Emed Health - Staff

Staff

Kelly Close, MD, MPH
Executive Director

Kelly Close, MD, MPH is responsible for the overall financial, programmatic, and administrative operations of Emed Health, as well as Emed Health's annual goals, objectives and strategic plans. Dr. Close is an emergency medicine physician with a significant background in care management, public health and nonprofit administration. Her experiences include serving as the Executive Director and founder of a Prenatal and Well-Child Care management program which received the President of the United States Service Award at the White House in 1996.

Paul M. Paris, MD, FACEP
Medical Director

Paul M. Paris, MD, FACEP is chairman of the board for Emergency Resource Management, Inc. He is chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, chief medical officer of the Center for Emergency Medicine, medical director of Emergency Medical Services Inc., and senior medical adviser of City of Pittsburgh EMS. He is committed to integrating academic and community resources into a novel dynamic emergency care system for the region. Throughout his career, Dr. Paris has helped create and advance a variety of organizations and programs to further emergency medicine education, professional growth, and research. He also has strengthened communications between emergency medicine professionals around the world. Dr. Paris has held a total of 20 academic and nonacademic appointments throughout his career.

Daniel Swayze, MBA, MEMS
Vice President

Dan Swayze, MBA, MEMS is the Vice President of the Center for Emergency Medicine of Western Pennsylvania, Inc. Mr. Swayze co founded Emed Health with Dr. Paris and was the founding Executive Director. He has more than 20 years of experience in emergency medical services in local, state and regional agencies. Mr. Swayze has a Masters in Emergency Medical Services from Hahnemann University, and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Public Health through the Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh.

Debra Lejeune, MEd, NREMT-P
Director of Education and Program Development

Debra Lejeune, MEd, NREMT-P has been involved in EMS education for the past 16 years. She served as an instructor in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh and for the Center for Emergency Medicine in Pittsburgh, PA for 15 years prior to joining Emed Health. Ms. Lejeune's responsibilities include planning, developing, coordinating, implementing and evaluating disease management and prevention programs consistent with the strategic direction of Emed Health.

Katrina Pipetti, NREMT-B
Program Coordinator

Katrina Pipetti, NREMT-B is a Program Coordinator with Emed Health. She is responsible for the coordination of disease management and prevention programs as well as the development of various health promotion initiatives. She oversees Emed Health's EMS health advocates and also works to create health communication materials. Katrina attended the University of Pittsburgh for her undergraduate work in Rehabilitation Science and is currently working toward her M.P.H. in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh. Ms. Pipetti received her EMT training from the Center for Emergency Medicine of Western PA, Inc.

Daniel Patterson, PhD, MPH, EMT-B
Director of Research

Daniel Patterson, PhD, MPH, EMT-B is the Director of Research for the Center for Emergency Medicine of Western PA, Inc. and a Research Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. His interests include turnover, EMS policy, rural-urban disparities in access to EMS and EMS crew configuration. Dr. Patterson completed his Bachelor's degree at Appalachian State University and his Master's and Doctoral degrees at the University of South Carolina. In 2006, Dr. Patterson completed a post-doctoal fellowship at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh.

Allyson LaCovey
Assistant Program Coordinator

Allyson LaCovey is an Assistant Program Coordinator with Emed Health, working with the At Home with Asthma, MedicVax and My Health Screening programs. Ms. LaCovey assists Emed Health in multiple programs by scheduling events, coordinating staff and patient schedules, and working with physicians to complete action plans for patients. Ms. LaCovey attends Mercyhurst College and is pursuing a degree in biology and pre-medicine.