medically complex cases to gain greater insights into future diagnosing, treating, and curing patients. The NIH is the lead institution for first in human clinical trials and sets a standard for new and emerging technologies. Prior to that, he was at the Johns Hopkins Hospital where he helped lead the first Collaborative Unit-Based Safety Program in the Department of Surgery and co-chaired a Johns Hopkins Medicine Clinical Community.

Dr. Driscoll received his DNP from Yale University, where his focus was on the geo-spatial analysis of the positive correlates for veteran suicide in the post-9/11 veteran communities. Kevin is on Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania and Sits on the Surgeons Advisory Committee (SAC) for the National Institutes of Health.

**Kevin Driscoll is providing his insights in a personal capacity and not part of his role as a federal employee.

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.

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.

Anesthesia After Hours ES Team: Ryan Shores, DNP, CRNA, Mark Talon, DNP, MSN, CRNA, Kimberly Westra, CRNA, DNP, MSN, APRN, MBAc