Meet Our 2025 Speakers
Below is a preview of the expert faculty joining us for the IPAWS & Tissue Repair Summit 2025. From leading clinicians and researchers to innovators in post-acute and regenerative care, our speakers bring deep expertise and real-world insight.
More speakers will be announced soon.
We’re actively confirming additional clinicians, faculty, and industry leaders - check back for updates as we reveal the full line-up.
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Ryan P Dirks
CEO, Founder United Wound Healing
Ryan became interested in caring for patients as a Physician Assistant with the goal of extending the hands of physicians and providing care in underserved areas. His passion for sports as an NCAA athlete and Olympic hopeful made sports medicine a natural fit. In 2011, he was introduced to skilled nursing wound care and felt a unique calling to provide specialty care in an often-underserved area. The love for this work and increasing demand sparked the idea of starting United Wound Healing, and eventually his role as CEO led to full-time leadership and administration.
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Lynnette Morrison, MD, CWSP, DABWMS, FAPWCA
RestorixHealth
Called to heal in America and abroad. Wound care specialist, rural family physician, and global volunteer (15+ medical/surgical mission trips so far!) Bringing advanced wound management and empathic care to resource-poor locations and underserved patients.
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Naz Wahab MD, CEO
Wound Care Experts
Dr. Wahab is a wound care specialist and serves as medical director for the Mountainview Wound care and Hyperbaric Center, the inpatient medical director for Dignity Health Hospitals in Las Vegas and for Post Acute Medical Hospital in Las Vegas, NV. She is an active member of many wound care organizations. She completed her tenure as a board member and treasurer for AAWC. She is a member of the European Wound Management Association and currently is a committee member for the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders and participates in multiple education committees for wound healing. Dr. Wahab is passionate about research and has her own research department to conduct clinical trials for wound healing.
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Zwelithini Tunyiswa
CEO, Open Wound Research
Zweli, a proficient healthcare management professional and seasoned entrepreneur with expertise in quantitative marketing and data science, embarked on his journey in wound care back in 2011. At that time, he joined forces with Wound Healing Solutions, a prominent post-acute wound-care consultancy in the nation, where he played a pivotal role in its development and eventually became a partner. The consultancy was successfully acquired in late 2022, and today, Zweli is the CEO of Open Wound Research, a venture he co-founded in the same year.
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William O’Malley
Engage Health Solutions
William O’Malley is a founding member of Engage Health and currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer. In his leadership role, William oversees a broad spectrum of governance, strategic, and tactical initiatives for Engage Health's national healthcare client portfolio. He is also responsible for cultivating and scaling a high-performance, multidisciplinary team of professionals within an intrapreneurial corporate culture.
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Thomas Serena, CEO and Medical Director
SerenaGroup Inc and SerenaGroup Research Foundation
Dr. Thomas E. Serena MD FACS FACHM MAPWCA, Founder and Medical Director of The SerenaGroup®, a family of wound, hyperbaric and research companies, is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of The College of William and Mary and Penn State Medical School. He completed his residency in Surgery at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center with additional year of training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Southern Illinois University. To date he has opened and operates wound care centers across the United Sates and globally.
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Gregory Bohn, MD, FACS, ABPM/UHM, MAPWCA, FAAWC
Surgeon and Wound Physician
Dr Bohn is a General Surgeon Board certified by the American Board of Surgery. He is also Board Certified in Hyperbaric Medicine and Certified in Wound Care. He is President of the American Board of Wound Healing overseeing certification of wound care providers. As a member of the American of Professional Wound Care Association, Dr Bohn has been recognized and honored with the designation of Masters level in wound care, MAPWCA.
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Martha Kelso, RN, CHWS, DAPWCA, HBOT, CEO
Wound Care Plus
Martha Kelso is the CEO of one of the largest mobile wound care groups. She’s considered a visionary and entrepreneur in Post-Acute Care with a relentless mission to elevate the art and science of wound healing. As a published author, clinical editor for multiple peer-reviewed journals, an expert witness for wound litigation, and a member of several national advisory boards, she is a widely recognized award-winning industry expert working tirelessly to shape the future healthcare landscape.
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Jeffrey Niezgoda
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 and the Center for Comprehensive Wound Care and HBOT, St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee Wisconsin. He is the current Chief Medical Officer for Kent Imaging, a medical device imaging company. Dr. Niezgoda is also the CMO of WebCME, an international educational company providing wound care and hyperbaric education, Auxillium Healthcare, focused on artificial intelligence in medical imaging and RxOS, a medical device company which produces a revolutionary wound care hydrogel.
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William Tettelbach, MD, FACP, FIDSA, FUHM, MAPWCA Chief Medical Officer
Dr. William H. Tettelbach is Chief Medical Officer at RestorixHealth, overseeing more than 260 outpatient centers in hyperbaric medicine and wound care. Triple board-certified in Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine, Infectious Diseases, and Internal Medicine, he holds academic appointments at Duke University and Western University of Health Sciences. A former Program Director for Duke’s Hyperbaric Medicine Fellowship, he also serves as President of APWCA, sits on the CMS Advisory Panel on Hospital Outpatient Payment, and contributes to policy through Noridian’s Contractor Advisory Committee. His career is defined by advancing education and improving outcomes in wound care, infectious disease, and hyperbaric medicine.
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Brett Chatman
Lower Extremity Foot & Ankle Surgeon at The Hospital University of Pennsylvania
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Kari Harman
Kari has dedicated her nursing career to wound care, a field she has been passionate about since the very beginning. In 2004, she began providing clinical education on wound prevention and treatment, alongside product sales support to long-term care (LTC) staff and Home Health. She has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and durable medical equipment (DME) sectors as a sales and clinical educator. Kari went on to become Board Certified in Wound Care through ABWM in 2009. Kari is the Owner and VP of Business and Clinical Development of HealWell Mobile Wound Care and Owner/President of Wound Wise Consulting, LLC
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Beatriz Coccaro-Word, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, CWS
Beatriz Coccaro-Word, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, CWS is the founder and CEO of a mobile outpatient wound care company in Florida. A board-certified Adult Nurse Practitioner and Certified Wound Specialist, she brings over 20 years of clinical experience in wound healing. Beatriz earned her BSN from the University of Miami, her MSN from Florida International University, and completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2020 at Florida Gulf Coast University. Known for her holistic, evidence-based approach, she delivers compassionate, personalized care that considers not only the wound but the whole patient—integrating clinical expertise with attention to family, home, work, and social factors to improve outcomes and promote value-based care.
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Mark D Suski, MD FACS
Mark Suski MD, FACS is a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon practicing in Thousand Oaks, CA since 2001. He graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine, then completed a General Surgery Residency at UC Davis East Bay and a Plastic Surgical Fellowship at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center. In addition, he completed a National Institute of Health sponsored Research Fellowship in Wound Healing at UC San Francisco with Dr Thomas Hunt. He is board certified in both General and Plastic Surgery. He is also a Certified Wound Specialist Physician (CWSP). He is a member of numerous national and regional surgical societies, including the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Wound Healing Society and the American Professional Wound Care Association. He is the current Chief of Staff at Los Robles Regional Medical Center and was the former Chief of Surgery. He is the founding Medical Director of the Los Robles Center for Advanced Wound Healing and is currently Program Director for the General Surgery Residency at Los Robles Regional Medical Center.
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Jennie Feight, MS, CPC, CPMA, CPC-I
Jennie Feight, MS, CPC, CPMA, CPC-I, is an expert in health policy, reimbursement strategy, and revenue cycle management with over two decades of wound care experience across provider and industry settings. Her experience spans coding, billing education, payer engagement, and strategic market access for advanced therapeutics and wound care technologies. Jennie is a published author as well as an AAPC certified coder, auditor, and instructor, and is serving her second year as president of her AAPC local chapter. She serves as Senior Director of Health Policy at Kent Imaging, where she leads initiatives to align reimbursement pathways with clinical innovation.
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Elizabeth Carradini, DNP, CWS
Nurse practitioner and certified wound care specialist. Wears many hats including: clinical educator for over 100 clinicians at Advanced Wound Therapy- a mobile based wound care company that services the states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, and Tennessee. Adjunct professor, presenter, researcher, mother and wife are other titles. Extremely passionate about wound care education, and strives to share as much knowledge as possible. She never met a piece of cheese she didn’t like.
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Brock A. Liden, DPM
Dr. Liden received his degree from the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine and served his residency at the Veterans Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
He is board-certified in Podiatric Medicine, Wound Care, Diabetic Wounds, and Diabetic Footwear.
Dr. Liden has worked in the Columbus, Ohio-area for over 27 years. He sees patients in the OhioHealth Berger Hospital Wound Clinic, Hocking Valley Hospital Wound Clinic, as well as in his primary office located in Circleville, Ohio. He established and served as Co-Medical Director of Berger Hospital’s Wound Healing Center with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for four years.
His areas of specialty include:
• Limb Salvage
• Charcot Reconstruction
• Diabetic Ulcer Care
• Wound Care
• Achilles Tendon Repair
• Sports Medicine
• Dermal Substitutes
• Collagen Products
Dr. Liden is actively engaged in clinical research, product research, and product development:
• He is an international speaker on wound healing and skin substitutes for the advancement of wound healing.
• He has held faculty positions at multiple wound conferences and has multiple publications and posters.
• His research has focused on collagen products and limb salvage.
• He has played a critical role in numerous wound care products currently available.
• He designed and sold an off-loading system for DFUs and evolved an autogenic stem cell system to support healing in limb salvage.
Dr. Liden is an accomplished researcher and scientist who has dedicated his life to wound healing.
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Caroline Fife, MD, FAAFP, CWS
Caroline Fife, MD, FAAFP, CWS completed a Family Medicine residency at the University of Texas, Southwestern in Dallas followed by a two-year Fellowship in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine at Duke University. Until 2013 she was a Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston where she initiated the Memorial Hermann Center for Wound Healing in 1990, and the Memorial Hermann Center for Lymphedema Therapy in 1998. Since 2013, she has been a Professor of Geriatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. She is also the Chief Medical Officer of Intellicure, LLC, a Texas-based health information technology company which since 2000, has provided a specialty-specific electronic medical record system to wound and hyperbaric centers across the US. She is the Executive Director of the U.S. Wound Registry, a non-profit organization recognized by CMS as a qualified clinical data registry which has developed a suite of CMS approved wound-care relevant quality measures to enable practitioners in the field to meet the requirements of Medicare’s Quality Payment Program. Past and present board activities include the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders, the American Academy of Wound Management, the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care, the American Professional Wound Care Association, the Chronic Limb Ischemia (CLI) Global Society, and the ADA Amputation Prevention Alliance (APA). She is the clinical editor of Today’s Wound Clinic and has authored more than 100 peer reviewed articles and book chapters as well as editing 3 textbooks. Her research contributions include the development of real time lymphatic imaging with Dr. Eva Sevick using near infrared technology, and more recently, the use of real-world data for comparative effectiveness studies to understand what works best for patients with chronic wounds and ulcers.
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Mitch Sanders, PhD
Wound Care Expert, Chief Executive Officer, Lecturer, and Author, WoundDevLab
Mitchell C. Sanders, PhD is a Serial Entrepreneur, C-Level Executive, and Scientist developing advanced wound care products for the past 30 years with 23 peer reviewed publications and 45 world-wide patents (Google Scholar citations, https://bit.ly/3otr4a3). Over the past 20 years Dr. Sanders has secured over $65M in strategic partnerships for new product development for his lab. Dr. Sanders was founder and CEO of ECI Biotech (1998-2016) and his company developed the first infection diagnostic for chronic wounds (Bacterial Status), sold by WoundChek Labs. Mitch later worked at Alira Health as CSO, Board Member, and Founder/CEO of two additional startups (WoundForce Inc., and Firefly Innovations, LLC) that he sold to Alira Health. In 2023, Dr. Sanders used a portion of his equity to buy his lab out of the CRO and is currently the owner and Chief Executive Officer of ProDevLabs LLC, a Premier Wound Care R&D and Preclinical CRO in Southborough MA. Dr. Sanders earned his undergraduate degree in Biology with a Minor in Latin Language and Literature from Boston University.
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Kris Flinn
Kris has spent over 20 years in the wound care industry. After starting his career at Smith+Nephew, Kris held senior commercial roles at Advanced Medical Solutions and BioMonde. In his role of General Manager at SmartTRAK, Kris works alongside a team of analysts to support the industry with the latest market insights.
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Leonardo Seoane, MD, FACP
Dr. Leonardo Seoane is the Founding Dean of the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine (XOCOM), the first HBCU medical school in the Gulf South, dedicated to improving health outcomes across the region. He also serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer for Ochsner Health, overseeing all academic and research programs and partnerships with institutions including LSU, Loyola, and Xavier University.
A pulmonary and critical care specialist, Dr. Seoane has held multiple leadership roles at Ochsner, including Interim CEO of Ochsner LSU Health System in Shreveport and Head of the University of Queensland Ochsner Clinical School. He was instrumental in launching the Xavier Physician Assistant Program and the Ochsner Xavier Institute for Health Equity and Research.
A first-generation Cuban American, Dr. Seoane is passionate about advancing health equity and medical education. He serves on the Loyola University of New Orleans Board of Trustees and the Executive Board of the National Hispanic Medical Association.
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Dr. Dan Kapp
Dr. Daniel L. Kapp is a board-certified plastic surgeon based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, known for his expertise in cosmetic and reconstructive procedures. He studied at the University of Virginia and the University of South Florida, and later taught at Ohio State and Boston University Medical Center.
A former Chief of Surgery at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, Dr. Kapp performs procedures both in-office and at leading local hospitals. He also serves on the Medical Advisory Board for MDLIVE, helping shape telehealth services. Dr. Kapp has received multiple awards for clinical excellence and lives in Jupiter with his wife and three children.
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David Kay
Dr. David Kay has dedicated his entire professional career to healing patients. After his Fellowships in Geriatric Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine at UCLA, Dr. Kay focused on healing patients with hard to heal wounds. He currently serves as the CMO and founder at West Coast Wound and Skin Care which is a national mobile wound care group. Dr. Kay is a graduate of Queens College, Boston University and of Western University of Health Sciences.
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Marta Corwin
Marta Corwin is a healthcare leader dedicated to eliminating health disparities and improving quality outcomes for communities that need it most. With a passion for transforming healthcare delivery, she brings a unique combination of clinical expertise and strategic business acumen to address systemic challenges in the healthcare landscape. Marta earned a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology and Pre-Medicine from Tufts University, a Master of Biomedical Sciences at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. She went on to complete a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, and an Executive MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Comprehensive Learning
Engage in three specialised tracks covering the latest in tissue repair breakthroughs, post-acute and mobile wound care innovations, and more
Why Visit
Earn 12 CME Credits
Enhance your professional development with accredited sessions led by industry experts
Networking Opportunities
Connect with leading professionals, researchers, and peers in the field of wound care and tissue repair
Exclusive Journal Access
Be part of the launch of the International Journal of Tissue Repair (IJTR), with complimentary subscriptions for all attendees
Choose From Three Dynamic Tracks
Your Summit, Your Way: Attend One, Two, or All Three Tracks That Matter Most to You.
Tissue Repair Breakthrough Evidence
Focused on Cellular, Acellular, and Matrix-like Products (CAMPs)
Main Auditorium Content (All-Encompassing Track)
Covering audit preparedness, publishing real-world evidence, graft selection, and more, relevant across industry, academia, and clinical roles
Post-Acute & Mobile Wound Care
Innovations in care delivery, new models, and market growth
Secure Your Spot at IPAWS 2025
Join leading clinicians, researchers, and innovators in wound care for three days of CME-accredited sessions, real-world data, and global networking — all for just $499.
This is your chance to:
Access exclusive insights from world-renowned faculty
Earn CME credits across dedicated tracks
Connect with peers and industry leaders at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans

