Member Spotlights:

COTS Board of Trustees Member
Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

September 2024

• Where were you born and/raised? Rochester, NY

• What was your first job? Delivering the newspaper

• You have two weeks off and a plane ticket to go anywhere. Where would you go? New Zealand

• What would you like your fellow COTS partners to know about you? I enjoy being on the front lines as much as I enjoy being part of the command and administrative teams.

• What made you decide to be a physician/nurse/EMT/emergency manager (whatever your chosen career path)? ? My time in the military planted the seeds for many things I do today: emergency medicine, disaster response and preparedness, hyperbaric medicine. 

• What hobbies do you participate in your free time? I enjoy the outdoors immensely and like traveling to new places. 

• If you could be any superhero, who would you be?  Batman

• What is your favorite thing to do in the Winter season? Sit near the fireplace with a book or beverage!

• If you won the Powerball, what’s the first thing you would do? Give the money away— It rarely changes life for the better.

• What was the first concert you attended? A Christmas concert by the community chorus and orchestra at the age of 2 😉

COTS Board of Trustees President
Nationwide Children’s Hospital

June 2024

Where were you born and/raised? I was born in Nashville, TN at Vanderbilt but was raised in Columbia, SC.

What was your first job? My first job was at a drycleaners where I collected laundry and drove a truck.

You have two weeks off and a plane ticket to go anywhere. Where would you go? India, never been/always wanted to go, but I’d probably take another two weeks off 😊

What would you like your fellow COTS partners to know about you? How impressed I am by the organized, cooperative spirit of the organization.  I’ve worked in several states, and I’ve yet to see a region so well organized.  It is an honor to be part of this effort.

What made you decide to be a physician/nurse/EMT/emergency manager (whatever your chosen career path)? Originally, I wanted to be a trauma surgeon, but I changed that plan after taking neuroanatomy and spending time in the OR with a neurosurgeon.  Trauma remained my focus but shifted to neurotrauma.

What hobbies do you participate in your free time? I collect vinyl records, spend time with my family, and try and get outdoors as much as possible.

If you could be any superhero, who would you be?  Professor X.

What is your favorite thing to do in the Winter season? Hiking in the Hocking Hills area when it is completely frozen over.

If you won the Powerball, what’s the first thing you would do? Spend more time with my family and start up a non-profit for funding injury prevention/treatment research in underfunded areas such as non-accidental trauma.

What was the first concert you attended? REM, and it was AMAZING.  Thank you for taking me Uncle Rich!

COTS Board of Trustees Member
Columbus Public Health
June 2024

Where were you born and/raised? I was born and raised in Morristown, New Jersey…  hence I am a huge New York Yankees and New York Giants fan.

What was your first job? I worked at Little Caesars Pizza when I was 15 years old; they actually made me an assistant manager at age 16!  I don’t often eat Little Caesars, as I ate a lifetime supply in high school.

You have two weeks off and a plane ticket to go anywhere, Where would you go? My wife and I would definitely go to Hawaii; she’s never been, and I have several more islands I would love to explore. 

What would you like your fellow COTS partners to know about you? As the Assistant Health Commissioner and Chief Nursing Officer, I oversee many programs and staff.  I love to collaborate and find new partners to work with in our community, even some non-traditional partners. 

What made you decide to be a physician/nurse/EMT/emergency manager (whatever your chosen career path)? My mother was a nurse and I often played with her stethoscope and medical bag as a young child; she was the inspiration for me to go to nursing school.  Once in nursing school, I was hooked and have been an RN for 28 years. 

What hobbies do you participate in your free time? My wife and I have 5 children, ages 15-28, and a 4 year old granddaughter!  When we have free time, I love to cook and eat, love to golf, garden, beekeeping and watch sports. 

If you could be any superhero, who would you be?   Not really into superheros…  I did like watching Wonder Woman growing up, though, as I thought she was a great role model. 

What is your favorite thing to do in the Winter season? Make a fire and watch football!

If you won the Powerball, what’s the first thing you would do? Take my entire family (I’m the youngest of 8) on a long vacation. 

What was the first concert you attended?  Michael Jackson’s Thriller concert!

COTS Board of Trustees Vice-President
COTS Southeast/Southeast Central Coalition Operations Advisory Board President
Holzer Health System

June 2023

Where were you born and raised? Born and Raised in Gallipolis, OH. I still reside in Gallipolis, OH.

What was your first job? My first official job was a farm hand on a 500 acre farm when I was 15 years old. We picked vegetables for 2 local produce stands, farmed cattle, and took care of the property.

You have two weeks off and a plane ticket to go anywhere. Where would you go? I would fly to Utah and spend the 2 weeks going to as many national parks as I can fit in. My families goal is to visit every national park in the US.

What hobbies do you participate in your free time? My family and I are avid campers. We have a RV that provides us the opportunity to experience nature that god has allowed us to have. We have traveled from Bar Harbor, ME to Orlando, FL; and from Myrtle Beach, SC to Hot Springs, AR. We plan to travel to as far west as Utah and make a mad blitz across 11 National Parks.

If you could be any superhero who would you be? Alfred Pennyworth. I enjoy being behind the scenes and providing world class service to the leaders for which I follow. Recognition is greatly appreciated but definitely not why I am doing my job. I like to be trusted and leaned upon by my leaders to complete a task or project.

If you won the Powerball, what’s the first thing you would do? My community has been a large part of our my journey so I would try and give back to them. Donations to the Gallipolis Fire Department, the Gallipolis City Pool, and to Holzer Health System. After that, setup a very nice camp site in South Florida and retire. I would remain a board member if at all possible. I enjoy being part of the COTS board.

COTS Central Coalition Operations Advisory Board President, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

June 2022

Where were you born and/raised?
I was born in Xenia, Ohio, and raised in Beavercreek, OH.

What was your first job?
My first paying job was mowing lawns in our neighborhood. My first job where I was issued a paycheck was bagging groceries at a local supermarket.

You have two weeks off and a plane ticket to go anywhere. Where would you go?
Anywhere with warm weather and a beach to sit on. My favorite place is definitely Gulf Shores, Alabama.

What hobbies do you participate in your free time?
I love to run😊 I have done a few marathons and half-marathons and have been thinking about tackling a 50k or 50 miler if my wife will let me!

What is your favorite thing to do in the Winter season?
My wife and I enjoy Blue Jackets games and recently became season ticket holders.

Mount Carmel East
COTS Trauma Advisory Board
COTS Trauma Program Manager Committee Chair

May 2021

1. Where were you born and raised?
   Galloway, Ohio. I was born at Mount Carmel West as well as my three children and have worked in the Mount Carmel Health System 20 years this October.

2. What was your first job?
   Besides babysitting, my first paying job was at Star Cinema in Grove City-ticket sales, concessions, cleaning bathrooms/theaters, etc. It's actually where I met my husband our Junior year of high school.

3. What hobbies do you have or what do you like to do in your spare time?
   Working out is my big stress reliever-CrossFit, Orangetheory, running, sports, anything that gets me outside. I also enjoy gardening, traveling, reading, attending concerts, camping, and checking out all the great breweries and distilleries around town.

4. You have two weeks off and a plane ticket to anywhere. Where would you go?
   This is a tough one! There are so many places in the world I want to see! I think I would either travel around Europe or go to Australia and New Zealand.

5. What is your favorite thing to do in the winter season?
   Go somewhere warm on vacation!

Office of Emergency Preparedness, Columbus Public Health
COTS Central Coalition Advisory Board Secretary

July 2019

1. Where were you born and raised?
   Xenia, Ohio.

2. What was your first job?
   I was a Bob Evans hostess during high school. After college, I worked at Community Tissue Services in organ, tissue, and eye donation.

3. What hobbies do you have or what do you like to do in your spare time?
   My oldest son is starting to play sports so most of my free time is spent at the ball fields, but when I get free time I enjoy horseback riding through the hills of Southern Ohio and Kentucky!

4. You have two weeks off and a plane ticket to anywhere. Where would you go?
   I would grab my family and head to Hawaii! We love the beach, from the smell and sound to the food, and the sun!

5. If you won the Powerball, what's the first thing you would do?
   First thing I would do is call my dad! We talk about winning the lottery all the time and we have our plan all set for the day it happens.

6. What is your favorite thing to do in the winter season?
   Grab a hot cup of coffee and curl up on the couch with my kiddos and watch a movie.

COTS Board of Trustees Member
COTS Emergency Services Advisory Board Member

September 2018

​​Assistant Chief Jim Davis has accepted the Chief position at Fort Worth Fire Department in Texas. He will be transitioning to his new role later this summer. Chief Davis has been a longtime board member of the Central Ohio Trauma System (COTS) and an essential leader at the Columbus Division of Fire. He represents the Columbus Division of Fire on the COTS Board of Trustees. Through his involvement at COTS, Chief Davis has been instrumental in emergency, disaster, and trauma care for the Central region as well as the state of Ohio.

Besides his service on the COTS Board of Trustees, Chief Davis is active on the COTS Emergency Services Advisory Board and commits his time to other COTS initiatives and committees.

Chief Davis was responsible for all areas of training and education for more than 1,000 firefighters and paramedics in the Columbus Division of Fire. He is a registered nurse with more than 20 years of emergency department, intensive care and mobile intensive care unit experience at Nationwide Children's Hospital, OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, and MedFlight.

COTS sincerely thanks Chief Davis for his leadership and involvement in emergency care, trauma care, and disaster preparedness in central Ohio.

Congratulations Chief! Thank you for your service and we wish you the best.

Director of Patient Care Services, Diley Ridge Medical Center
COTS Emergency Services Advisory Board Secretary

August 2018

1. Where were you born and raised?
   Columbus until 13 years old then Thornville, Ohio.

2. What was your first job?
   The obligatory babysitting and cleaning as most teenage girls did back in the day, but real job...McDonald's where I worked through some college as a shift manager.

3. What hobbies do you have or what do you like to do in your spare time?
   I've always wanted to be a doctor or nurse and take care of people. I volunteered in high school to help me determine that I wanted to do nursing.

4. What was the first concert you attended?
   McGuffey Lane and Molly Hatchet at the old Legend Valley.

5. You have two weeks off and a plane ticket to anywhere. Where would you go?
   Fiji because I've never been.

6. What hobbies do you participate in your free time?
   Sports, mostly related to my boys and read.

7. If you won the Powerball, what's the first thing you would do?
   Pay all of my immediate famili’s houses off, set aside money for my children, nieces, and nephews, and then travel, travel, travel!

President and CEO, MedFlight

January 2018

1. What made you decide on this profession?
   I got into the profession because I wanted to help people during their toughest times like when they are sick or injured.

2. What hobbies do you have or what do you like to do in your spare time?
   I like to play golf (which I do poorly) and I enjoy running marathons.

3. If you could be a superhero who would it be?
   Superman because anyone who has run a marathon knows how great it would be if you could complete it in less time than it usually takes you. Also, I can't imagine how long my golf drives would be if I had that power.

4. What was the first concert you attended?
   Three Dog Night at the old Metropolitan Arena in Minneapolis (home to the Minnesota North Stars hockey team).

5. Where were you born and raised?
   I was born and raised in northern Iowa.

6. What was your first job?
   Growing up in farm country, I did a number of jobs around farms but my first paying job was detasseling corn. I think I made $3.00/hour and worked a ten hour day. My first job in healthcare was as a nurse in Idaho Falls, Idaho where I worked in the ICU and the ER.

7. How long have you been affiliated with COTS and in what capacity?
   I began attending the COTS prehospital meetings in 2008 or 2009. In 2015, I took over Dr. Howie Werman's position on the COTS Board and have served ever since.

Medical Director, Trauma Services, OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital

May 2017

1. What made you decide to become a physician?
   I decided on trauma surgery as a career because the patients are young, and the benefit to the patient from the trauma team therefore lasts longer.

2. What hobbies do you have or what do you like to do in your spare time?
   In my spare time, I shoot aggressively at targets but not living things, hand load my ammunition, listen to high fidelity audio, and try to be around young people as much as possible.

3. If you could be a superhero who would it be?
   I would be a prehospital provider. All my patients are horizontal, waist-high, and have perfect lighting. The prehospital team usually has none of those things.

4. What was the first concert you attended?
   Doobie Brothers - my son has never heard of them.

5. Where were you born and raised?
   I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio.

6. What was your first job?
   An "orderly" (also known as "male attendant") in the emergency room at Riverside. I gave a urinal to Bing Crosby when his pacemaker battery died.

System EMS Medical Director and CORE Faculty, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital
Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
COTS Past President

April 2017

1. How long have you been affiliated with COTS and in what capacity?
   Since 2006 and have served in every role including Secretary/Treasurer, Vice President, President and now Immediate Past President.

2. What made you decide to become a physician?
   Medicine is a second career for me, I actually worked about 7 years as an Aerospace Engineer. I began to have interest and thoughts of medicine and became a Volunteer in an EMS organization near Johnson Space Center (League City Texas) and caught the bug ending up in Emergency Medicine and EMS.

3. What hobbies do you have or what do you like to do in your spare time?
   Most of my hobbies focus around the kids activities, from skiing, to elk hunting in Colorado. Sports are big in our family. I still enjoy aerospace activities.

4. If you could be a superhero who would it be?
   Batman. He has the coolest toys.

5. What was the first concert you attended?
   Alabama

6. Where were you born and raised?
   I was born in Brownwood Texas. I consider Midland Texas my hometown (with a nod to Trauma and EMS, a town most famous for the "little girl falling in the well").

7. What was your first job?
   I was the yard man for Memorial Christian Church in Midland Texas, started at $3.00 an hour. I was 13, and mostly got the job from the property manager because my Dad was one of the ministers at the church.

COTS Vice President

October 2016

I am the Trauma Medical Director at Marietta Memorial Hospital (MMH) in Southeast Ohio. Though we are considered "rural" by Ohio standards, MMH is one of the busiest Level 3 trauma centers in Ohio and COTS offers us relationships and resources that are invaluable. Our hospital has been a member of COTS for many years and we continue to be involved at multiple levels supporting its mission as it provides opportunities to connect with other institutions and individuals who are like-minded in desiring the highest quality care for our patients. COTS is a backbone for trauma care in Ohio providing education, registry support, validation of services, and legislative insight for its member hospitals. COTS is a significant factor in advancing and promoting the Trauma Program at MMH both in our community and region.

In my "spare" time outside of practicing surgery and being the Trauma Medical Director, I enjoy my family including my wife of almost 25 years and five children. We live on a farm and have three horses, four dogs, three cats, and a rabbit. I enjoy running and exercising. My other interests include being the Medical Director and member of our SWAT team, hunting and shooting, reading, and generally being a lifetime learner.

My favorite quote sums it all up for me...Hunter S. Thompson said, "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and proclaiming: wow, what a ride!"

COTS Board President

September 2016

Medard R. Lutmerding, MD, FACEP, has been elected to serve as the next Board of Trustees President for the Central Ohio Trauma System (COTS). Dr. Lutmerding has been a longtime board member of COTS and an emergency medicine physician with Mount Carmel Health System. Dr. Lutmerding represents the Columbus Medical Association on the COTS Board of Trustees. Through his involvement in COTS, Dr. Lutmerding has been instrumental in addressing emergency department diversion and furthering the development of healthcare disaster preparedness in the Central Ohio region.

Besides his service on the COTS Board of Trustees for sixteen years, Dr. Lutmerding is active on the COTS Executive Committee and co-chairs two other COTS committees: the Regional Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Committee and the Diversion Committee.

Dr. Lutmerding was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. He attended the University of Dayton where he received his Bachelors of Science in 1970. He worked as a trained attendant at Miami Valley Hospital in the emergency department. Dr. Lutmerding's medical degree was achieved at The Ohio State University in 1975. Following an internal medicine residency, he joined Mount Carmel West in 1978 as an emergency medicine physician. Dr. Lutmerding recently celebrated 38 years of practice at Mount Carmel.

COTS sincerely thanks Dr. Lutmerding for his leadership and involvement in emergency care, trauma care, and disaster preparedness in central Ohio and we look forward to having him as the new Board of Trustee President.

In addition to a new COTS president, we have other new officers serving in their roles. COTS would like to thank our Board of Trustee members that are serving in their new officer positions.

Vice President: J. Allen McElroy, MD, FACS, Trauma Medical Director, Marietta Memorial Hospital

Secretary-Treasurer: Susan A. Tilgner, MS, RD, LD, RS, Health Commissioner, Franklin County Board of Health

Immediate Past-President: Robert A. Lowe, MD, FACEP, OhioHealth Doctors Hospital

Congratulations Dr. Lutmerding, Dr. McElroy, Ms. Tilgner, and Dr. Lowe!