in coordination with the
and
4th Annual Pulmonary/Critical Care Conference of the Desert
June 7, 2025
Classic Club
75-200 Classic Club Blvd
Palm Desert, CA
Registration is Open!!
Register Now!!
Please call 760.895.4148 for any other questions.
Highlights from last year's conference!
Use Coupon Code
"Early Bird" to save $10
on your ticket purchase
The Speakers
FEATURED MEDICAL EXPERTS
Shahriyar Tavakoli, M.D., FCCP, MHA
Co-Chair
Shahriyar Tavakoli, M.D., FCCP, MHA
Co-Chair
Specialties
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Pulmonary Medicine
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Critical Care Medicine
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Neurocritical Care Medicine
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Civil Surgeon
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Dr. Tavakoli is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine and Neurocritical Care Medicine. Currently, he is an assistant professor at Loma Linda University Medical Center in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Hyperbaric, Allergy and Sleep Medicine. He remains active in the clinical practice of both pulmonary and critical care. He is a Physician Leader at the Lucent Neuroscience Institute. He was Chair of the Critical Care Conference held at the Annenberg Center at Eisenhower Medical Center for 15 years. He is now pioneering a new educational foundation with the establishment of Desert Institute of Continuing Education, Inc. this being the second annual Pulmonary/Critical Care conference. He has also authored several publications within his field and is interested in teaching and clinical research.
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Ara Klijian, M.D.
Co-Chair
Specialties
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Cardio-Thoracic Surgeon
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Ara Klijian, MD, is the Director of the Minimally Invasive Cardiovascular and Thoracic Institute of San Diego and is an attending in Cardio-thoracic and Vascular Surgery at Sharp, Scripps Hospitals of San Diego, California. He specializes and is considered to be a pioneer in Awake Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (AVATS). He also specializes in minimally invasive cardiac and thoracic surgery, lung and esophageal surgery for benign and malignant disease and advanced lung cancer resections. He has authored many publications and is very interested in teaching and clinical research. He is a member of the planning committee for the Pulmonary/Critical Care Conference of the Desert.
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Ara Klijian, M.D.
Co-Chair
The Right Ventricle is No Longer Forgotten: Now It's Misunderstood
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Fluids or Diuretics? Assessing Fluid Responsiveness
Steven Hollenberg, M.D., FCCP
The Right Ventricle is No Longer Forgotten: Now It's Misunderstood
Fluids or Diuretics?
Assessing Fluid Responsiveness
Specialties
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Cardiology
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Critical Care Medicine
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Steve Hollenberg was educated at Amherst College and Emory University School of Medicine, and then trained in internal medicine at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical College, in critical care medicine at the National Institutes of Health, and in cardiovascular diseases at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is currently Professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and Director of Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at the Emory Heart & Vascular Center.
He has participated in guideline development in both critical care and cardiology, including the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, the AHA/ACC guidelines on Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, Heart Failure, and Chest Pain, as well as chairing an Expert Consensus Decision Pathway on Assessment of Trajectory and Risk in Hospitalized Heart Failure patients.
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Paul Wisniewski, D.O.
Trauma/Critical Care Surgeon
Optimizing Trauma and Critical Care in Resource Limited Settings: Strategies for Efficiency and Outcome
Dr. Wisniewski was the Director of Navy Trauma Training Center at USC +LAC and he has held the position of Trauma Surgeon at multiple Southern California major medical centers and many military hospitals around the world, such as Kandahar, Afghanistan, Fallujah, Iraq and Okinawa, Japan. He has received many military honors and awards, the Romanian Emblem of Honor for Military Medicine, Navy Commendation Medal, and Combat Action Ribbon just to name a few. He is a rifle marksman and pistol expert. He is actively involved in teaching and has numerous publications and book chapters.
![Wisniewski-paul[1].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/22af24_d2af170a3d8648ccb699e7c140c09429~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_219,h_375,al_c,lg_1,q_80,enc_avif,quality_auto/Wisniewski-paul%5B1%5D.jpg)
Optimizing Trauma and Critical Care in Resource Limited Settings: Strategies for Efficiency and Outcome
Ara Chrissian, M.D., FCCP, DAABIP
Approach to Initiating Mechanical Ventilation
Specialties
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Internal Medicine
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Pulmonary Disease
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Critical Care Medicine
Dr. Ara A. Chrissian is a board-certified Interventional Pulmonologist and Intensivist, serving as faculty at Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he is the Director for Adult Bronchoscopy and Interventional Pulmonology.
Dr. Chrissian is also heavily involved in medical education. During his time at Loma Linda, he has served as the Associate Director of the Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship and has been nominated for and received several awards and distinctions for teaching both residents and fellows. He has established and been involved in maintaining several innovative curricula, such as those for bronchoscopy, lung cancer, and critical care ultrasound. He also sits on national committees, including the Education Committee for the American Association of Bronchoscopy and International Pulmonology, for which he is the lead on multiple educational projects.
Approach to Initiating Mechanical Ventilation
AI in the ICU:
What Every Critical Care Provider Needs to Know
Hassan Bencheqroun, M.D., FCCP
AI in the ICU: What Every Critical Care Provider Needs to Know
Hassan Bencheqroun, M.D. - "Being a native from Morocco is a pride I carry in my professional and personal life. The culture is that of giving, of hospitality, and love for people. There, I completed my medical education before coming to the US. A near-fatal car accident before my graduation deeply influenced my approach to patient care. The fear, the wait, the confusion, the anxiety, all plagued my recovery. But also, a deep gratitude and a sense of letting go and trusting the medical community and the oath they took to care for me.
Once in the US, I trained in New York and Boston before moving to California.
I now practice my dream of helping people. Cliche, I know. But a very real and honest one. Besides medicine, I also specialize in integrating artificial intelligence Ai into medical practice, and into my daily pulmonary and critical care practice."
Henri Colt, M.D.
Modigliani, Art and the Human Condition:
Reflections on Critical Care and Suicide
Henri Colt, M.D. is emeritus professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of California, a medical ethicist, philosopher, and mountaineer who has worked, traveled, lived, and lectured on six continents. He grew up in New York but moved to France when he was a teenager. There, he discovered his love for art, literature, the outdoors, philosophy, and science.
Dr. Colt is an award-winning medical educator, founder of the transnational group of airway specialists-Bronchoscopy International, a Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine, and a pioneer in the field of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology. He is also a philosophical practitioner and widely sought after public speaker who lectures about ethics and education, art and illness, the humanities in medicine, and emotional issues surrounding death and dying.
Modigliani, Art and the Human Condition:
Reflections on Critical Care and Suicide
Role of Blood in Trauma Resuscitation
John Woods, D.O., FACS
Role of Blood in Trauma Resuscitation
Dr. John P. Woods is Board Certified in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. He currently serves as the Trauma Medical Director at Desert Regional Medical Center and Chair of the Trauma Audit Committee for the Inland Empire. Dr. Woods holds several academic appointments as the Associate Program Director of the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at Desert Regional Medical Center, as well as Assistant Professor of Surgery at both Western University of Health Sciences and the University of California Riverside. He is actively involved in the clinical practice of trauma and acute care surgery with Desert Trauma Surgeons and has contributed to multiple publications in his field. Dr. Woods is committed to education and advancing surgical care, and he is also a member of several professional organizations, including the American College of Surgeons.
Agenda
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Use Coupon Code
"Early Bird"
to save $10 on your ticket
June 7 2025
6:45 am Registration, Breakfast, & Exhibit Hall
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8:00 am Welcome and Opening Remarks
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8:10 am Frank R. Ercoli, M.D. Memorial Lecture by
Henri Colt, M.D., FCCP, FAWM
Modigliani, Art and the Human Condition: Reflections on Critical Care & Suicide
9:00 am Steven Hollenberg, M.D.
The Right Ventricle is No Longer Forgotten: Now it's Misunderstood
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10:00 am Break & Exhibit Hall
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10:15 am Hassan Bencheqroun, M.D., FCCP
AI in the ICU: What Every Critical Care Provider Needs to Know
11:15 am John Woods, D.O., FACS
Role of Whole Blood in Trauma Resuscitation
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12:15 pm Lunch & Exhibit Hall
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1:30 pm Steven Hollenberg, M.D.
Fluids or Diuretics? Accessing Fluid Responsiveness
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2:30 pm Ara Chrissian, M.D.
Approach to Initiating Mechanical Ventilation
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3:30 pm Paul Wisniewski, D.O.
Optimizing Trauma and Critical Care in Resource Limited Settings:
Strategies for Efficiency and Outcome
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4:30 pm Adjourn
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Classic Club
75-200 Classic Club Drive
Palm Desert, CA
