Last Year's Speakers

Mr. Bershad began his NYC EMS career in 1991 where he worked the 911 system throughout the five boroughs. In 1995, he joined the NYPD where he worked as a Police Officer working patrols in Brooklyn. In 1999, he joined the Narcotics Division, where he worked numerous high profile cases before joining ESU in 2002. Shortly after joining ESU, Andrew was promoted to Detective where he continued to work many high profile cases. In 2004, he was accepted into the NYC Task Force 1 which coordinated with FEMA disaster relief efforts in which he would respond to many natural disasters around the world in order to provide relief. In 2006, he became a Paramedic which furthered his medical career within the NYPD which then allowed him to begin training others within his division. As he continued to work within the ESU division of the NYPD with regards to training recruits and responding to numerous high profile incidents throughout the city, Andrew opened Flying Aces Enterprises and Consulting in 2016. In early 2022, Andrew retired from the NYPD and began working on Flying Aces Enterprises and Consulting full time which would bring it up to where the company is today and continues to flourish.

Chris is a NRP with 33 years in EMS/Fire, mainly in leadership/management positions, including commercial, volunteer, career, and combination. Chris was a DoD Firefighter-Paramedic, the Highland County EMS Coordinator and is now the EMS Systems Planner for OEMS. Chris was on the Advisory Board's Workforce Development Committee, EMS Officer and Standards of Excellence Workgroups and continues to as OEMS Staff. Experienced EMS Preceptor, Education Coordinator, CSEMS Executive Board & CISM team.

Former US Navy FMF Hospital Corpsman. 28 yrs emergency and critical care nursing experience. Current certified critical care flight/transport nurse for VCU LIFEEVAC. Owner and lead instructor at Resuscitation and Medical Preparedness, LLC where we offer community first aid and CPR training. Authorized training center for The Difficult Airway Course: EMS (TM). Passion for improving airway management and ventilation strategies in healthcare.

Katherine has been involved with Infection Control since 1975. She pioneered infection control in EMS in 1978 and is currently a recognized expert on Infectious Disease Management, OSHA compliance and inspections, and disease control issues. Katherine publishes books, journals, newsletters, manuals, video tapes and slides for various disciplines on infection control issues and regularly lectures nationally to various disciplines on infection control and OSHA issues. She is the author of: Infection Control Handbook for Emergency Care Personnel (now into its 3rd Edition) Infection Control in The Private Practice Setting: Policies and Procedures Infection Control in the Dental Setting

Travis Kaufman is an internationally recognized leader in global health, disaster response, and tactical emergency care. A retired U.S. Army Officer with over 25 years of experience, Dr. Kaufman has worked in more than 70 countries across five continents, focusing on healthcare system strengthening and improving outcomes in austere and conflict environments. He currently serves as the Assistant Professor and Program Director for the Emergency Management and Global Health (EMGH) concentration at the University of Lynchburg’s Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) program and is adjunct faculty with the Harvard Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, contributing to the Disaster Medicine Fellowship. He is also a Wilderness Medicine instructor with AdventureMed and a Fellow of the International Board of Disaster Medicine. As a White House Medical Officer and Chief Medical Operations Officer, Dr. Kaufman directed medical contingency operations in 48 countries under three presidential administrations. He has supported joint missions with the U.S. Secret Service, CIA, State Department, and numerous international agencies, and completed the White House Tactical Medical Officer Fellowship in Dignitary and Protective Medicine in 2017. Since 2022, he has led medical training missions in Ukraine, helping prepare over 1,500 NATO and Partner Nation personnel in Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), MEDEVAC, and CBRNE response. His ongoing humanitarian efforts span Panama, Mexico, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Dominican Republic. His distinguished service includes the Presidential Service Badge, the Order of Military Medical Merit, the Colorado Academy of Physician Associates Leader of the Year Award, and the 2025 AMSUS Andrew Craige Allied Health Professional Award. An accomplished Ironman triathlete and USA Triathlon All-American, Travis remains committed to service beyond medicine mentoring youth through Scouting America, honoring veterans with Wreaths Across America and the 9/11 Memorial Incline Climb. He lives in Colorado with his wife, Jamie, and their two children, Gabriella and Gage.