Our clinical educators are Registered Respiratory Therapists with extensive clinical experience and deep expertise in mechanical ventilation.
Kimber Haug Catullo, M.Ed., RRT, CHSE
Kimber Haug Catullo holds a Masters in Medical Education from the University of Cincinnati and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Respiratory Care (BSRC) from Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH. She joined the IngMar Medical team in 2015.
“I love the complexity of ventilator management. To me it’s like a puzzle that needs to be solved in order to make patients as comfortable and as safe as possible”, says Kimber.
Kimber comes to IngMar Medical from the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH, where she worked for three and a half years as a Registered Respiratory Therapist in the Pulmonary Department. While at the Cleveland Clinic, Kimber conducted research with Rob Chatburn using IngMar Medical’s ASL 5000 Breathing Simulator. This research examined interactions between tidal volume, expiratory time, and total-PEEP in APRV. Kimber presented this study at the 2014 American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) Conference as an Open Forum Abstract.
When asked about her passion for respiratory therapy, Kimber said, “I enjoy touching the lives of patients who need my help and I like to know that I am able to bring relief to their situation.”
Kimber is excited to help the profession of Respiratory Therapy grow. “We are a vital part of the healthcare system in the United States and I think we have a lot to contribute to medicine in the way of research and education; be it educating new therapists or sharing our expertise with medical staff.”
*Open Forum Abstracts presented at the 2014 AARC Congress:
“Interaction of Ventilation Parameters During Airway Pressure Release Ventilation”
In addition to Kimber Haug Catullo, the co-author of this study was Rob L. Chatburn, MHHS, RRT-NPS, FAARC (Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland OH)
Jessica Dietz, MS, RRT-ACCS
Jessica Dietz holds a Master of Science Degree in Respiratory Care (MSRC) from Rush University, Chicago, IL. She joined the IngMar Medical team in 2016.
“Mechanical ventilation management requires a whole set of sophisticated skills. It is deeply satisfying to be able to teach people how to practice and perfect those skills using simulation. It is amazing to watch learners transform their knowledge into hands-on competence. This is powerful.”
Jessica comes to IngMar Medical from the University of Chicago Medicine, where she worked as a Registered Respiratory Therapist.
When asked what she is enjoys most about her role at IngMar Medical, Jessica said, “The opportunity to teach people from all over the world. I am very lucky to be able to work at the forefront of mechanical ventilator management training.”
Justina Gerard, BSRC, MBA, RRT
Justina holds a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA. She joined the IngMar Medical team in 2018.
Children are not simply small adults. With eight years of pediatric clinical experience, Justina Gerard is acutely aware of this fact. And IngMar Medical is pleased to welcome Justina as our new neonatal/pediatric specialist on our Clinical Education Team.
Prior to joining IngMar Medical, Justina was a Senior Respiratory Therapist at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and UPMC East Hospital. She has also served as adjunct professor for the IUP/West Penn Hospital Respiratory Program. Justina holds a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, as well as an MBA from California University of Pennsylvania.
In her new role as a Clinical Educator at IngMar Medical, Justina is excited that the company values respiratory care enough to involve her in so many aspects of the business, from product design to training.
Furthermore, she appreciates IngMar Medical’s unique dedication to proper respiratory care training and simulation. Finally, she is impressed by the fact that IngMar has made great strides toward promoting the field and profession as a whole.
About the importance of training, Justina says that,
“Understanding ventilation management is so critical, because as a respiratory therapist, you may be the only person in the room who fully understands the interaction between the ventilator and the patient. It is imperative to be able to think on your feet and understand how to fix whatever issues may arise.”
She feels that respiratory simulation training has a distinct advantage over simply learning information from books and lectures. The hands-on aspect of simulation is the only way to prepare respiratory therapists for the real-life clinical world. A background that includes simulation training helps therapists to reduce their anxiety and increase their confidence without putting patients at risk.
In regard to pediatric patients, Justina concludes that, “In my opinion, the biggest key to clinical success in the pediatric population is having confidence in your skills and training.” This is why she feels simulation training should be a cornerstone of respiratory education. Simulation allows therapists to learn how to manage young patients, in real-life clinical situations, all while being in a controlled environment.