PerfWeb 57 — MediWeb Spring Conference — Day 2 [192]

Joseph has been a practicing clinical perfusionist for 40 years. Currently, Joseph is the CEO of Houston Extracorporeal Technologies and is the program director of The New Orleans Conference and MediWeb which includes PerfWeb and NurseWeb.

Clinical Perfusionist

Houston Extracorporeal Technologies

Houston, TX

Matt Warhoover graduated Vanderbilt University with a Masters in Health Care Management. He also earned a masters in Perfusion Science from Milwaukee School of Engineering. Matt is the current Associate Chief of Perfusion at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is the lead for the perfusion based ECMO service line performing nearly 100 ECMO patients and 20,000 hours annually.

His career started as a Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery Anesthesia Technician in 1997 and continued his education and started his perfusion career at Midwest Heart Institute in Milwaukee, WI in 2002. In 2005 Matt moved to Perfusionist Supervisor for McAllen Perfusion Associates, Inc. in McAllen, TX and in 2016 became Associate Chief of Perfusion at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN.

He is certified with the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion and is a Licensed Perfusionist by Tennessee State Department of Health.

He is published in the Journal of Extracorporeal Technology, June, 2008. Publication of Argatroban in Short Term Percutaneous Ventricular Assist Due to Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia. Matt also presented to the Wisconsin Perfusion Society Meeting – September 2002 – Presentation on the inflammatory response of the utilization of pump suction during primary CABG surgery.

Matt is a member of the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion (2002 – Present), Tennessee Perfusion Association Member (2006 – Present) and Tennessee Perfusion Association President (2010 – Present)

Ann Guercio is a perfusionist with 34 years of experience in the profession and has resided in Houston, Texas for 31 years. She has provided clinical excellence in a variety of settings, including large academic centers performing adult and pediatric cardiac surgeries, single-center community health care facilities, and multi-center health care systems. Gratefully, Ann spent 10 years as a staff instructor at the Texas Heart Institute School of Perfusion, giving back to perfusion students at her alma mater.

Ann participates in perfusion professional societies and credentialing bodies. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Cardiovascular Perfusion (AACP), a current Board Director on the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion (ABCP), and serves on the Texas Medical Board in matters of state perfusion licensure. Preserving, promoting, and advancing the Certified Clinical Perfusionist (CCP) certification process is forefront in her professional efforts.

Quality in cardiac surgery is another of Ann’s passions. She pursues objective advances through her associate membership and database abstraction work in the Society or Thoracic Surgeons (STS) registry. Currently, she is President of the Texas Region Data Managers Network (TRDMN) and divides her role in the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System between perfusion and STS registry duties. Ann believes that perfusion is part of the team effort of cardiac surgery. Through collaboration, communication, and data sharing, improvements in patient care are achieved.

In a large healthcare system, facilities can become siloed. Ann serves with a group of perfusion colleagues in her healthcare system to standardize where possible and share thoughts and ideas. She chairs the Perfusion Council at Memorial Hermann, which includes representatives from all system perfusion service providers. Through the Council, the perfusionists are able to compare processes and innovate, as well as network.

Outside of perfusion, Ann enjoys spending time with her husband, Sal, also a perfusionist, retired. They enjoy old home renovations, listening to music, cooking, cocktails, “talkin shop” and pretty much just being together.