Vascular and Interventional Radiologist sub-specialized in Endovascular Therapies for Arterial And Venous disorders

Dr. Stark has involved in wound care including running a hyperbaric and wound center at Nortoh Kansas City Hospital. He has been an investigator in multiple studies including the use of hyperbaric oxygen, in severe arterial disease. He has studied treatment of severe diabetic foot infections. Dr. Stark was an investigator in two stem cell and a gene therapy trial for arterial disease. He has been involved in teaching of students, residents and fellows. He is a fellow of the American Board of Surgery, and a member of the American College, of Surgeons. He is a member of the Midwest Vascular Society, and the Society for Vascular Surgery. He holds academic appoints at the University of Missouri school of Medicine and the Kansas City University of Health Sciences.

Dr. William H. Tettelbach is board-certified in Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine, Infectious Diseases, and Internal Medicine. He maintains academic positions at Duke University School of Medicine and Western University of Health Sciences - College of Podiatric Medicine. Currently, he serves as the Chief Medical Officer at RestorixHealth, overseeing the administration and clinical operations of over 260 hospital-affiliated outpatient centers that provide care in both hyperbaric medicine and wound care. From 2013 to 2018, Dr. Tettelbach served as the acting Program Director of the Duke University Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Fellowship program in Salt Lake City, UT. In addition to his clinical responsibilities, his other professional roles include acting President of the American Professional Wound Care Association (APWCA) and a member of the Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment (HOP), which advises the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on appropriate supervision levels for hospital outpatient therapeutic services. His passion for improving the quality of patient care aligns with promoting best practices while addressing healthcare costs and enhancing the patient journey within the healthcare system.

Dr Carsten C. Mahrenholz (PhD Chemistry, MSc Biology, MBA) is co-founder and Managing Director of COLDPLASMATECH GmbH, following earlier work as an SME-innovation consultant and tech-transfer CEO. He now leads the team behind the CPT® cold-plasma wound-therapy platform—an award-winning smart therapy that accelerates healing of chronic wounds and neutralizes multidrug-resistant pathogens without the need for systemic drugs. His team’s work has won the German Innovation Award, IQ Innovation Award and Leibniz Founder Prize, and he now serves as an EIT Health Ambassador and member of the German Federal Research Ministry’s High-Perspective Commission.

Dr. Cole has practiced in Northeast Ohio for over 22 years. She is an adjunct professor and Director of Wound Care Research at Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine. She is double board-certified by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery and the American Board of Wound Management. She is an ACCWS board member and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow. She has been a dedicated wound care advocate for two decades with interests in medical education, diabetic foot care, wound care, limb salvage, & clinical research.

Dr. Xiaonao Liu, CEO and Founder of NanoBioFab, brings over 18 years of expertise in nanotechnology, including research experience at CalTech, and holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering. A successful founder and R&D translation expert, she spearheads NanoBioFab's mission to develop breakthrough AI-driven nanosensor technology for non-invasive healthcare diagnostics.

Dr. Richard Tom is a seasoned Healthcare Operations Transformation Executive and U.S. Navy Veteran with over 25 years of experience in acute, post-acute, ambulatory, and virtual-first healthcare. Renowned for his collaborative and innovative approach to patient care transformation, Dr. Tom has significantly enhanced clinical outcomes and patient growth across various healthcare organizations by operationalizing novel healthcare delivery models at scale. Dr. Tom serves as President and Owner of Healthcare Innovations Advisory Group, advising Fortune 200 companies and startups on operational transformation. As Vice President of Innovation at Ascension Healthcare, Dr. Tom pioneered multi-state scaling of virtual hospitals and has been a leader in developing virtual-first healthcare delivery models since 2016. His tenure at Tenet Healthcare Corporation saw him achieve operational excellence and substantial financial growth through innovative service line transformation. As a national thought leader in ambulatory operations, he has extensive experience in hospital outpatient operations, including wound care and vascular sub-specialties. Results include fifteen consecutive quarters of EBITDA growth, exceeding 35% margins in his 150 wound care clinics. Before healthcare, Dr. Tom worked as a US government scientific advisor at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, a consultant for Northrop Grumman, and served as an officer in the Department of Energy and the US Navy. Academically, Dr. Tom holds degrees from the United States Naval Academy, Johns Hopkins University, and Ross University. His advanced degrees include Aeronautical Engineering, Bioengineering, Business, and Medicine. He actively volunteers as a mentor for the US Naval Academy Leadership Program and is a technical advisor for the University of California Applied Science Laboratory. Dr. Tom’s exemplary service in the Navy earned him multiple accolades. He remains a thought leader in healthcare, sharing insights on many topics, including the operational impact of artificial intelligence and crisis leadership. Through his extensive experience, Dr. Tom is poised to influence the future of healthcare delivery.

Dr Lullove is a distinguished podiatric physician based in Coconut Creek, FL and is the Chief Medical Officer of the West Boca Center for Wound Healing. He delivers cutting-edge care and is recognized internationally as a speaker, researcher and clinician. His expertise extends to health care policy, coding and reimbursement and regulatory governmental affairs. Additionally he represents the Wound Healing Society to the Alliance of Woundcare Stakeholders helping to ensure communities have access to quality healthcare.

Dr. Koullias has pursued a diverse career in cardiovascular surgery that includes his residency in general surgery at New York Medical College, and Penn State University followed by his residency in cardiothoracic surgery at Yale University. He completed a 4-month fellowship in advanced thoracic aortic endovascular surgery at the German Heart Institute in Berlin, where he gained experience also in the management of aortic complications in patients with Marfan's disease. Subsequently, he joined a group practice in cardiac surgery in Peoria, IL, where he was an attending from 2007 to 2010, and had a faculty appointment at the University of Illinois. During this period, he gained further training in vascular and endovascular surgery at the Arizona Heart Institute.

An active scholar as well as clinician, he has numerous publications to his credit, including book co-authorships (The Role of the Endothelium in Coronary Artery Disease), numerous peer-reviewed articles, and several book chapters. His primary interest is advanced Limb Preservation vascular techniques and advanced wound care techniques He was the Director of Stony Brook Limb Preservation Center, and Co-Director of Stony Brook Southampton Center of Advanced wound healing and Hyperbaric Medicine. In 2024, he became Division Chief, Vascular and Endovascular surgery, at the Hospital of Saint Catherine’s of Siena. He also became the system Chief for limb Preservation, at the Catholic Health System in NY 

Dr. Jeffrey Niezgoda is the Past President of the American Professional Wound Care Association and the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine. He is the Founder and President Emeritus of AZH Wound & Hyperbaric Center MKE. From 1998-2013, Dr. Niezgoda held the position of Medical Director of the Center for Comprehensive Wound Care and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee Wisconsin and served as the President and Chief Medical Officer of Hyperbaric & Wound Care Associates, a multi-physician group proving services to wound and hyperbaric patients in Wisconsin as well as internationally. Dr. Niezgoda has extensive experience in clinical research and has been instrumental in the development and commercialization of several medical devices and technologies and has served as a consultant to industry as well as to CMS and the FDA. He is the current Chief Medical Officer for Kent Imaging, a device company based in Calgary Canada providing comprehensive wound imaging technologies. Dr. Niezgoda is also the President and Chief Medical Officer of WebCME, an international educational company with a mission to provide wound care and hyperbaric education over the internet, Auxillium Healthcare, focused on artificial intelligence in medical imaging and RxOS, a medical device company which produces a revolutionary wound care hydrogel. Dr. Niezgoda is a 1981 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and received his Medical Degree from the Uniformed Services University of Health Science, Bethesda, Maryland, in 1985.

John P. Kirby, MD, MS, FCCWS, FACS is a Trauma and an Acute & Critical Care Surgeon focusing on improving wound care methodologies after injury and for limb preservation. He is a graduate from the University of Illinois system(s) for college, graduate, medical school, residency, fellowship and first appointments as an Attending Surgeon. His current academic interests include the ethical incorporation of industry sponsored funding for basic and translation science clinical applications in wound healing as well as how evolving perfusion, CAMP's and cellular transplantation technologies will contribute to improved patient management outcomes.

Karl Staser, MD, PhD is a board-certified dermatologist specializing in medical dermatology. Dr. Staser earned his AB in history and literature magna cum laude from Harvard University, his MD with honors (Alpha Omega Alpha) from Indiana University, and his PhD in biochemistry from Indiana University. He completed dermatology residency at Washington University in St. Louis, and has practiced dermatology in Saint Louis, Missouri and Evansville, Indiana prior to founding Meramec Dermatology. Dr. Staser is passionate about general and complex medical dermatology in both adults and children, and he has published numerous studies related to inflammation and the skin.

Melanie Schwiesow was born in Michigan. She went to the University of Michigan for undergraduate education, Saint Louis University for medical school, and Louisiana State University for vascular residency. She has been in practice since 2019 and back in St Louis since 2023. She enjoys all aspects of vascular surgery, but peripheral vascular disease and limb salvage are of special importance to her

Dr. Michele Pergadia is a clinical psychologist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy and health psychology. She works with patients who are living with chronic illnesses. She also works with patients to address anxiety- and mood-related symptoms.

Dr. Ushinsky is an Interventional Radiologist at Barnes Jewish Hospital in Saint Louis. He is an Assistant Professor of Radiology at Washington University in the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology. His clinical interests include arterial disease, vascular malformations and dialysis access.

Steven C. Sauk, MD, is an associate professor of radiology and chief of interventional radiology for the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. After completing his diagnostic radiology residency — where he served as chief resident — and his interventional radiology fellowship at MIR, Sauk spent more than seven years in private practice exploring his particular interest in treating vascular disease, both arterial and venous, in the setting of nonhealing leg wounds within the community. He continues this in his current practice at WashU, focusing on arterial interventions below the knee and below the ankle, in addition to complex venous disease. Prior to residency, Sauk earned his medical degree at the University of California, Los Angeles, and his joint Bachelor and Master of Science degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University.

Dr. Stephen Agans, MD, MPH, is a wound care specialist with a focus on mobile and advanced wound management. He earned his medical and public health degrees from Tulane University and completed his residency and fellowship at LSU in New Orleans. Based in St. Louis, he is the founder of Blue Sun Healthcare, a mobile wound care service dedicated to delivering advanced treatment directly to patients who face barriers to accessing traditional clinic care. His work focuses on chronic wound management and expanding mobile health models to improve healing outcomes and reduce preventable hospital visits.

Dr. Sollecito graduated from Villanova University, and received his doctorate of Podiatric Medicine from the New York College of Podiatric Medicine. He completed his residency in foot and ankle surgery at Lindell Hospital in St. Louis, MO. He is board certified in foot and ankle surgery and wound care. He is a member of the Wound Healing Society, a fellow of the American College and Foot and Ankle Surgeons, a member of the American College of Wound Care Specialists, and the Academy of Physicians in Wound Healing, along with American Podiatric Medical Association. He is a staff podiatrist at Mercy South Hospital Wound Care and Hyperbaric Treatment Center, and is also in private practice at Missouri Foot and Ankle.

Dr. Methodius-Rayford is the founder of the Atlanta chapter of Women in Surgery, an elite association of female surgeons and providers. She serves as the Medical Director for KC Medical Women's Health division, a new initiative dedicated to women's cardiovascular care, health issues specific to women, and healthcare disparities. She also has a keen interest in regenerative medicine and wellness, serving as the medical director of several aesthetic medical spas and anti-aging programs. Dr. Methodius-Rayford holds numerous positions in professional organizations as a key opinion leader and advisory board member for both vascular and wound care institutions. Her work has been featured in prominent publications such as O Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Entrepreneur, and Women's Health.

In addition to her clinical and professional achievements, Dr. Methodius-Rayford is a dedicated educator and mentor, committed to advancing the field of vascular surgery and wound care through innovative research and teaching. She has authored several peer-reviewed articles and regularly consults to assist with education and training in both vascular and wound care. She regularly presents at national and international conferences. Her contributions to medical science have earned her multiple awards and recognition, further solidifying her status as a leader in her field. Dr. Methodius-Rayford's unwavering dedication to patient care, education, and advocacy continues to inspire and positively influence the field of vascular surgery and wound management.