The CMMR External Advisory Council, formalized in June 2014, is a group of leaders in academia, government, and industry who assist the CMMR in developing key community partnerships in the areas of industry collaborations, education, grant awards, and community outreach. The CMMR is proud to have such a committed group provide expert guidance as we work together to improve the lives of military members, veterans, and their families. The CMMR Internal Advisory Council is tasked with growing the military medical culture at the University of Pittsburgh and its surrounding communities to improve the lives of military members, veterans and their families.
CMMR EXTERNAL ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS
Note: The external advisory council is currently undergoing a reorganization for the Fall of 2020. An update to this section will be completed during that time.
Jack Wagner is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a recipient of the Purple Heart and other military commendations for service in the Vietnam War between 1966 and 1968. After being discharged from the Marines, he attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and received a degree in Safety Management. He has served the city, county, and state as a member of Pittsburgh’s City Council (1983-1993), President of Pittsburgh City Council (1989-1993), State Senator (1994-2005) and Chairman of the Democratic Caucus, and Auditor-General of Pennsylvania (2005-2009). He has also been a candidate for Mayor of Pittsburgh, Lieutenant Governor, and Governor of Pennsylvania. Wagner received IUP's Distinguished Alumni Award for service to the community and the university in 1994. While in public office and as a private citizen, he has worked to preserve services for veterans. While Auditor-General of Pennsylvania, he pushed (along with the VFW) to keep military stores in the state from closing. For 28 years, he has sponsored a golf fundraiser called Caring and Sharing to raise money to give disabled veterans an opportunity to take a riverboat cruise.
Ms. Debi Wheeler, a native of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, is the Director of both the Deb Wheeler Fund and the Pete Wheeler “Pay It Forward” Fund founded in memory of her son, Harold W. “Pete” Wheeler IV. During the last 15 years, Ms. Wheeler has served on many committees, boards, and civic organizational campaigns, focusing on the needs of children. In addition to advocating for children’s issues, Ms. Wheeler supports promising technologies and therapeutic strategies that come from basic brain research. She has a special interest in traumatic brain injury, as well as neurorehabilitation and neurotechnology.Ms. Wheeler brings a wealth of strategic planning expertise to the numerous projects and partnerships she has led as a member of the Ladies Hospital Auxiliary Society and as a volunteer for the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and other research enterprises at Pitt. She has contributed volunteer time as well to the University of Pittsburgh. Known for her inimitable style and panache, Ms. Wheeler has a notable history of engaging talented and committed civic leaders in causes that she values. Ms. Wheeler splits her time between Somerset County, Pittsburgh, and Florida, where she has created networks of like-minded philanthropists.
Ralene DeBord is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mrs. DeBord holds a Masters of Science Degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology and is the founder and CEO of Hockeymom LLC. Mrs. DeBord is a devoted philanthropist who supports cancer research, neurological research, children’s advocacy and military causes. Mrs. DeBord was the 2015 Glimmer of Hope recipient and has served on many committees, gifting campaigns, boards and community organizations with the focus on funding research and outcomes that will impact the lives of future generations. Mrs. DeBord resides in both Cheat Lake, West Virginia and Franklin, Tennessee with her husband Cris and son Wyatt Charles.
COL (R) Wayne Dudding is the Chief Executive Officer of OLGS, Inc. (One Less Gold Star) which is a service disabled veteran owned small business that has a vision of reducing the number of preventable trauma fatalities on the battlefield and in the general public. Currnetly, COL (R) Dudding and his organization are working on an automated tourniquet system that can save live on the battlefield and at home.
Nick Beldecos is the Executive Director of the DSF Charitable Foundation based in Pittsburgh, PA. The foundation is seeks to promote excellence in three areas: health, human services and education. The interest of the foundation is to create or sustain models of excellence that have the potential to be replicated elsewhere, thus having more benefit to the nation. Mr. Beldecos worked previously for the MITRE Corporation.
Rear Adm. Lou Trippoli, MD served as the command surgeon (J07) for US indo-Pacific Command in Honolulu, Hawaii, from February 2018 to September 2020. He is a medical officer with board certification in Internal Medicine and expertise in infectous diseases, and practices medicine at Tripler Army Medical Center and is a member of the faculty of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Prior notable miltary assignments include: Commanding Officer of Expeditionary Medical Facility Camp Pendleton and Officer in charge of Navy Expeditionary Medical Unit in Landstuhl, Germany. He service in the US Marine Corps in combat operations in and around Fallujah, Iraq as a medical and public health officer and earned the Naval Officer Billet Code for Civil Affairs and the Fleet Marine Force ribbon. He also served at Navy Personnel Command as a senior medical officer. Dr. Trippoli is a Pitt Grad recieving his medical degree while undertaking residency and becoming chief resident in Pittsburgh.
Ted Redman, MD, MPH Currently, Dr. Redman is the Medical Director for F3EA, Inc. and Xcellable, LLC. He is also an Assistant Professor of Military and Emergency Medicine at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Dr. Redman has over 18 years as a physican in prehospital and emergency medicine settings. Dr. Redman is also a combat veteran serving with the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment (Senior Medic and Battalion Surgeon) and the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (Battalion Flight Surgeon and Medical Director).
Jeannette E. South-Paul, MD, DHL (Hon), FAAFP - Dr. Jeannette E. South-Paul was the Andrew W. Mathieson UPMC Professor and Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine from 2001 – 2020 retiring in 2020. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC, she served as a Medical Corps officer in the U.S. Army, retiring in 2001 while serving as Chair of Family Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and previously as Vice President for Minority Affairs at the same institution. Dr. South-Paul was responsible for the educational, research and clinical activities of the undergraduate and graduate medical education, faculty practice, and community arms of 3 family medicine residencies and seven ambulatory clinical sites in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania and responsible for the academic missions of 5 additional UPMC Family Medicine residencies in Pennsylvania. She is a family physician with specific interests in the areas of cultural competence, maternity care, and health disparities in the community. She designed an investigator-initiated project to evaluate cultural aspects of contraceptive choice (Merck funded) that has been active since 2017. Dr. South-Paul has served in leadership positions in the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and the Association of Departments of Family Medicine (ADFM) to include serving as President of the Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians (USAFP) and the STFM. Dr. South-Paul was elected to the Institute of Medicine (now National Academy of Medicine) in 2011, received the University of Pittsburgh 225th Anniversary Chancellor’s Medallion and was elected to the Gold Humanism Honor Society in 2015 and received the Allegheny County Medical Society Dietrich Humanitarian Award in February, 2018. Dr. South-Paul is a sought after speaker by academic, clinical and community organizations as well as health industry groups who are seeking perspectives on health disparities, workforce diversity and racial and social justice.
CMMR INTERNAL ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS
Michael R. Pinsky, MD, CM, Drhc, FCCP, MCCM - Professor of Critical Care Medicine, Bioengineering, Anesthesiology, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Clinical & Translational Science, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
*John J. Ference, DMD, MPH, MSS, MDS, FACP - Assistant Professor, Prosthodontics, University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
*Kevin Broom, PhD, MBA - Associate Professor and Director of MHA and MHA/MBA Programs, Vice Chair for Education, Health Policy and Management, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health
*Karin Warner, DNP, MS, MA, BSN, RN - Professor, Acute & tertiary Care University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing
*Brad Nindl, PhD, FACSM - Professor, Sports Medicine, Director Neuromuscular Research Laboratory/Warrior Human Performance Research Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Doug Weber, PhD - Ahktar and Bhutta Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
Mike Holland, PhD - Vice Chancellor for Science Policy and Research Strategies, University of Pittsburgh
*Rory Cooper, PhD - Director, Human Engineering Research Laboratories, University of Pittsburgh
*Dan Fisher, MHA - Assistant Chair for Administration and Operation, University of Pittsburgh School of Rehabilitation Sciences
*Robert Toth - Associate Director for Business Development/Commander, USN EOD (Ret), National Robotics Engineering Center at Carnegie Mellon University
*Patrick Strollo, MD, FACP, FCCP, FAASM - Vice Chair for Veterans Affairs, Department of Medicine UPMC, Vice President Medical Service Line, VA Pittsburgh Health System
Lenny Weiss, MD - Assistant Professor, Emergence Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Assistant Medical Director, STAT MedEvac, PHC Medical Director, Emergency Department Attending Physician
*J. Mark Hennigan, MSSL - Director, Liver Transplant Center, Center for Liver Diseases and Intestinal Rehab and Transplant Center, UPMC.
*denotes the member as current or former United States military.